New Texas Laws For 2012
As of January 1st, several new laws went into effect across Texas that could significantly improve the lives of residents. From voting to veterans, Texas lawmakers have enacted several bills aimed at better protecting our state citizens as well as improving the efficiency of state matters.
To Name A Few
House Bill 1228: One of the new laws set for this year is how foreclosures are handled. While there hasn’t been any major change to the foreclosure laws of Texas, the new law does affect how homeowners associations must act when a home is under threat of foreclosure. Homeowners that are working towards paying their HOA dues, late fees or payments will now have three to 18 months to resolve these debts before the Homeowners Association can pursue further action. HOA’s will also be required to obtain a court order before pursuing foreclosure on a property. The new law also grants homeowners the right to contact their HOA directly about their debts even if the HOA has secured an attorney or representative.
Senate Bill 516: While there are already many protections in place for Texas veterans, the new laws will boost these protections and expand their reach to better accommodate families of veterans as well. Surviving spouses of disabled veterans will be giving property tax breaks for qualified families. Although Texas laws already protect veterans in bankruptcy and exempt disabled veterans from paying property taxes on their homes, until now their surviving families had no such protection on a home. This law is an extension of the homestead exemption, which applies to the primary residence of a veteran’s home.
Two other new laws include the allowance of homeowners to display religious items on their doors when members of an HOA and changes to the Texas voting system. According to Senate Bill 14 Texas voters will now be required to show a photo identification before casting a ballot in elections.
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