Hundreds of new laws go into effect

By Editor | September 6, 2023

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

Gary Borders

A total of 774 new laws went into effect on Sept. 1, affecting Texans in many areas of their lives, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The new laws concern property taxes, registration fees and voting access, among other issues. Several have drawn court challenges from opponents.
A few examples of the new law include:
· Book vendors must create a rating system for books deemed “sexually relevant” or “sexually explicit.” House Bill 900 is currently being challenged in an Austin federal courtroom by several Texas book sellers. Other major legislation concerning schools provides nearly $330 million over the next biennium to increase school safety infrastructure and resources.
· The cost of a new electric car goes up $400 after Senate Bill 505 passed both chambers unanimously, adding a new registration fee. In addition, owners of existing electric cars now must pay a new $200 annual registration fee, with the money from both fees going to the state highway fund, which is primarily financed by gasoline taxes.
· Governmental entities in Texas are now banned from implementing COVID-19 restrictions, such as vaccine mandates or requiring the wearing of masks under Senate Bill 29.
Law eroding local power ruled unconstitutional
A Travis County judge last week declared unconstitutional a new state law stopping cities and counties from passing ordinances that go beyond what is allowed under state law. The ruling came just before the so-called “Death Star” bill went into effect, the Texas Tribune reported.
The state has appealed the ruling by State District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble. Local officials across the state’s urban areas blasted the law as an overreach that prevents them from meeting local needs, such as providing water breaks to construction workers. That municipal requirement is now banned under state law.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner hailed the ruling.
“The Governor’s and Legislature’s ongoing war on such home-rule cities hurts the state and its economy, discourages new transplants from other states, and thwarts the will of Texas voters who endowed these cities in the Texas Constitution with full rights to self-government and local innovation,” Turner said in a statement. “This self-defeating war on cities needs to end.”
Gov. Gregg Abbott defended the bill, saying, “Texas small businesses are the backbone of our economy. Burdensome regulations are an obstacle to their success.”
Paxton’s impeachment trial slated to begin
The impeachment trial of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was set to begin Tuesday, Sept. 5 in the Texas Senate. The embattled state official faces 20 articles of impeachment, including misuse and abuse of office; disregard of duty; bribery; securities fraud; false and misleading statements; and dereliction and unfitness for office, The Dallas Morning News reported.
It would take a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict Paxton.
Meanwhile, The News reported some of Paxton’s former employees claim he pursued perks beyond what is alleged in the impeachment articles, including trips to the Caribbean and Europe that cost taxpayers more than $90,000 for his security detail. David Maxwell, who once headed the law enforcement division of the attorney general’s office for Paxton, said Paxton once bought a $600 sports coat from a hotel store while attending a conference and billed it to the event’s organizer.
“He was all about money,” said Maxwell, who is also a former Texas Ranger, the state’s elite law enforcement division. “He always had his hand out.”
Paxton has consistently denied all the allegations against him.