The beginning of 2011 will bring some new laws, including an increase in the minimum coverage requirements for auto insurance, as legislation passed during the 80th and 81st legislative sessions goes into effect.  

 Taking effect January 1, 2011:

• HB 2347, 81st Legislature, Regular Session
  Relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for certain peace officers enrolled in criminal justice or law enforcement course work and for certain educational aides.
  Sections 1 and 3 take effect January 1, 2011; the rest of the act took effect on June 19, 2009.
• HB 2774, 81st Legislature, Regular Session
  Relating to self-directed and semi-independent status of state financial regulatory agencies and the licensing and regulation of certain persons involved in residential mortgage lending; making an appropriation; providing a penalty.
  This Act took effect September 1, 2009, except Section 5 took effect April 1, 2010, and Sections 9 and 12 take effect January 1, 2011.
• HB 4833, 81st Legislature, Regular Session
  Relating to the creation of district courts and statutory county courts and to the composition of juvenile boards in certain counties.
  This Act took effect September 1, 2009, except Sections 4 and 10 took effect October 1, 2009; Section 5 took effect December 15, 2009; Section 6 took effect September 1, 2010; Section 7 took effect November 1, 2010; Sections 2 and 15 take effect January 1, 2011, excluding Section 15(c), which took effect September 1, 2009; and Section 12 takes effect September 1, 2011.
• SB 873, 81st Legislature, Regular Session
  Relating to a requirement that certain appraisal districts provide for electronic filing of and electronic communications regarding a protest of appraised value by the owner of a residence homestead.
• HB 473  80th Legislature, Regular Session.  Relating to benefits provided under the workers' compensation system, including fee guidelines for medical benefits and payment of benefits under interlocutory orders.
  This Act took effect September 1, 2007, except Section 413.011(d-4), Labor Code, as added by this Act, takes effect January 1, 2011.
• HB 4139, 80th Legislature, Regular Session
  Relating to the creation of a county court at law in Van Zandt County.
• SB 502, 80th Legislature, Regular Session
  Relating to minimum insurance coverage amounts to establish evidence of financial responsibility under the Texas Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act and to providing information with regard to compliance with the Act.  

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The LRL's Texas Legislators: Past & Present database was recently featured in a webinar presented by the National Conference of State Legislatures' Research Librarians Staff Section.

The webinar focused on legislative member database projects in Texas and Minnesota. Speakers Melanie Harshman, Administrative Librarian for the Legislative Reference Library of Texas, and Elizabeth Lincoln, Deputy Director of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, offered ideas for how to begin collecting information for a database, where to find useful sources, and how to deal with challenges along the way.  

The archived presentation is available here.

This entry was posted on December 2, 2010 at 10:25 AM and has received 804 views. Print this entry.