Texas Scorecard by Jeramy Kitchen September 1, 2021
Constitutional carry, the “heartbeat bill”, a supposed ban on critical race theory in public schools, and a public camping ban are among other new Texas laws.Wednesday marks the day by which six hundred and sixty-six different pieces of legislation passed in the 87th regular legislative session take effect and become law.
The Texas Legislature is currently in the midst of the second called special legislative session, considering a mixture of bills that either did not make it through the entirety of the legislative process in the regular session or are new issues prioritized by Gov. Greg Abbott.
A non-exhaustive list of some of these new laws follows.
Constitutional Issues & State AffairsGun RightsAfter years of pressure from citizen activists, Texans over the age of 21 can now carry their firearms without being required to also hold a permit or receive permission from the government to do so. House Bill 1927, or constitutional carry, authored by State Rep. Matt Schaefer (R–Tyler), boasts one of the more interesting legislative sagas during the regular session. It has long been a legislative priority of the Republican Party of Texas, having been approved by the delegates to the state GOP convention a decade ago.
Similarly, several other firearm-related bills go into effect Wednesday. One prohibits cities and counties from enforcing federal laws regarding firearm suppressors. Another declares Texas as a sanctuary state for the Second Amendment, ultimately prohibiting a state entity from assisting in the enforcement of new federal firearm laws or regulations under the threat of withholding state funds for jurisdictions who do so. In response to governmental jurisdictions prohibiting or restricting the operations of firearm and ammunition businesses over the course of the last year, the Legislature passed a bill to protect them. A bill passed that prohibits the state from contracting with private companies that discriminate against firearm or ammunition companies.
AbortionMore than 53,000 reported abortions took place in Texas in 2020. Thus far in 2021, there have been more than 14,000 reported abortion procedures. Though abortion remains legal, the Texas Legislature did make strides to curtail the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected by passing the Texas Heartbeat Act. Authored by State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola), the new law also gives any Texan legal standing to bring a suit against an abortion provider who knowingly violates the law. Abortion providers are currently suing to block the implementation of such a law.
Another bill, commonly referred to as the “trigger bill”, would seek to completely outlaw abortion in Texas, but it will only take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its own Roe v. Wade decision.
Public Camping BanTo address an exponentially growing problem in many of the larger metropolitan areas in Texas, the state Legislature passed House Bill 1925, which makes it a criminal offense for a person to intentionally or knowingly camp in a public place while also precluding a local jurisdiction from prohibiting or discouraging the enforcement of any public camping ban. The bill was authored by State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R–Southlake).
Star-Spangled Banner Protection ActIn response to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announcing he would not play the Star-Spangled Banner before home games in February, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made it one of his priority issues to require that professional sports teams that receive funds from the state of Texas be required to play the anthem. The bill was named the Star-Spangled Banner Protection Act.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/more-than-660-new-laws-go-into-effect-today/
