New Texas Laws that Took Effect on Jan. 1

By David Taylor / Managing Editor

With the Texas state legislature days away from gaveling in the 89th regular legislative session, the biggest fight on the floor the first day will be over the election of a new speaker.

In the last biennium, the legislature drafted legislation that was signed by the governor and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Only about four laws might directly affect local voters.

Here they are:

Senate Bill 2
Property tax relief

Most of the law is already in effect with the exception of Sections 3.05, 3.08, and 3.15(b) which took came into law on Jan. 1, 2025. Sections 4.02, 4.05, 4.08, 4.10, and 4.12 which take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. This year, the Education Code will be amended to ensure school districts receive additional state funding to offset property tax revenue lost due to reduced tax increase limits for elderly or disabled homeowners. In addition, the Education Code will now require the Texas Education Agency to post each school district’s maximum compressed rate for the current and preceding tax year bringing light to taxation of taxpayers. Section 3.15(b) repeals tax discounts that have already expired.

House Bill No. 4
Texas data privacy and security

Most of the law took effect on July 1, 2024, introducing new consumer data privacy regulations, by enhancing protections for Texans’ personal information. The key provision of the bill took effect Jan. 1 which was the Business and Commerce Code. What does it do? It gives consumers more power over their personal data with unified opt-out mechanisms for their personal online data processing.

Consumers will be able to use their browser settings, device preferences, or extensions to automatically opt of targeted advertising, data sales and profiling without the need to interact individually with each business.

Consumers can confirm whether a business is processing their personal data and will be able to access their personal data, correct inaccuracies, delete personal data provided by or obtained about the consumer, and opt out of the processing of personal data for purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling.

Businesses will be required to respond to a consumer’s request within 45 days after receipt and without delay. They can request and extension as long as they inform the consumer and provides a reason for the extension. If the business wishes to decline the consumer’s request, they must provide justification and instructions on how to appeal the decision.

House Bill No. 3297
Eliminating state vehicle inspections

The law was passed in the 2023 legislature and took effect on Jan. 1, 2025. The new legislation eliminates annual inspections for non-commercial drivers to get their vehicle registration with a few exceptions that include Harris County.

Drivers will have to pay a nominal $7.50 fee for the inspection program replacement when they get their registration.

The exceptions are for counties that will require non-commercial vehicles in Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, and Montgomery counties will include a vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance program. The law also affects drivers in Dallas-Fort Worth in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker Rockwall, and Tarrant counties. It also includes Travis, Williamson. El Paso, and Bexar (2026) counties.

House Bill No. 4504
Streamlining criminal procedure

This bill is an ongoing effort to simplify legal rules in the state of Texas. There are small, technical updates to the Code of Criminal Procedure without changing the meaning of the laws. These updates directly involve the duties of police officers, how they interact with the public, where cases can be tried, moving cases to a different location, rules for certain local courts, and clearing criminal records.

There are considerably more laws that don’t directly affect taxpayers locally including the creation of several new judicial districts across the state.

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