Lawmakers propose new criminal penalties for assisted living facilities operating without a license​on April 15, 2025 at 3:59 pm

AUSTIN, Texas — Lawmakers are weighing new criminal penalties for unlicensed assisted living operators, following a series of high-profile cases that revealed dangerous gaps in oversight.

On Tuesday, the Texas House Human Services Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2510, filed by Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington. The bill would make it a criminal offense to operate an assisted living facility without a license. First-time offenders could face up to a year in jail, with repeat offenders facing felony charges and up to 10 years behind bars.

“In this case, we’re talking about the most vulnerable Texans—elderly Texans … and others who need protections,” Turner said during the hearing. “I think it’s reasonable to put a Class A misdemeanor on someone who’s acting unscrupulously and putting those Texans, our constituents, in danger.”

The legislation follows WFAA’s 2024 investigation that highlighted the case of Jacqueline Thomas, a dementia patient who lived in an unlicensed Grand Prairie boarding home operated by Tiffany Brown. Despite years of documented violations, Brown continued running illegal facilities. 

Under Texas law, any boarding home with more than three residents—and where caretakers assist with daily needs like bathing, eating, or medication—must be licensed as an assisted living facility. Licensure requires inspections by fire marshals and regulators to ensure resident safety.

But as WFAA uncovered, some operators skirt those rules by hiding how many people live in their homes—exposing residents to potential harm. From 2021 to 2023, regulators found nearly 300 homes operating without the required licenses.

Brown’s home on Olympia Drive was among them. In 2018, she was cited for running an unlicensed facility. Over the next year, state inspectors found her violating the law three more times. In 2020, she falsely claimed a resident was a relative to avoid licensing, according to records. When Brown blocked inspectors from entering in 2021, the state obtained a court order and found the home again operating illegally.

Despite those findings, Brown was still in business in 2023, when Stacey Sifert placed her mother, Jacqueline Thomas, in the home.

“My mom was in skilled nursing, and I needed a place for her to go,” Sifert said last year, adding that she wasn’t aware of Brown’s regulatory history.

Grand Prairie Police mental health officer Greg New said the bill would help close enforcement loopholes.

“Creating a criminal offense for operating such facilities without licensure would deter bad actors” and “raise the standard of care,” he said.

Courtney Runnels, a crisis support manager with Grand Prairie PD, described multiple investigations in which operators refused police entry or confiscated residents’ phones, preventing them from calling for help.

“Without proper oversight, these homes create opportunities for exploitation,” she said. “The lack of accountability makes it far too easy for bad actors to exploit a population that cannot defend itself.”

Turner also referenced the case of Regla Becquer, a Dallas woman accused of running multiple unlicensed homes where at least 20 people died. She has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of one of her clients.

Jessica Cunningham testified about placing her husband, Joe, who has Huntington’s disease, in a residential care home in early 2023. The owner told her she didn’t need a license and could care for residents better without one.

But soon, the home became overcrowded. Cunningham said food was scarce and expired, caregivers were constantly changing, and she discovered staff giving medications left behind by deceased residents.

“We started seeing signs of abuse and neglect,” Cunningham said. She moved her husband out and reported the operator, who is still running multiple homes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Cunningham removed her husband from that home, and he is now living in a licensed facility.

“The goal is to send a message and act as a deterrent,” Turner added. “Because right now if you get caught, there’s really no penalty.”