Here Are The 23 New Laws That Go Into Effect January 1 In Texas

On January 1, 23 new laws will go into effect in Texas. Here's a look at what Texans can expect in 2022, according to Click 2 Houston:

1. Third-party delivery apps/Senate Bill 911: Prohibits third-party delivery services from charging restaurants fees; prohibits delivery services from using restaurant names in misleading ways; requires third-party delivery services to remove a restaurant within 10 days of receiving a removal request; requires delivery services to provide clearly identifiable way to report complaints and concerns
2. Flood damage disclosure/House Bill 531: Landlords must tell prospective tenants if the property has been damaged by flooding within the last five years or if is located in a 100-year floodplain
3. Law enforcement funding/Senate Bill 23: Voter approval is required before a county can reduce law enforcement funding
4. Apprentice pilot program/Senate Bill 1524: Provides a tax incentive of $2,500 each for employers who hire apprentices
5. Chicken coops and property valuation/House Bill 2535: Appraisers are required to exclude noncommercial chicken coops and rabbit pens when determining the market value property
6. Civil court costs and filing fees/Senate Bill 41: Relates “to the consolidation and allocation of state civil court costs; increasing certain civil court costs; authorizing fees”
7. Wrap mortgage loans/Senate Bill 43: Relates “to residential mortgage loans, including the financing of residential real estate purchases by means of a wrap mortgage loan; providing licensing and registration requirements; authorizing an administrative penalty”
8. Tax exemptions for disabled veterans/Senate Bill 794: Relates “to eligibility for the exemption from ad valorem taxation of the residence homestead of a totally disabled veteran”
9. Combatting e-commerce fraud/Senate Bill 855: Relates “to the electronic dissemination of commercial recordings or audiovisual works"
10. Certificates of formation/House Bill 3131: Relates “to the information required to be included in the certificate of formation of a filing entity"
11. Long-term care transparency/House Bill 3961: Requires long-term care facilities to post information on their websites about the state's ombudsman's office
12. Texas Securities Act/Senate Bill 1280: Relates “to certain provisions of The Securities Act for which a person offering or selling a security may be held liable to a person buying the security”
13. Tax exemptions on personal property/Senate Bill 1449: Relates “to the exemption from ad valorem taxation of income-producing tangible personal property having a value of less than a certain amount"
14. Property tax exemptions for charitable organizations/House Bill 115: Relates “to the exemption from ad valorem taxation of certain property owned by a charitable organization and used in providing housing and related services to certain homeless individuals”
15. Property tax exemptions for religious organizations/House Bill 1197: Extends the period of time religious organizations are exempted from paying property taxes on contiguously owned property
16. Medical billing services/House Bill 1445: Exempts medical and dental billing service from the state's sales or use tax
17. Insurance code amendment/House Bill 1689: Relates “to credit for reinsurance governed by certain covered agreements and ceded to certain assuming insurers"
18. Lien rights/House Bill 2237: Relates “to mechanic’s, contractor’s, or materialman’s liens"
19. Eminent domain negotiations/House Bill 2730: Revises eminent domain negotiations between landowners and businesses
20. Historic structure rehab/House Bill 3777: Relates “to eligible costs and expenses for purposes of the franchise tax credit for the certified rehabilitation of certified historic structures”
21. Appraisal review board members/House Bill 3788: Relates “to the training and education of appraisal review board members”
22. Property valuations in historic districts/House Bill 3971: Relates “to the appraisal for ad valorem tax purposes of residential real property located in a designated historic district”
23. Leander municipal management district/House Bill 4638: Relates “to the creation of certain municipal management districts; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes”