Austin, Texas – February 18, 2023: The Texas State Capitol’s exterior on February 18, 2023. (Image courtesy of Getty Images and Brandon Bell))
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Texans will see changes to the way their cars are registered and how they control their personal data online beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
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The beginning of the year will see the creation of new judicial districts and courts to alleviate the caseload of existing courts.
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Schools will have a new way to offset the loss of funding from loss of property tax revenue.
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Texans will see changes to the way their cars are registered and how they control their personal data online beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
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The beginning of the year will see the creation of new judicial districts and courts to alleviate the caseload of existing courts.
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Schools will have a new way to offset the loss of funding from loss of property tax revenue.
Austin, TexasA number of new Texas bills or new provisions of existing bills will take effect at the beginning of the new year.
Some of the changes are targeted at Texans, from the removal of mandatory car inspections to more measures to safeguard personal information online.
Others create courts, clarify changes to government agencies, and alter the language of written laws without altering their content.
The following modifications will go into effect on January 1, 2025:
Elimination of vehicle safety inspections
The Texas legislature decided to eliminate the requirement for noncommercial automobiles to undergo vehicle safety inspections in 2023.
As a “inspection program replacement fee” that is added when the vehicle is registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the $7.50 cost will be applied instead.
New cars from the last two model years that have never been registered before will be required to pay a $16.75 one-time fee that will be paid for two years.
Where necessary, emissions inspections are not eliminated.
Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, Williamson, and El Paso counties are among those that demand emissions testing. Emissions will be required in Bexar County starting in 2026.
A safety examination is still necessary for commercial vehicles. There won’t be any replacement costs for such cars.
Texas won’t require vehicle inspections starting Jan. 1, do you still need emissions testing?
For some Texans, car safety checks will no longer be required, but emissions testing will still be required for homeowners in specific areas.
Texas Data Privacy and Security Act – Update
Texans have the option to give technology or another person permission to refuse to have a business process their personal data.In July, House Bill 4 became operative.
Texans will now have the option to employ browser extensions, global device settings, or website links to express their want to withhold their personal information as of January 1, 2025.
An automated method requires the user to make the decision and must make it obvious that the user is a Texas resident. That can’t be the default configuration.
According to the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, Texans have the right to know if a business is collecting their personal information, to have that information corrected, and to refuse to have their information collected for the purposes of profiling, targeted advertising, or the sale of personal information.
San Antonio River Authority
As the population in the region it serves has increased, the legislature passed HB 1535, which mandates greater transparency for the San Antonio River Authority.
Even though most of the act is already in force, the agency’s new fiscal year-end is September 30 starting on January 1, 2025.
Establishing courts
HB 3474, which was passed in 2023, creates new judicial districts for the state.
On January 1, 2025, Denton County will become the site of the 477th judicial district.
At that time, the 499th judicial district will also be created for the counties of Edwards, Gillespie, and Kimball.
The 498th judicial district will be created in Kendall County on October 1, 2025.
The bill’s other provisions, such as the establishment of new probate courts and several additional judicial districts, are already in force.
Revision of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure
In House Bill 4504, some laws are rewritten, collated, and organized in a “logical fashion.”
The law permits modifications to a number of codes. The modifications enable the meaning to shift.
Property tax relief through public school finance system
Senate Bill 2 will allow school districts to request additional state financing starting January 1, 2025, if their budget is short after regular state funding and local taxes are deducted.
Due to the district’s restrictions on tax increases for homeowners who are elderly or disabled, the schools get funding to compensate for the lost tax income.
Additionally, starting in January, each school district’s maximum compressed rate must be posted by the Texas Education Agency.
The tax rate per $100 of taxable property that the school district must impose a maintenance and operations tax in order to obtain full funding is known as the maximum compressed rate.
The elimination of two tax breaks that ended in 2022 and 2023 is one of the additional adjustments made at the start of the year.
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The Texas Legislative Reference Library provided the information for this article.
The Texas Legislative Reference Library provided the information for this article.
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