These 12 New Texas Laws Are Insane (In A GOOD Way)!

Summary

The video reviews 12 Texas laws and constitutional amendments, mostly passed in 2025, focusing on property, taxes, safety, and retirement. It explains their practical effects and, in several cases, what homeowners should do to benefit.

1. Flood-warning sirens: After the deadly 2025 Guadalupe River floods, the state required sirens in designated flash-flood-prone areas and provided $50 million in grants to help install and maintain them. Coverage remains limited to mapped areas, so residents should check their county’s alert system and siren coverage.

2. Camp safety: The Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act and related legislation require measures including evacuation plans, staff training, warning systems, and safer cabin placement. Camp operators warned that compliance could be costly, but families are encouraged to ask camps where cabins are and how evacuations are handled.

3. Agricultural land valuation: House Bill 1244 helps preserve agricultural tax valuation when land transfers to a family business or trust, provided its use and management remain substantially the same. Owners should consult their county appraisal district before transferring land.

4. Squatter removal and evictions: Senate Bill 1333 creates a process for sheriffs or constables to remove occupants who have no legal right to a property, while penalizing fraudulent leases and property scams. Senate Bill 38 also speeds up ordinary eviction proceedings. Tenant advocates worry that tighter deadlines may affect legitimate renters; owners must make truthful, documented claims.

5. Homes destroyed by fire: A temporary, prorated property-tax exemption applies to the value of a primary residence destroyed by fire and uninhabitable for at least 30 days. The land and any undamaged structures remain taxable, and owners must apply through their appraisal district.

6. Tax-rate transparency: Starting in 2026, local taxing authorities must use state electronic forms that link proposed rates to the underlying valuation and tax records. This makes it easier for residents to examine how rates are calculated, but does not itself lower taxes.

7. Capital-gains tax prohibition: A constitutional amendment bars Texas from imposing a state tax on realized or unrealized capital gains. Federal capital-gains taxes are unaffected.

8. Continuing-care retirement communities: New rules restrict which facilities may use the continuing-care label, protect residents’ ability to organize, and require certain entry fees for new projects to be held in escrow until specified conditions are met. Prospective residents are advised to verify a facility’s state certificate and review refund terms.

9. Dementia research funding: Voters approved a constitutional amendment to fund a Texas dementia research institute with up to $300 million annually over roughly a decade. The measure is subject to a legal challenge over election procedures, which has put the funding on hold.

10. Veterans’ surviving spouses: A surviving spouse may qualify for a full property-tax exemption on a primary home if the veteran died from a condition federally presumed to be service-related and the spouse has not remarried. The video also warns veterans not to pay unaccredited companies for help with benefits; county veterans service officers can provide assistance.

11. Estate and inheritance taxes: A constitutional amendment prohibits Texas from imposing taxes on property transfers due to death, including estates, inheritances, and gifts. Federal estate taxes and ordinary property taxes still apply.

12. Larger homestead exemption: Voters raised the school-property-tax homestead exemption to $140,000 for homeowners generally, with an additional $60,000 for homeowners aged 65 or older or with disabilities. A qualifying senior’s combined exemption is therefore $200,000. The video stresses that school taxes may be zero only if the home’s taxable value is no more than that amount; other local taxes still apply. Eligible homeowners must ensure the relevant exemptions are on file with their appraisal district.

The video also mentions longer prosecution deadlines for certain felony cases involving financial exploitation of older Texans and more flexible deadlines for some property-tax payments. It says a proposed hemp-product ban was vetoed and a hospital itemized-billing bill failed to pass.

The closing advice is to contact the appraisal district about homestead, senior, disability, and agricultural exemptions; consult a county veterans service officer about veterans’ benefits; verify retirement-community certification; and sign up for local emergency alerts.

Presenters and Contributors

• Presenter: Unidentified narrator for The Texas Retiree
• Named people quoted or cited: Paul Bettencourt, Michael McCown, Greg Abbott, Ryan Guillen, Joan Huffman, Tom Craddick, Chris Turner, and Dan Patrick