Texas Now Lets You Sue Over a Faked Voice. The Law Is HB 783, Not the Bill Number You Heard.

Texas now gives an artist a way to sue someone who fakes their voice or likeness online. House Bill 783, signed by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025, and effective September 1, created a civil cause of action against anyone who impersonates another person's name, voice, signature, or likeness without consent and with intent to harm. The impersonation has to be "virtually indistinguishable" from the real person to qualify. For a Houston musician watching AI voice clones spread, that is a real, named tool, and it is worth knowing what it does and what it does not do.

First, the correct name, because this gets garbled constantly. The law is Texas House Bill 783, passed in the 89th Legislature. It is not the Tennessee ELVIS Act, and there is no "Texas ELVIS Act." Anyone citing a phantom bill number for Texas voice protection is wrong. HB 783 is the statute that matters here, and it lives alongside Texas Penal Code Section 33.07, which already made certain online impersonation a crime. HB 783 adds the civil path, so the harmed person can sue directly.

What it covers is specific. The law targets impersonation on social media that is virtually indistinguishable from the actual person and done with intent to harm them. Voice is named explicitly, which is the part that matters for music. A convincing AI clone of an artist's voice, used to harm them, is the exact scenario the statute describes, per the breakdown from law firm Jackson Walker.

The remedies have teeth, within limits. A plaintiff who wins can get injunctive relief to force the fake down, actual damages, exemplary damages of at least $500, plus court costs and attorneys' fees. That floor on exemplary damages matters because it gives a smaller artist a reason to file even when actual damages are hard to total.

Now the part that protects the rest of us. HB 783 carves out an explicit exception for satire and parody. A comedy impression, a parody account, or a clear send-up is not covered. The law is aimed at deception meant to cause harm, not at jokes or commentary. That line is what keeps it from sweeping in normal creative speech.

HB 783 is one piece of a larger 2025 Texas push on AI. The state also passed the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, HB 149, which takes effect January 1, 2026, and is a broader framework aimed mostly at government use of AI and at clear consumer disclosure. TRAIGA gives the Texas Attorney General exclusive enforcement, with no private right of action, and penalties that climb into six figures for violations. The Attorney General also has to run an online complaint system. So the voice protection in HB 783 sits next to a much bigger statewide AI law that came online in 2026.

Here is the honest limit, and an artist should hear it straight. HB 783 is a civil tool, which means it puts the burden on the harmed person to bring the case, prove the impersonation was virtually indistinguishable, and show intent to harm. That is not nothing, but it is not automatic protection, and it does not stop a clone from being made. It gives the artist standing to act after the fact. Treat it as a legal backstop, not a shield. This is general information, not legal advice, and an artist dealing with a real impersonation should talk to a Texas attorney.

The practical move for any artist is to make ownership clean before a dispute ever starts. Keep your masters and session files documented, keep your releases registered, and keep a clear record of what is genuinely yours. The law gives you the standing to fight a fake. The paperwork is what lets you prove what is real. In a year when an AI clone can be built from a few seconds of audio, knowing the actual statute, HB 783, and keeping your ownership records clean is the difference between a strong claim and a weak one.

Sources

1. Jackson Walker: Texas 89th Legislature, Key Artificial Intelligence Legislation (HB 783, TRAIGA, and more)
2. Texas Legislature: HB 783 bill history, 89th Regular Session
3. Texas Legislature: HB 149, Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act