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September 1 traditionally marks the beginning of new laws that will go into effect in Texas. Voted on by the Texas legislature and approved by the governor, the 820 newest laws in 2019 cover plenty from a raise in the age for smoking to the end of the Driver Responsibility Program to the fact it is now a crime in Texas to send someone an unsolicited d*ck pic or nude.

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Here are a few that you need to be aware of.

Smoking Age Raised: The smoking age in Texas has been raised from 18 to 21, thanks to Senate Bill 21. You now must be 21 to purchase tobacco products in the state.

Driver Responsibility Program: The Driver Responsibility Program was a 16 year (!) program that left 1 million Texans unable to keep or renew their driver’s licenses due to fines, tickets and added annual fees, ranging from $100 to $2,000 on said tickets. All existing DRP surcharge assessments and suspensions will be waived after today, and no additional surcharges or suspensions related to DRP will be assessed.

Unsolicited Nude Photos: Perhaps the most interesting of the new laws comes from House Bill 2879 as it is now a crime to send someone a nude photo if they never asked for it. The penalty? As a Class C misdemeanor, you can be fined up to $500 for any random d*ck pic you may send someone and it falls under texts, emails, social media, and dating apps.

Alcohol Delivery: Thanks to Senate Bill 1232, restaurants, bars or businesses with mixed beverage permits can deliver alcohol with food to homes or other off-premises locations.

Stiffer Penalties For Porch Thieves: Porch pirates have become all too common in the state with the advent of Amazon and more. Now penalties for swiping something off of someone’s porch range from a Class A Misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, depending on the number of addresses mail or packages are taken from.

Additionally, there are 10 new, lenient gun laws that go into effect today as well.

  • Texans who legally own firearms can carry them in public after a state or natural disaster.
  • Licensed gun owners can legally carry in places of worship unless given “effective oral or written notice” or warning that weapons were banned from the property. Places of worship such as churches or mosques can still ban weapons if need be.
  • Landlords cannot ban renters from having guns in their apartments.
  • School districts cannot ban the possession of firearms that are stored in locked vehicles.

Read more here.

All The New Texas Laws You Need To Know That Go Into Effect September 1  was originally published on theboxhouston.com