Ten New Texas Laws

Changes to Texas Law You Should Know

We have successfully made it through the first month of 2016, and as far as we can tell, the new year is off to a great start. Whether you’ve been striving to make some changes in your life as part of your New Year’s resolutions or avoiding resolutions at all costs, there are some changes in Texas law that went into effect on January 1st of this year that you need to know about. You have most likely heard about some of these changes, but some may have also slipped passed your attention. Take a moment to learn a bit more about 10 of these new Texas laws.

1. House Bill 910 – Referred to as Texas’ Open Carry Law, House Bill 910 allows people to openly carry a holstered handgun on their person at all times if they are properly licensed. However, businesses can opt to prohibit the carrying of handguns on their premises by displaying a prohibitory sign in plain view.
2. House Bill 1550 – This new Texas law allows pharmacists to administer epinephrine, the drug used to combat anaphylactic shock, in times of emergency.
3. House Bill 1888 – This law amends the old law related to the punishment for driving a commercial (motor) vehicle without the proper commercial driver’s license. The new law increases the fine by $500 and reclassifies the offense as a Class B misdemeanor.
4. House Bill 1905 – This new Texas law repeals the state and local taxes tied to certain controlled substances and alcoholic beverages.
5. House Bill 2259 – This 2016 Texas law removes certain conditions pertaining to imposed taxes on residential property.
6. Senate Bill 200 – This law grants the continuation of the Health and Human Services Commission—which strives to counteract early intervention in health issues—until September 2027.
7. Senate Bill 277 – This new Texas law abolishes multiple health task forces and advisory committees, including: the Medicaid and Public Assistance Fraud Oversight Task Force, the Interagency Inspection Task Force, the Sickle Cell Advisory Committee, the Arthritis Advisory Committee and others. This new Texas law also: serves to make way for the establishment of new advisory committees, will regulate the Drug Utilization Review Board and will allow changes to be made in other advisory groups.
8. Senate Bill 859 – This law stipulates that the partners in a limited liability partnership have to pay $200 when they file annual reports (the day of).
9. Senate Bill 1049 – This new Texas law exempts new veteran-owned franchises from franchise taxes and certain filing fees with the secretary of state.
10. Proposition 2 – This law allows disabled veterans’ spouses to receive all of a property tax exemption (i.e., 100%). Before this new Texas law went into effect, spouses could only take the exemption if their partners died after 2010.