January 16, 2025
In This Issue:
- Legislative Update: 89th Texas Legislature Commenced Tuesday With Election of New House Speaker Burrows, Swearing In of 35 New Members in House and Senate
- TLTA and Housing Coalition Submit Letters Supporting Turner for HUD Secretary
- ICYMI: How You—And Property Owners—Can Stop Seller Impersonation Fraud
Legislative Update: 89th Texas Legislature Commenced Tuesday With Election of New House Speaker Burrows, Swearing In of 35 New Members in House and Senate
TLTA | Jan. 17, 2025
The Texas Legislature's 89th Session kicked off this week with the election of new Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows. Burrows was the candidate supported by the Speaker Phelan leadership team who led the House for the last 2 sessions. Still, we expect the committee assignments to be very different from last session. Despite Speaker Burrows being a new Speaker, the discussion around the Capitol anticipates that committees will be assigned sooner than we have witnessed in recent sessions.
Congratulations are in order for Sen. Brandon Creighton, who was selected the Senate's President Pro Tempore. While this is largely an honorary role, the Senate's president pro tempore serves as lieutenant governor in certain situations where the lieutenant governor cannot serve, and we wish Sen. Creighton the best as he fulfills his duties in the Texas Senate this session.
Today the Lt. Gov. issued the
Texas Senate's 89th Session committee assignments.
Below are key takeaways for TLTA members from the Legislature's opening day:
Texas House Elects Burrows Speaker for 89th Session
TLTA Member Takeaway: A new speaker means new leadership roles in the Texas House. Speakers races often result in a shuffle in the relative power of individual members of the legislature. This power manifests in committee assignments and ability to effectively pass legislation.
TLTA's Advocacy Team looks forward to working with Speaker Burrows this session. With his election we can expect some changes in operations of the Texas House. We are anticipating a significant change in the makeup of two of our key committees in the House, namely Insurance and Business and Industry. We will know more when Speaker Burrows announces committee assignments in the coming weeks.
You can see how each member voted in the
Speaker’s race here.
35 New Members Sworn In (32 in House, 3 in Senate) - Meet Them
TLTA Member Takeaway: New members will take time to learn the legislative process and norms. Additionally, some of them will be unfamiliar with our industry and issues related to the state's real estate market. TLTA's members will need to be available to these new lawmakers to answer their questions and help educate them about title insurance and our priorities.
Here are the
new members who were sworn in on Tuesday. Not sure if your legislative district has a new legislator?
See who represents you here.
You can help us connect with these new members by making your plan to join us for TLTA's Day at the Capitol Feb. 10-11. 2025.
Learn more about TLTA's Day at the Capitol and register here.
Prefiled Legislation TLTA's Advocacy Team Is Tracking
Bills related to adverse possession, land use, HOA's and more were filed by lawmakers during the 89th Session prefiling period.
Review the 89th Session Bills of Interest your TLTA Advocacy Team is tracking this session. Note that this list will grow as more bills are filed.
TLTA and Housing Coalition Submit Letters Supporting Turner for HUD Secretary
TLTA | Jan. 16, 2025
TLTA submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee supporting the nomination of Texan and former Texas legislator Scott Turned for HUD Secretary. A coalition of housing advocates from across the country submitted similar letters.
Read TLTA's letter »
Learn more about the housing coalition supporting his nomination »
Read about his nominating hearing today »
ICYMI: How You—And Property Owners—Can Stop Seller Impersonation Fraud
Texas Realtors | December 2024
Seller impersonation fraud is a growing and increasingly sophisticated scam facing Texas landowners. The swindle can take months of legal hassles and title work to repair while costing thousands of dollars to property owners and potential buyers.
Real estate and title professionals can be the first lines of defense. Your careful vetting can stop fraudsters early on. But property owners also can help protect themselves.
Here are tips from two experts you can share with your clients and contacts.
Read More »
TLTA Editor's Note: We're proud to share this valuable resource with you, which features perspective and insights from two TLTA members, Roland Love, Chair of TLTA's Regulatory Committee, and Latra Szal, who serves on TLTA's Legislative and Regulatory committees.