Many new Texas laws will go into effect on Sunday, September 1st. The legislation was passed by the Texas House & Senate earlier this year. Here are a few of the most interesting new laws.
UNSOLICITED PICTURES: Class C misdemeanor to send an unwanted, unrequested indecent photo – by text, dating app, email or any other platform. Anyone found guilty of doing it could face a $500 fine.
TOBACCO: Customers purchasing tobacco must be 21 years old and that includes both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The law does not apply to those in the military. Violators will face a misdemeanor and up to $500 fine.
CBD: A bill legalized hemp farming and the sale and possession of hemp-derived CBD oil containing less than .3% of THC, the compound that produces a “high” in marijuana.
COUGH MEDICINE: You’ll now have to be 18 to buy over-the-counter cough medicine. Lawmakers were concerned some medicines have an ingredient used by teenagers to get high. Texas is the 19th state to raise the minimum.
BRASS KNUCKLES: You can soon carry brass knuckles. Up until now–they’ve been banned. But the representative who sponsored the bill says he wants people to be able to protect themselves.
PORCH PIRATES: People who steal packages off front porches could go to prison with a new law that makes it a felony to steal mail, including packages, postcards, etc.
HUNTING/FISHING LICENSES: People can now show their hunting and fishing license on their digital device.
BEER TO-GO: Craft breweries can now sell up to a case of beer per customer, per day, to go.
LEMONADE STANDS: Children’s unlicensed lemonade stands won’t be regulated if they’re selling on private property.
ALCOHOL DELIVERY: Restaurants, bars or businesses with a permit can deliver alcohol with food to homes or other locations.
GUNS: Many laws relating to guns were approved this session. Some include: guns will be allowed in school parking lots, leases to rent an apartment or house can’t ban guns, people can have a gun during a natural disaster without a license to carry and home owners associations can’t restrict gun ownership.
SCHOOL MARSHALS: No limit on the amount of school marshals a school can have.
SURCHARGES: DPS surcharge suspensions will end. All surcharge assessments will be waived and no future surcharges will be assessed after.
DISCLOSURE OF HOME IN FLOOD PRONE LOCATION: Starting Sept. 1, sellers are required to disclose if a home is located in a 100-year floodplain, a 500-year floodplain, a flood pool, in or near a reservoir, and whether that home has flooded before. Previously, homeowners only had to disclose if a home was in a 100-year flood plain when they listed their properties on the market.
