EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — This week, 666 information legal guidelines took impact in Texas, which can remove entry to most abortions, remove social research and present occasions from public college curricula and tighten already-limited voting legal guidelines throughout the state.
The Texas Legislature stays in Gov. Greg Abbott’s second particular session, the place lawmakers are exploring laws that features altering the bail system and limiting transgender pupil athletes from taking part in sports activities.
KTSM 9 Information created a roundup of a number of the lesser-known payments that may nearly definitely have an effect on folks throughout the Borderland.
2022-23 Funds
Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1) authorizes about $250 billion for Texas, a lot of that funding being directed to increased training. Earlier this summer time, Abbott vetoed some line gadgets associated to funding the Texas Legislature and its employees, however the funding is anticipated to be restored on the conclusion of the second particular session.
Eradicating SNAP limitations
Senate Bill 224 (S.B. 224) condenses entry to the Supplemental Help Program (SNAP) for disabled and aged Texans on fastened incomes. Eligible individuals can bypass the enrollment interviews and full an easier utility.
Slight medical hashish enlargement
House Bill 1535 expands The Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) to incorporate two new circumstances to its roster that features PTSD and any type of most cancers. Texans dwelling with these circumstances might now have entry to low-level THC hashish oil used for medical reduction.
Funding the “1836 Venture”
House Bill 2497 (H.B. 2497) applied a committee to provide patriotic Texas historical past supplies, referred to as the 1836 Venture. The supplies will probably be distributed all through Texas, like when folks obtain their driver’s licenses.
The initiative takes its lead from The New York Occasions’ “1619 Venture” that particulars U.S historical past beginning on the arrival of enslaved folks to the New World.
Eliminating social research and present occasions curricula
House Bill 3979 (H.B. 3979) restricts lecturers from discussing present occasions and systemic racism within the classroom. For instance, public college lecturers in El Paso is not going to be permitted to supply instruction on the Aug. third, 2019 mass taking pictures, during which alleged shooter Patrick Crucius is being indicted on a number of counts of hate crimes for concentrating on Hispanics within the assault.
The invoice additionally eliminates class credit score for taking part in civic engagement.
Moreover, the invoice bans instructing the “1619 Venture.”
Decreasing pre-Ok class measurement
Senate Bill 2081 (S.B. 2081) caps PreK lessons throughout Texas at 22 college students, which is similar as class sizes for elementary college lessons.
“Star Spangled Banner Safety Act”
Senate Bill4 (S.B. 4) required the nationwide anthem to be performed earlier than any skilled sports activities video games performed utilizing state funding.
Automobile crash legal responsibility protect for firms
House Bill 19 (H.B. 19) requires industrial car drivers to be discovered liable in courtroom for inflicting automobile crashes that end in damage or loss of life earlier than the case may be introduced towards the corporate using the motive force. This consists of Uber, Lyft and supply vehicles.
Energetic shooter alert system
House Bill 103 (H.B. 103) establishes the Texas Energetic Shooter Alert System that may notify folks within the neighborhood of an lively taking pictures by way of textual content message.
The system may be activated by request of native regulation enforcement.
Police physique cameras
House Bill 929 (H.B. 929), or the Botham Jean regulation, mandates law enforcement officials to maintain their physique cameras on throughout the entirety of lively investigations.
The regulation takes its namesake from a person fatally shot in his residence whereas consuming ice cream by a Dallas police officer in 2018.
Pointless police chokehold ban
Senate Bill 69 (S.B. 69) bans law enforcement officials from utilizing chokeholds or extreme pressure throughout arrests except to stop officer or bystander damage.
Officers who witness violations are required to report it.
On-line poll monitoring system
House Bill 1382 (H.B. 1382) launches a web-based system to trace mail-in ballots, in addition to functions for mail-in ballots.
The web poll monitoring system will probably be operated by the Texas Secretary of State.
Penalizing cities that reduce police budgets
House Bill 1900 (H.B. 1900) authorizes municipalities of greater than 250,000 to face monetary penalties for decreasing police budgets.
The penalties will come within the type of decreasing gross sales tax income and blocking will increase in property taxes.
Felony penalties for blocking emergency autos
House Bill 9 (H.B. 9) criminalizes blocking entry to a hospital or an emergency response car with its lights and sirens on as a state jail felony.
H.B. 9 was handed in response to the arrest of protestors who blocked ambulances over the summer time of 2020 throughout Black Lives Matter protests.
Criminalizing homeless tenting
House Bill 1925 (H.B. 1925) makes tenting in an unauthorized public place a misdemeanor crime with a penalty high-quality of as much as $500.
Cities in Texas should not allowed to opt-out.
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