December 6, 2024
In This Issue:
- Legislative Update: Speaker Phelan Withdraws from Speaker's Race, TDI Report to Lawmakers, 35 New Legislators
- How AI is Helping to Spot Email Scams
Legislative Update: Speaker Phelan Withdraws from Speaker's Race, TDI Report to Lawmakers. 35 New Legislators
TLTA | Dec. 6, 2024
The 89th Texas Legislature will convene Jan. 14, 2025—just over a month from now. There's a great deal of activity in the pink building as a fight for the Texas House speakership continues, committees produce their interim reports, and legislative leaders announce their priorities for the session.
Your TLTA Advocacy Team, under the direction of TLTA's Board of Directors, Legislative and Regulatory committees, is busy preparing for the session ahead. Below are some updates on Capitol developments of which you should be aware.
Speaker Phelan Withdraws From Speaker's Race
Speaker of the Texas House Dade Phelan formally announced today that he's not seeking the speaker's gavel for the upcoming session. A change in leadership in the Texas House will have far-reaching impacts on operations at the Capitol, and could impact our industry's legislative priorities.
Read Speaker Phelan's Formal Announcement »
House Calendars Chair Dustin Burrows has emerged as a potential new candidate in the evolving battle to lead the Texas House next session, in addition to Rep. David Cook. Your TLTA Advocacy is monitoring these developments closely and will share any significant developments with you.
Texas Department of Insurance Issues Biennial Report
The Texas Insurance Code requires TDI to submit a report to the Texas Legislature before every legislative session recommending changes in law regarding the insurance lines TDI regulates and other agency responsibilities.
Review TDI's 2024 Biennial Report »
While this report does not contain recommendations related to our industry, these recommendations could lead to filing of TDI-related legislation. Any TDI-related legislation could evolve once lawmakers start amending it, so your TLTA Advocacy Team is closely monitoring lawmaker's responses to TDI's report.
35 New Legislators This Session - Help Us Welcome Them During TLTA's Day at the Capitol
There will be 35 new members of the Texas House and Senate when the 89th Legislature convenes next month. Your TLTA Advocacy Team has been getting to know these new lawmakers and sharing information about industry's priorities and the importance of strengthening the state's real estate market. You can help by making your plan to join us for TLTA's Day at the Capitol Feb. 10-11. 2025.
Learn More and Register for TLTA's Day at the Capitol Now »
How AI is Helping to Spot Email Scams
Genady Vishnevetsky, Stewart Title Guaranty Co. | November 2024
Phishing attacks pose a significant threat in today's digital landscape. Scammers send fake emails that appear to come from trusted companies or individuals, aiming to trick recipients into revealing personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, or even persuading them to transfer money. These emails can be highly sophisticated, making it challenging for people to differentiate between legitimate and fraudulent messages.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being utilized to combat these scams. In particular, a type of AI known as "multimodal AI" has proven highly effective. Multimodal AI can analyze various types of data simultaneously, including text and images, to detect signs of fraudulent activity. This approach is more advanced than traditional methods, which often rely solely on text analysis.
Learn More »