New Texas Laws: Sept. 1 Impact on Property Taxes, Schools, and Children

Property Tax Relief

• 🏠 Senate Bill 4 increases the homestead exemption for school district taxes by 40% to $140,000.
• 💰 This change is expected to reduce most Texans' property tax bills for schools by an average of $363.

Protecting Children

• ⚖️ Senate Bill 835, also known as Trey's Law, prohibits non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in child sex abuse cases.
• 🎗️ The legislation is named after Trey Carlock, who was a victim of abuse.

Education and School Policies

• 📜 House Bill 229 defines men and women based on reproductive organs at birth, impacting gender marker changes on official documents.
• 🏫 The state's DEI ban has been extended to over 1,200 public school districts, preventing teaching on gender identity and sexual orientation.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents must now opt-in their children for sex education.
• 📵 A new cell phone ban in public schools requires phones and other devices to be put away during the school day, with some districts providing secure pouches.
• 📜 The Ten Commandments bill mandates that schools display the commandments in every classroom on a 16x20 inch poster, though a court ruling has paused implementation for some schools.