Texas Bill Would Guarantee Policyholders the Right to Choose Their Own Glass Shop

Legislation introduced in the 88th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature would have strengthened vehicle owners' right to choose their own auto-glass repairer. The measure was one of several state-level proposals seeking to limit insurer steering. The legislative history identifies it as HB 1321, sponsored by Representative Clardy, and shows that it was left pending in committee as of April 11, 2023.

Repair-choice legislation has a long history in the auto-glass and collision-repair industries. Independent shops frequently argue that large insurer-owned or insurer-affiliated networks steer policyholders toward preferred providers through incentive structures, referral websites, and phone-representative prompting — effectively limiting genuine consumer choice even when policyholders nominally retain the right to select their own repairer.

Insurer preferred-provider networks operate by promising faster claims processing, price guarantees, and warranty coverage when policyholders use network shops. These arrangements are legal in Texas and most other states, but critics argue that the combination of financial incentives, scripted call-center guidance, and online tool defaults creates a de facto steering mechanism that disadvantages independents who do not participate in those networks.

The Texas bill proposed codifying the right of an insured to use the repair shop of their choosing without penalty to coverage or claims handling. A similar companion bill, SB 1083, was tracked in the Texas Senate. Both measures reflected the industry's frustration with a claims landscape that had shifted significantly toward network consolidation over the prior decade, with insurer-preferred shops capturing a growing share of claim-driven volume.

Despite failing to advance in 2023, the bills represented a clear signal from independent glass shops and their allies that insurer steering remained a live competitive issue. Similar measures were active in multiple state legislatures during 2023, reflecting a nationwide advocacy push coordinated partly through the Auto Glass Safety Council and regional trade groups.

The measure also reflected the growing importance of ADAS recalibration revenue, since steering customers toward preferred providers effectively routes high-margin calibration work away from independent shops that have invested in equipment and training. As calibration becomes a larger share of total job value on camera-equipped vehicles, the financial stakes of each steered customer increase substantially.