The Committee on State Affairs heard testimony on Senate Bill 2254, a measure that would amend the Occupations Code to allow nonprofit wildlife associations to sell statewide charitable raffle tickets on their websites.

Senator Pete Flores, the bill’s author, told the committee that the measure had been heard before and “it's a pretty straightforward” change to permit online sales. The bill would let qualifying nonprofits accept online payments and use computer-based drawing methods for statewide raffles, Flores said.

Mike Wilson, director of fundraising for Ducks Unlimited, testified in support. “Ducks Unlimited is a nonprofit organization, leader in wetlands conservation in North America,” Wilson said. He told the committee Ducks Unlimited has more than 50,000 Texas members and volunteers and that volunteers raised more than $8,800,000 in revenue last year, which was leveraged with partners to produce more than $24,000,000 for Texas conservation projects. Wilson said SB 2254 “will enhance fundraising opportunities for our members and supporters that are unable to attend in person events” and will provide “a more secure payment method” by permitting use of third‑party credit card processors used by e‑commerce sites.

Committee members asked practical questions about implementation windows and who would be eligible to buy tickets online. Wilson said online sales would be used primarily “leading up to events” and “limited to members and supporters of the organization that are already preidentified through our database,” though promotional offerings not tied to specific in‑person events could also be offered.

The committee opened and closed public testimony on SB 2254; Wilson was the only witness registered to speak. The bill was left pending.

No formal action (vote or amendment) was taken in committee during the hearing.

For now, the measure remains under Committee on State Affairs consideration; proponents said the change would modernize raffle sales for eligible wildlife conservation nonprofits and increase fundraising access for members who cannot attend in‑person events.