Latest news with #HouseBill32
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Advocates for transgender Texans hold rally against private spaces ban bill
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Representatives of several activist groups held a press conference Wednesday to oppose a special session bill, which they say would create an 'unenforceable' ban on transgender women's use of restrooms and shelters. 'Women and survivors of violence have been repeatedly used as justification to exclude trans women from public restrooms. Now, women from all walks of life are coming together to say, 'not in my name,'' reads a Tuesday press release from liberal advocacy group Equality Texas. Previous: Texas' special session on floods, taxes, THC, redistricting could also spend time targeting transgender life The rally included speakers from Texas AFL-CIO, Black Freedom Factory, Austin LGBTQ Chamber, Human Rights Campaign, Democrasexy, the Transgender Education Network of Texas, Texas Freedom Network and Equality Texas. Former candidate for Texas governor Wendy Davis is also scheduled to speak. 'We know that trans women are four times more likely than cisgender women to be the victims of violent crimes,' the release reads. 'There is no way to police bathrooms without subjecting women and girls to invasive investigations demanding 'proof' of gender.' The press conference was livestreamed. What's in the bill House Bill 32, filed by Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, is titled the 'Texas Women's Privacy Act.' It would require the state's political subdivisions to prevent people from using sex-segregated 'multiple-occupancy private spaces' that don't align with their sex assigned at birth. The law would apply to restrooms in government buildings and public schools, as well as jails and prisons. Gender definition bill passes in Texas Senate, heads to governor 'A political subdivision or state agency shall ensure each multiple-occupancy private space in a building the political subdivision or state agency owns, operates, or controls is designated for and used only by individuals of the same biological sex,' HB 32 reads. 'A political subdivision or state agency shall take every reasonable step to ensure an individual whose biological sex isopposite to the biological sex designated … does not enter the private space.' The bill would allow Texas's Attorney General to investigate and fine any political subdivision for violations. As introduced, HB 32 wouldn't allow for fines or legal actions against individual persons. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced this week that Senate Bill 7, authored by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, will be his chamber's companion to the bill. 'This is about safety,' Middleton said. 'This is about privacy.' It hasn't been filed yet. Both bills fall under Gov. Greg Abbott's special session topic of 'legislation protecting women's privacy in sex-segregated spaces.' 'It's ridiculous, [opponents of this type of legislation] are literally arguing that we need to put the rights of men pretending to be women above those of women themselves,' Middleton said. 'It's not right. It's not common sense.' HB 32 was one of the first bills filed ahead of the session. Prior attempts ended in failure, lacked evidence The text is near-identical to SB 240, which Middleton filed during the regular session of the legislature. It passed in the Texas Senate but died in the Texas House. During floor debate, Democratic senators asked for evidence supporting his bill's necessity. Middleton didn't provide any and instead repeatedly called it 'common sense.' He also pushed back against the idea of commissioning a study related to the topic. State Sen. Mayes Middleton running for Texas Attorney General Back in the 2017 regular session of the state legislature, bill with a similar goal failed. Abbott called a special session in 2017 that included the topic; it also failed to pass. 2017 | Transgender veteran fears for safety if forced to use men's bathroom The 2017 bill was filed by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham. It was also met with requests for her to provide data or evidence of a problem. 'In the crimes that I've looked at, in the most intimate settings, none have identified as a transgender,' Kolkorst said during a 2017 committee hearing on her bill. A more narrowed focus during special legislative sessions Research and data nonpartisan nonprofit Texas 2036 said it's not uncommon for similar legislation to be filed. 'There are a number of reasons why a bill may not pass during a regular session,' Jordan Wat, director of government affairs at Texas 2036 said. 'Maybe time ran out on that bill while it was being considered in one of the chambers. Perhaps there were some procedural issues related to it. Maybe the political winds were just not there.' Watt said similar legislation filed that previously failed, can be more successful in special sessions, depending on the topic. 'Because there's a bit more focus,' Wat said. 'In comparison to 140 day regular session, [Abbott] has laid out an 18-item agenda for members to consider and cover over the course of these next 28 days.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
NBC News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Transgender bathroom bill added to Texas flood-relief special session
Texas lawmakers will convene next week for a special session to consider legislation addressing the deadly floods that devastated parts of the state earlier this month — and a bill regarding which restrooms transgender Texans can use. When Gov. Greg Abbott initially called for a special session in June, it was to tackle six bills he had vetoed during the regular session, among them a contentious measure that would have banned hemp products containing THC. But after flash floods overwhelmed parts of central Texas on July 4 — resulting in at least 120 deaths with many more still missing — the intended focus shifted to flood relief. However, when the governor's 18-point agenda was released last week, it included far more than flood-related measures. In addition to considering bills that would restrict hemp products, Abbott has also asked lawmakers to consider legislation 'further protecting unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion' and legislation 'protecting women's privacy in sex-segregated spaces.' On Monday, the first day lawmakers were able to file bills for the special session, none of the 82 measures filed mentioned the deadly July 4 floods, according to KXAN-TV, NBC's Austin affiliate. Republican state Rep. Valoree Swanson introduced the so-called bathroom bill, which would require transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their birth sex in public schools, government buildings and correctional facilities. If House Bill 32, known as the Texas Women's Privacy Act, becomes law, public entities that violate the measure could face financial penalties and be subject to civil lawsuits. Currently, 19 states across the country restrict which bathrooms and other sex-segregated facilities transgender people can use, according to Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A Texas bill targeting squatters would also hurt renters, leaving some homeless
Texas legislators wanting to get tough on squatters may, in the process, negatively impact some of the millions of legitimate renters in the Lone Star State. More than 11 million Texans are renters. Renters and their families comprise more than 37% of the population. In 2023, approximately 400,000 families, or 3.5% of Texas renters, faced eviction. According to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, there are approximately 291,290 renter households in Travis County. Of those, approximately 13,384, or 4.6%, were the subject of an eviction filing in the last year. Similar Texas statistics illustrate possible renter peril statewide. Texas rules require that an eviction hearing or trial be held in as little as six days after the tenant is served with a petition. Two bills making their way through the Texas Legislature would cut that time to just four days in an expedited process and allow a landlord to ask a judge to award back rent without evidence of the debt. Proponents of House Bill 32 and its companion bill, SB 38, claim the bills target squatters. The Texas Apartment Association, a trade association of the rental housing industry, maintains the bill would close loopholes exploited by squatters and make removing them easier and less expensive. But squatters are not tenants. They are trespassers — people who occupy dwellings without permission of the owner. The number of Texas squatters is unknown, but according to the National Rental Home Council, in 2024 there were just 475 in the Dallas-Fort-Worth area, or less than 0.1% of occupants in rental housing. Yet the so-called anti-squatters bill would also apply to the 99.9% of people in rental housing who occupy their homes by virtue of a written or oral lease. It would almost certainly increase evictions across the state, cause housing instability and negatively impact tenants' physical and mental health. Current Texas law already provides a fast track for landlords, requiring a tenant to appear before a judge more quickly than in any other type of civil matter. Typical response time in justice courts is 14 days. The law already gives tenants only six to 10 days to respond after being served with the petition, enabling a judge to quickly determine who is entitled to the premises and how much money, if any, a tenant may owe. Reducing response time to four days means a tenant served with eviction papers on a Thursday night would have to respond in writing to the court by the following Monday. Even when alternative housing can be found, tenants who are unable to respond in time are likely to find that the court has entered a judgment for back rent that is just like any other court judgment to collect a debt. We understand Texas landlords face a growing problem with squatters, and we believe the Texas Legislature should explore all available options. Any relief should be targeted to address the harm caused by the 0.1% of occupants of rental housing characterized as squatters. The Legislature could easily limit the bills' expedited process to squatters and even provide more stringent criminal penalties. Regardless of what course the Legislature chooses, it should not come at the expense of the due process rights of 11 million Texas tenants by giving them only four days to respond to an eviction suit. Mary Spector is a law professor and associate dean for experiential learning, and Julie Forrester Rogers is a Provost Faculty Research Fellow and law professor at the Dedman School of Law at SMU. Spector directs the Civil/Consumer Law Clinic and teaches and researches consumer law. Rogers teaches and researches property and real estate law. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: A Texas bill targeting squatters would ensnare legal renters | Opinion
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas anti-squatter bills could mean faster evictions. Here's what renters should know
Texas lawmakers want to prevent squatters from violating tenant rights and landlords' properties. The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 38, and it's now in the House. Meanwhile, the House introduced its own version of an anti-squatter bill, House Bill 32, that, if passed, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2026. What do these bills say about tenant rights, and are they actually helpful for Texas renters and homeowners? A squatter is a person who occupies an abandoned or unoccupied property without the legal right to do so. Squatters may move into a property for a variety of reasons, such as to find shelter, to avoid paying rent, or to claim ownership of the property. In Texas, squatters can claim what is known as adverse possession, which allows the trespasser to legally claim ownership of a property after a certain amount of time has passed. According to NOLO, adverse possession is a legal principle that enables a trespasser — often a neighbor but occasionally a stranger — to obtain rightful ownership of another person's land. Originating in early British legal traditions, this concept now primarily serves to ensure fairness. It applies when a property owner has neglected or overlooked a piece of land while someone else has continuously occupied, maintained, or utilized it for an extended period. Forcing the long-term occupant to leave under such circumstances could result in undue hardship or injustice. According to the squatter must do the following to claim adverse possession: either occupy the property for three years with a color-of-title lease; live on the property with a deed in their name, pay property taxes and cultivate the land for five consecutive years; or occupy and improve the land for at least ten years. Other requirements also include: There is no valid lease agreement. They must live on the property. The squatter must be physically present on the property as an owner to file a claim for adverse possession. To file an adverse possession claim, the squatter must not share the property with anyone else. They must show that they're openly living on the property and can't share it. The squatter has to live continuously on the property for three to ten years. If the squatter abandoned the property for months or years, they are no longer considered in possession of it and, therefore, cannot file a claim for adverse possession. On April 10, SB 38 passed the Texas Senate with a 21-8 vote. The bill was written by Senator Paul Bettencourt. In a statement, Sen. Bettencourt said the current tenant laws allow squatters to occupy properties through legal loopholes. "The current process is so broken that it punishes the rightful property owners while rewarding trespassers who know how to game the system, Bettencourt said. "In the interim hearing, a homeowner testified a squatter broke into her mesquite home, sold her belongings for pennies on the dollar, and then a JP in Garland, Texas ruled to keep the squatter in her home over the holidays denying her the right to come home for Christmas! You can't make these up, as squatter horror story after horror story was told." Here's what's proposed under SB 38: Establishes a fairer, faster process to remove squatters, requiring courts to act within 10 to 21 days of a property owner's filing, clarifying the delivery method for the Notice of Vacate. Takes out appeals that stall evictions, reinforcing judicial discretion. Confirms that Justice of the Peace courts may set a hearing to motion for summary disposition. HB 32 in Texas introduces significant changes to eviction procedures, particularly affecting tenants. Here are some key points from the bill: The bill streamlines eviction suits, making it easier for landlords to remove unauthorized occupants. It restricts counterclaims in eviction cases, meaning tenants may have fewer legal avenues to challenge evictions. Only the Texas Legislature can modify eviction procedures, preventing local governments from enacting tenant-friendly policies. Landlords must provide at least three days' written notice before filing an eviction suit for nonpayment of rent, unless a different period is specified in a lease. According to a Texas Tribune article in March, legal advocates say HB 32 and SB 38 aim to simplify and expedite the eviction process, potentially enabling landlords to remove tenants with fewer procedural safeguards than currently required. This change may reduce the time tenants have to respond to eviction notices or present their case in court, making it more challenging for them to protect their rights. Mark Melton, an attorney who leads the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, said HB 32 is harmful to Texans' rights. "There is nothing lawful or fair about this bill at all," he said. "In fact, it is extremely and obviously unconstitutional.' Adam Swartz, a Dallas County justice of the peace judge said the bills are an exaggeration of what the actual problem is. "This bill seems like trying to kill a mosquito with a shotgun,' he said. Removing a squatter requires a law enforcement officer with a valid court order. According to the Texas State Law Library, if a squatter or tenant on your property fails to make the required rent payments or is intruding on the property, you can initiate the eviction process by serving them with a three-day vacate notice. If the three-day period elapses without any resolution, you can escalate the matter by filing an eviction lawsuit with your county's court. Typically, an eviction lawsuit takes approximately 2-3 weeks to reach a conclusion and may take longer if a notice of appeal is filed. You can read more about the process of evictions at In March 2024, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted that Texans have a right to defend themselves from squatters through the Texas castle doctrine. In Texas, the castle doctrine, a legal principle, grants residents the authority to employ force, even lethal force, in self-defense, the defense of their families, and the protection of their property against intruders or assailants. However, legal experts in Texas have said you can not just shoot a squatter. Geoffrey Corn, a professor at Texas Tech University's School of Law, explained in a Newsweek article that the Texas castle doctrine does not justify violence. 'Now, if I came home unaware someone had invaded my home, confronted that individual and demanded they leave, and was then attacked with deadly force, I would then be justified in defending myself with deadly force,' he said. 'But if I knew a squatter was in my home, and then attacked that individual with deadly force, my response would be excessive and the castle doctrine would not change that." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What the proposed Texas anti-squatter bills mean for landlords
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Funding for electric school buses still possible
The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide funding to help school districts purchase clean school buses, most of them electric. Shown is a yellow electric school bus plugged into a charging station. (Photo by TW Farlow / Getty Images) A proposal to provide local school districts access to funds for electric school buses stalled in the Legislature, but money may still be available through the state budget. House Bill 32, which would have allowed school districts to replace traditional diesel school buses with electric or alternative fuel buses using funds from the Public Education Department, passed two House committees in February but has yet to be scheduled for a floor vote. However, President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) carried Senate Bill 48, which would establish a community benefit fund for projects that would help reduce emissions and address the state's climate change goals. Those projects include purchasing electric vehicles and related charging infrastructure for public entities — a category that includes public schools. SB48 passed and awaits Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's signature. As such, funding for electric school buses was added to the state budget in House Bill 2. According to the March 18 Senate Finance Committee report, $60 million will be allocated to the Public School Facilities Authority for electric vehicle charging infrastructure for local school districts. The report specifies that the funds are contingent on SB48 passing and can be used for upgrading diesel fuel school buses to ESBs between Fiscal Years 2026 and 2028. Shelley Mann-Lev, executive director for advocacy organization Healthy Climate NM, one of several advocacy groups to back the original bill, told Source NM that the addition to the state budget is 'an excellent step' toward getting more ESBs on the road and upgrading public school bus fleets. According to the fiscal impact report for HB32, diesel school buses cost an average of $420,000 while diesel school buses cost about $103,000 – electric charging infrastructure costs between $16,000 and $46,000. More than 100 ESBs could be purchased with $60 million at these average prices. Mann-Lev added that vehicle-to-grid, an agreement companies or agencies enter into with local electric utilities to sell back excess power, is not approved for school districts at this point. Advocates originally pointed to vehicle-to-grid as another option to offset the high cost of electric buses. The state budget was passed by the Senate Wednesday afternoon and awaits a concurrence vote from the Senate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
