New Texas Laws (2019)

Note: Each of the new laws listed below will take effect on Sept. 1, 2019.

• HB 121 — Relating to a defense to prosecution for the offense of trespass by certain persons carrying handguns. Provides a defense for License To Carry holders who unknowingly enter establishments that prohibit guns with signage if the LTC holder promptly leaves the property after being asked.
• HB 302 — Relating to the carrying, storage, or possession of a firearm or firearm ammunition by certain persons on certain residential or commercial property. Prohibits residential lease agreements from restricting the possession of firearms by residents or their guests.
• HB 1143 — Relating to the transportation or storage of a handgun or other firearm or ammunition by a handgun license holder in a school parking area. Updates the Texas Education Code to prevent school districts from regulating the manner in which a licensed person's handgun, firearm, or ammunition is stored in their vehicle in a school parking area.
• HB 1177 — Relating to carrying a handgun during a state of disaster. Prevents citizens from being charged with a crime for carrying a handgun without a License To Carry while evacuating from a declared state or local disaster area, or while returning to that area. Also gives disaster shelters the option to accommodate evacuees with firearms.
• HB 1387 — Relating to the number of school marshals that may be appointed to serve on a public school campus or at a private school. Loosens restrictions on how many armed school marshals a school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment charter school may appoint.
• HB 1791 — Relating to the carrying of handguns by license holders on property owned or leased by a governmental entity. Updates language in the Texas Government Code related to the carrying of firearms on property owned or leased by a government entity.
• HB 2363 — Relating to permitting certain foster homes to store firearms and ammunition in the same locked location. Updates specifications for how foster parents may store their firearms in a foster home.
• SB 535 — Relating to the carrying of a handgun by a license holder on the premises of certain places of religious worship. Clarifies the Texas Penal Code by removing "a church, synagogue, or other established place of religious worship" from the list of prohibited locations for carrying a firearm.
• SB 741 — Relating to restrictive covenants regarding firearms or firearm ammunition. Prohibits a property owners association from prohibiting or restricting the possession, transportation, or storage of a firearm or ammunition. Also prohibits restrictions on the lawful discharge of a firearm.

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