4 New Laws Are Going Into Effect This Month In Texas That You Need To Know About.

In September of 2023, a ton of new laws went on the books in Texas but fast forward to now a year later and only a very small handful of laws will go into effect this month that were passed last year.

Let's take a look at them.

Senate Bill 1841:

Victims of dating violence will now be able to access family violence centers according to this new law. "Dating violence" s noted as an act by someone in a dating relationship that causes physical harm, places someone in a situation where they fear for their safety and emotional abuse.

Those centers must now also show the state that they are providing services “in a manner that recognizes and responds to the signs and symptoms of trauma in, and the risks of trauma to, a victim of family violence to better support the victim and promote the victim’s choice, trust, dignity, connection, and healing.” or risk losing state funding.

The centers are also prohibited from requiring clients “participate in other services as a condition of receiving shelter.”

House Bill 1710:

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is required to provide, upon request by a judge, the date when a defendant will have served 75 days in its custody. This doesn’t apply to those convicted before Sept. 1, however. This notice could be used by a judge during sentencing, as time served is granted to a convict as a credit against their sentenced time in prison.

Senate Bill 241:

Companies that make brand-name insulin will now need to explain to Texas if a “generic or biosimilar” version of their product isn’t available. This law also only applies to manufacturers that are part of the Medicaid vendor drug program formulary.

House Bill 4510:

Last but now least, this new law changes how and when state agencies and public colleges report financial information to the state.

There's more laws set to take effect in 2025 and we'll keep you posted on when those go into effect and what they are.