Lawmakers are pushing new laws to crack down on unlicensed care homes and hold consultants accountable after a WFAA investigation exposed dangerous conditions.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — A new push in the Texas Legislature aims to crack down on unlicensed assisted living homes and increase oversight of senior housing consultants. The proposed legislation follows a WFAA investigation that uncovered dangerous conditions in adult care homes operating outside state regulations.
State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington, has filed House Bill 2510, which would make operating an unlicensed assisted living home a criminal offense. Under the bill, violators could face up to a year in jail for a first conviction and up to 10 years for repeat offenses.
“That’s a violation of the law, but there’s no teeth in the law,” Turner said. “We want to try to crack down on those types of facilities and again give law enforcement some tools to be able to act on these things.”
Meanwhile, State Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, has introduced multiple bills aimed at increasing protections for vulnerable residents in group homes. One of those bills, Senate Bill 1137, is a direct response to WFAA’s investigation, which revealed that senior housing consultants—professionals who help families find care facilities—were referring clients to unlicensed homes without disclosing complaints.
Under SB 1137, consultants who receive payment for referrals are prohibited from directing residents to unlicensed group homes, except under the following conditions:
-
No licensed group homes are available in the area.
-
The resident or their family cannot afford a licensed facility.
-
Additionally, consultants must disclose any known complaints about a group home before making a referral.
-
Violating the law is classified as a Class B misdemeanor.
“They rely on any medical professional, anybody they think is a medical professional, to refer them for better care,” Miles said.
Miles has also filed two other bills to strengthen oversight of group homes. Senate Bill 1136 would grant fire marshals statewide authority to enter group homes when reports of abuse or neglect are made. Senate Bill 1138 would require municipal police, EMS, and fire departments to develop policies and protocols for responding to group homes.
The legislative efforts come after WFAA’s November 2024 investigation into the case of Jacqueline Thomas, a dementia patient who lived in a Grand Prairie boarding home operated by Tiffany Brown. Despite a history of violations, Brown continued to run illegal facilities without facing criminal charges.
Thomas’ daughter, Stacey Sifert, placed her mother in Brown’s care after receiving a referral from a senior housing consultant.
“I asked if she has had any problems and any complaints, and they said, ‘No, she’s great,’” Sifert said.
The consultant later admitted to WFAA that operators like Brown pay referral fees but did not disclose complaints about Brown’s treatment of residents.
“You should have asked him would he have liked to send his mama,” Miles said.
Later, on April 17, Thomas died.
A second client at another Grand Prairie boarding home run by Brown was hospitalized in March. The wheelchair-bound client had developed “bed sores to the point where a bone in her back” was exposed, according to court records.
Brown now faces felony charges in connection with both Thomas and the second client.
“She passed in her sleep, thank goodness for that,” Sifert said of her mother.
Lawmakers hope the proposed legislation will prevent similar tragedies by giving law enforcement the power to shut down unlicensed homes, improving emergency response, and holding consultants accountable for their recommendations.
