TEXAS (KTRK) — Texas lawmakers get together once every two years to pass the budget, set new laws and rules, and change old ones. The latest state Legislature met in 2023 between January and May, and some of those laws and rules finally went into effect on Sunday, Sept. 1.
ABC13’s partners at Chron have everything you need to know about the new laws.
SCOPE Act
House Bill 18, also known as the SCOPE (Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment) Act, tightens restrictions for online users under the age of 18. Social media sites will require users to register their age, and minors will be prohibited from making purchases on those sites. Additionally, sites must block and filter harmful material pertaining to suicide, self-harm, bullying, trafficking, and other exploitation, from minors.
Texas will enforce the SCOPE Act through penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.
“Our children are experiencing all manner of harms via overexposure to digital platforms and predatory algorithms, manifesting in increased rates of self-harm, suicide, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, human trafficking and other mental health issues,” wrote state Rep. Shelby Slawson (R-Granbury), bill co-author, in a statement after HB18 was voted out of committee in April 2023. “Testimony from parents and children in committee gave graphic examples underscoring how desperately we need to better protect kids online. The SCOPE Act will do just that.”
Chron reported that the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression on Aug. 16 sued the state to block the SCOPE Act, saying that the bad or questionable behavior of some shouldn’t mean blanket protections.
“While these efforts to protect young people are well-intentioned, they lack perspective,” read the lawsuit. “The idea that some types of social network use by some minors under certain conditions might adversely affect some segment of this cohort cannot justify imposing government restrictions on all social network use by all minors.”
The SCOPE Act still went into effect Sunday.
Funding for family violence shelters
Senate Bill 1841 updates qualifications for family violence shelters, which provide housing and care for victims of domestic abuse.
Other
Other items Chron noted include new details regarding when state agencies must submit annual financial reports, and new rules for drug manufacturers when submitting information regarding an unavailable insulin prescription drug.
