By Sen. Royce West
AUSTIN—Today, State Senator Royce West (D-Dallas) filed his first bills of the 90th
Legislature, indicating that he would be focusing on affordability, consumer protection, privacy, and public education legislation.
“Today’s bill filings represent just a sample of what I have for the 90th Legislature,” Senator West said. “Texans, my constituents in particular, need help. Insurance rates are skyrocketing, rents are high, and Texas has generally become an unaffordable place to live for many people,” Senator West continued. “Affordability, however, is just part of my agenda for the coming session,” West said. He noted that he would be filing bills touching on public education, foster care, local government, taxation, and more.
As part of his affordability agenda, Senator West filed bills designed to give renters relief from skyrocketing rents and junk fees. One bill, Senate Bill 201 requires landlords to disclose up front all fees that a tenant will be forced to pay as part of their lease. Senate Bill 203 caps security deposits at 1.5 times the monthly rent. “I’ll have some more bills addressing junk fees later in the session,” West said.
Additionally, to promote affordability and transparency in pricing, Senator West filed SB 212 which regulates drip pricing; this is the practice where a product is advertised for one price, but when the consumer goes to check out, required fees and surcharges are stacked upon the price.
In terms of public education, Senator West filed SB 204, which will require the State Board of Educator Certification to create a micro-credential for career connected learning. “We have tasked teachers with preparing kids to be career, college, or military ready. But we’ve done a poor job connecting teachers with the resources they need to ensure that they are properly educating students about careers and career pathways available,” Senator West said. Senator
West also filed SB 294, which will repeal the Texas Education Freedom Accounts Program, more commonly known “school vouchers.”
Senator West also filed two bills to create ombudsman positions: one, SB 211 would create an ombudsman for rehabilitation hospital patients and the other, SB 197 would create an ombudsman for kinship and foster care families.
Senator West noted that the death of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson at a Dallas rehabilitation hospital four years ago prompted the filing of the bill creating an ombudsman for patients in those facilities. “Conditions haven’t improved for rehab hospital patients,” Senator West said. “Just this month, my office was working another case where a patient was receiving substandard care in one of these facilities,” the Senator said.
Senator West also filed SB 199, which will create a “Medicare Birthday Rule,” in Texas. “This bill was requested by the Texas Silver Haired Legislature, and by creating this rule, the state will be allowing people on Medicare to switch policies within 60 days of their birthday to a policy of equal or lesser value without going back through underwriting,” Senator West said.
Continuing his work on real property theft and real property fraud, Senator West also filed SB
210, which will require all counties to purchase and make available to citizens a notification
system that will notify real property owners when records are filed within their chain of title.
Senator West said he typically files about 150 bills before bill filing ends in mid-March. Last
session, West passed 38 bills, more than any other Legislator from North Texas.
Senator West also filed:
SB 197 relating to establishing an ombudsman program for foster parents and relative and other designated caregivers.
SB 198 relating to implementing an express lane option for determining eligibility an enrolling certain individuals in Medicaid or the child health plan program.
SB 199 relating to an annual enrollment period for individuals enrolled in a Medicare
supplement benefit plan.
SB 200 related to requiring an expedited review of certain applications from relative or other designated caregivers to operate a verified agency foster home.
SB 201 relating to a residential landlord’s duty to disclose fees charged to an applicant or tenant.
SB 202 relating to the authority of a residential landlord to require a tenant to pay a mail fee.
SB 203 relating to the maximum amount of a security deposit for a residential lease.
SB 204 related to including career-connected learning in the micro-credential certification program for public school educator continuing education.
SB 205 relating to the payment of permanency care assistance after a child’s 18th birthday.
SB 206 relating to payments made by municipalities in connection with nonconforming land uses after the adoption of or change to a zoning regulation or boundary.
SB 207 relating to the establishment of the Historic Texas Freedmen Town Designation Program; authorizing a fee
SB 208 relating to required notification of a prisoner’s death to the prisoner’s next of kin or emergency contact.
SB 209 relating to required training for school district peace officers and school resource officers on limitations on the officers’ authority to restrain or otherwise incapacitate certain students.
SB 210 relating to a provision of electronic notice by a county clerk to a real property owner of a record relating to the property owner’s property that is filed for recording in the real property records of the county.
SB 211 relating to the establishment of the rehabilitation hospital care ombudsman division within he office of the state long-term care ombudsman.
SB 212 relating to the advertising, display, and offer of prices for goods and services.
SB 213 relating to the prohibition of municipal curb fees.
SB 214 relating to the issuance of a certified birth record of a child who receives public assistance program benefits for public school enrollment purposes.
SB 215 relating to marker, memorial, and effigy rules adopted and enforced by cemetery organizations; authorizing a civil penalty.
SB 216 relating to the exclusion of a social worker license from the automatic revocation or denial of a health care professional license for certain criminal offenses.
SB 217 relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for victims of trafficking offenses who are or were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
SB 218 relating to the representation of an arrested indigent person at the person’s appearance before a magistrate in certain counties.
SB 219 relating to the use of electronically readable information to verify a consumer’s age in the retail sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes or tobacco products.
SB 220 relating to certain agreements arising out of special investigations conducted by the Texas Education Agency.
SB 221 relating to judicial instruction on theft of and fraud involving real property.
SB 222 relating to notice to applicants for admission to a graduate or professional program at a public institution of higher education regarding research prohibited under the program.
SB 223 relating to motor vehicle stops by a peace officer operating a motor vehicle not clearly marked as a law enforcement motor vehicle.
SB 224 relating to the requirements for notice of utility disconnection to tenants of a submetered family property.
SB 225 relating to an annual report on foster and former foster youth’s receipt of certain public benefits and services.
SB 226 relating to the amount of restitution a defendant is ordered to pay for real property theft.
SB 227 relating to the court costs and fees assessed in a mental health proceeding filed by a county in the name of the state for an indigent patient.
SB 228 relating to limitations on security deposit alternative products for residential leases.
SB 294 relating to the repeal of the education savings account program.
