We have gathered a list of new changes that went into effect beginning September 1, 2013. Take a look and check if any of these changes have an immediate impact on your day to day routine.
New Texas Laws Affecting You
To all those women or men that love to get spray tanned, please leave your underage children at home. I personally find spray tans weird, but beauty is in the eye of the sprayed… I guess? Either way, take some time to peruse the new changes. You never know. You might find something helpful.
SB 393 Kids don't need to worry about so-called 'student tickets' anymore. When they return to class, school resource officers will no longer be allowed to issue misdemeanor citations to students for acting out. Now, it'll be up to a judge to decide if a complaint is bad enough to be a misdemeanor.
SB 329 No more tanning for minors. Until now, those between 16 1/2 and 18 could go to a tanning salon, as long as they had parental consent. No longer. Now, you have to be 18 to tan in Texas.
SB 510 Drivers will now be required to move over for TXDOT vehicles with flashing lights. That means you either have to get out of the lane that runs alongside the vehicle,or slow down to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit. Texas already requires drivers to move over for tow trucks as well as police, fire, and other emergency vehicles.
SB 275 Hit-and-run fatality crashes will now carry the same penalty as intoxication manslaughter,up to 20 years in prison. Lawmakers noticed that drivers might leave the scene of the crime if they were drunk because it would mean a lesser charge.
HB 869 No more inmate weddings. You have to be present to get hitched in Texas now.Inmates used to be able to have someone stand in for them if they wanted to get married while incarcerated. They're called 'proxy weddings.' Now, you're only allowed a proxy wedding if you're in the military and stationed outside of the US. Weddings cannot be conducted inside Texas prisons.
HB 1421 They say one man's confiscated shotgun is another man's treasure. Wait, they don't? Well, they might now. HB 1421 gives law enforcement the go-ahead to sell confiscated firearms. It used to be they could only use them or destroy them.
SB 181 You'll now be able to show proof of insurance with your cell phone.
SB 1191 Every Texas emergency room is required to have a rape kit.
HB 5 Texas students will have fewer standardized tests: 5 rather than 15. According to reports, entering freshman will be the beneficiaries. It appears to be a controversial new change. You be the judge.
HB 124 Salvia is now considered an illegal drug in Texas.
HB 3668 If you get into a wreck and think the other driver is hurt, you better go find out. Personal safety aside, if you don't stop and render aid, and the person is hurt, you could get up to 10 years in prison.
For more information on the changes that went into effect this September click the links below. If you or anyone you know is having legal troubles, pick up the phone and call us at 210-209-8143 or 210-201-7599.