A handful of bills previously passed during Texas’ 88th legislative session became effective on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2025 — touching on a range of topics related to vehicle inspections, data privacy, and property taxes.
Here’s a look at the biggest state laws that took effect last week.
House Bill (HB) 3297.
Most Texans won’t have to bring their personal vehicles into the auto shop for a state inspection and related fees after the start of 2025. HB 3297, authored by Rep. Cody Harris (RPalestine) in March 2023, allows Texans to pay a $7.50 fee, or $16.75 for first-time registrants, instead of taking a non-commercial or personal car to the inspection station prior to renewing a registration sticker.
Due to some counties’ vehicle emission standards, the emissions aspect of the typical inspection requirement will remain in place for the counties of Williamson, Travis, Brazoria, Bexar, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant.
HB 3297 was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2023 after passing the House 105 to 40.
HB 4. A section of HB 4 related to Texas consumer data protections went into effect on January 1, 2025, allowing online users to have more control over opting out of certain advertisements, business profiling, and digital sales. Consumers may collectively adjust the afore-listed data mechanisms on their device, without having to block each item specifically and according to each company’s policies.
The online businesses must allow consumers to do so and will face penalties if they do not.
HB 4 was authored by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) in February 2023 and signed into law by Abbott in June 2023. It passed the House 146 to 0.
HB1535. While the meat of the bill, affecting the San Antonio River Authority board of directors per guidance from the Sunset Advisory Committee, went into effect immediately after Abbott signed it into law in May 2023, a technical aspect of it has not been implemented yet.
On January 1, the River Authority’s fiscal year will be altered to end on Sep- tember 30 of each year, affecting aspects of the entity’s governance. HB 1535 was first filed by Rep. Travis Clardy (R-Nacogdoches) in March 2023.
A section of this bill that makes a number of changes to Texas’ judicial system will go into effect on January 1. The bill focuses particularly on establishing new judicial districts, one of which — the 477th Judicidal District in Denton County — will kick off on the first day of 2025.
HB 3474 was first filed by State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano) in March 2023 and was signed into law by Abbott three months later.
Procedure, but does not change any aspect of its substance. It aims to revise the code through modernization, to be more easily accessible for citizens, lawyers, and other individuals who seek to understand its contents.
HB 4504 was filed by Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso) in March 2023, and signed into law by Abbott that June.
Senate Bill (SB) 2.
A section of Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s (R-Houston) tax relief-focused SB 2 will begin on January 1, 2025, after being signed into law by Abbott in July of 2023.
These provisions make permanent, following voters’ approved constitutional amendment, the application of compression and homestead exemption benefits to elderly and disabled homeowners.
