On January 1st of each year new laws go into effect and unless you happen to have a law degree, you might be caught off guard. Thankfully the Texas State Law Library has all the new laws listed and categorized, making it easier for the average layperson to understand.
The following are just a few new laws that could affect Texans in the coming months. All information comes from The Texas State Law Library website.
Several bills passed by the 88th Texas Legislature in 2023 will take effect on January 1st, 2025. Here are some highlights.
Vehicle Safety Inspections Reports No Longer Required
House Bill 3297 eliminates requirements for annual inspections during the vehicle registration process for non-commercial drivers. The Dept. of Public Safety posted a reminder about the upcoming changes.
Note that emissions testing may still be required by local ordinances for vehicles in densely populated counties like Travis, Harris, and Dallas County. Be sure to check your county’s website to see if this remains a requirement in your area.
Property Tax Relief Act
Senate Bill 2 from the 2nd Called Session is referred to as the Property Tax Relief Act. Read the bill summary to learn how this law affects property taxes in Texas.
Many sections in Senate Bill 2 have already gone into effect, but Article 4 takes effect on January 1st. This part of the bill provides “circuit breaker” limitations on increases to the appraised value of real property not covered by a homestead exemption.
Texas Data Privacy & Security Act
House Bill 4 is known as the Texas Data Privacy & Security Act. It added Chapter 541 to the Texas Business & Commerce Code.
This chapter expands the data privacy rights of Texans by restricting the sale and processing of personal consumer data by businesses operating in Texas. The bulk of this chapter is already in effect, but the procedures for designating a consumer’s authorized agent in Section 541.055(e) go into effect on January 1st.
Where can I read the rest of the bills?
All bills passed by the 88th Texas Legislature are on Texas Legislature Online.
To view the bills in the order in which they become law, see the Legislative Reference Library of Texas (LRL)’s Bill Effective Dates page. We also highly recommend LRL’s Index to Sections Affected page to research how specific sections of the law have been amended or repealed by new bills.
To find out more, go to https://www.sll.texas.gov/library-resources/collections/legislative-recaps/ for more information.
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