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It's September, And Over 600 New Laws Are Now In Effect

Ryan Poppe
/
Texas Public Radio

Of the over 1,500 bills signed into law from the regular legislative session, 659 take effect this month and run a wide variety of subject matter.

Here are a few that are noteworthy:

  • Teens under the age of 18 are banned entirely from using a tanning salon. Previously teens age 16 to 18 could use a tanning bed with a parent's permission.
  • People applying for unemployment benefits will be drug tested if they fail to pass a drug-use questionnaire.
  • Using an unmanned aircraft or drone to take photos without permission is now a Class C Misdemeanor. This would not apply to police use.
  • The number of classroom hours required to get a concealed handgun license, which was previously up to 10, has been reduced. The amount of gun-range training would remain the same. 
  • The free school lunch program has been expanded.
  • The ban on switch-blade knives has been reversed.

There are also several driving-related law changes that are now in effect. See the story in related content below:

Ryan started his radio career in 2002 working for Austin’s News Radio KLBJ-AM as a show producer for the station's organic gardening shows. This slowly evolved into a role as the morning show producer and later as the group’s executive producer.