Hundreds of new laws passed during this year’s legislative session went into effect on Sept. 1, including one that bans the sale of lab-grown meat for two years.
Two California-based companies have already filed lawsuits challenging this.
“They’re essentially arguing that the Texas law infringes on constitutional rights and Texans’ freedom to consume the food they want,” said Texas Tribune politics editor Jasper Scherer.
Texas is the seventh state to ban lab-grown meat, and how this legal challenge plays out could have a big impact on this emerging industry.
Another law that went into effect this week streamlines the process for parents who want vaccine exemptions for their children attending schools with immunization requirements. It allows parents to download a form online instead of requiring a physical copy be sent to their home.
“This was sort of a bureaucratic hurdle that folks had to overcome; they had to have the forms physically sent to their homes,” Scherer said. “It speeds up the process.”
Also this week, an effort to lower property taxes for Texans fizzled out as lawmakers in the House and Senate were unable to come to an agreement about how much more in property tax revenue cities and counties can raise each year without voter approval.
“The House wanted to impose harsher caps than the Senate was willing to go along with, and they kind of ran out of time while they were still at loggerheads,” Scherer said. “We’re going to have to wait until the 2027 session to see further tax relief efforts.”
