Texas Legislative Session by the Numbers
The Texas Legislature completed the 89th regular session with impressive volume:
- 8,719 bills filed
- 1,210 sent to the Governor
As of June 12, 2025, the Governor had signed 370 bills, allowed 24 bills to take effect without his signature, and vetoed 2 bills.
New Laws Seniors Should Pay Attention To
For Texas lawyers, keeping up with legal changes is no easy task—it’s like trying to stop Bubba from drinking that one last beer. While we can’t cover every new law, this post highlights a few lesser-known bills that could have a significant impact on seniors, particularly in areas such as real estate, probate, guardianship, and healthcare.
SB 693: Criminal Charges for Improper Notarization – Effective 9/1/2025
Those of us in the real estate, probate, and guardianship fields have seen a growing problem with notaries on deeds, wills, and powers of attorney. SB 693 addresses this by:
- Making it a Class A misdemeanor offense for a notary public who performs a notarization for a person who did not personally appear before the notary at the time the notarization is executed.
- The offense is an entrance to a state jail felony if the notarized document involves a deed or transfer of an interest in real property.
- Online notarization is still permitted, provided the Texas statutory requirements are followed.
HB 1041: Preventing Life Insurance Fraud by Caregivers – Effective 5/29/2025
To combat financial exploitation of disabled individuals:
- HB 1041 states that non-relative caregivers do not have an insurable interest in the life of a disabled person.
- This makes it illegal for caregivers to be named as beneficiaries on life insurance policies.
SB 1465: Protecting Privacy in Guardianship and Probate Disputes – Effective 9/1/2025
It is not unusual in a guardianship or probate battle for someone to show up with a video of the proposed ward or the decedent (while alive). SB 1465:
- Criminalizes someone, without the other person’s consent, and to invade that person’s privacy, to record, broadcast, or transmit a visual image of the other person in a place in which the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a bathroom, bedroom, or changing area.
SB 746: Limiting Interference in Guardianship Proceedings – Effective 9/1/2025
There is an ongoing problem with people who have an adverse interest in a proposed ward butting into guardianship proceedings. SB 746 prevents this by:
- Prohibiting individuals with an adverse interest from:
- Applying to create a guardianship
- Applying for the appointment of a guardian
- Filing a motion or complaint to request the removal of a guardian or contest the request for the removal of a guardian.
SB 922: Delayed Electronic Disclosure of Sensitive Medical Results – Effective 9/1/2025
The requirement that you receive health test results immediately electronically has had some unintended effects. For some people, it has led to heightened stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, particularly if the test came back positive for cancer or other life-changing conditions. SB 922:
- Allows for a three-day delay in disclosing sensitive test results (e.g., cancer diagnoses) electronically.
- This allows the physician to have an informed discussion with the patient first.
SB 1238: Ending the “Widow’s Penalty” in Insurance – Effective 9/1/2025
Amazingly, when someone dies, Texas law allows insurers to charge the surviving spouse a widow’s penalty. That changes with SB 1238:
- Prohibits an insurer from charging a widow’s penalty, and from refusing to continue to insure, provide coverage, or limit the amount, extent, or kind of coverage available to the widow.
- Ensures fair and continuous coverage for widows and widowers
Looking Ahead with Hammerle Morris Law Firm
These are just a few examples of meaningful legislative updates. More changes are coming, so stay tuned and informed as Texas law continues to evolve, especially in ways that affect our aging population.
If you have questions about how these new laws may impact you or a loved one—especially in matters of guardianship, estate planning, or elder rights—our experienced attorneys are here to help. Don’t leave important decisions to chance. Schedule a consultation today.
Virginia Hammerle is an accredited estate planner and represents clients in estate planning, probate, guardianship, and contested litigation. She may be reached at legaltalktexas@hammerle.com. This blog contains general information only and does not constitute legal advice.
