AUSTIN – After being sent back to committee on a point of order yesterday, proponents of House Bill 2144 – legislation that seeks to restore the tort of public nuisance back to its original intent – believe the bill will be back on the calendar soon.
A legislation currently simmering in the Texas House and Senate would change bail and bond regulations for criminals charged with serious offenses including capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and sexual abuse of a child is a step in the right direction to fix alarming homicide by felonies rates in Houston, according to Crime Stoppers of Houston Director of Victim Services Andy Kahan.
Each legislative session is alike – and unique in its own way. This session is more unique than most. A slow, eerie start because of the pandemic and extra security due to the January breach at the U.S. Capitol produced a Texas Capitol that was empty and quiet rather than crowded and bustling, as is usual during session. And there is only one operational entrance rather than four, with heavily armed national guardsmen and DPS officers everywhere. Things are getting somewhat back to normal now, but only somewhat.
AUSTIN – How many attorneys does it take to elect a bar president? While that may sound like the opening to a bad joke, it’s actually the focus of House Bill 2393.
AUSTIN – Guarding businesses and the medical community against frivolous lawsuits alleging COVID-19 exposure is apparently not a priority for the Texas GOP, as the party leader is voicing opposition to bills offering virus liability protections.
AUSTIN – A number of tort reform measures were heard yesterday by Texas House members, including bills on public nuisance, loser pays and paid or incurred.
SAN ANTONIO - When Thomas Kelly, 59, drove by his parent’s home on Enid Street near Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, he didn’t expect to see two of his father’s military uniforms flapping in the wind on the front lawn.
AUSTIN – Senate Bill 207 will help put an end to “enterprising” trial lawyers who collude with “unscrupulous” medical providers to inflate medical bills in hopes of greater jury awards, says the bill’s author.
AUSTIN—The Keep Texas Trucking Coalition has released its latest video, highlighting the devastating impact abusive lawsuits have on Texas small businesses.
AUSTIN – The Senate Business & Commerce Committee held a hearing on the Pandemic Liability Protection Act today, during which the bill’s author, Sen. Kelly Hancock, assured all who were present that “bad actors” won’t be protected from litigation.
AUSTIN – Even if a hospital in a rural area goes years without being sued, high insurance premiums might contribute to the hospital’s closure – that’s one of the arguments made in favor of a bill seeking to limit a plaintiff’s recovery against rural hospitals.
LUBBOCK — Organizations representing Thoroughbred horse owners and trainers have filed a federal lawsuit to stop a new law in which Congress punted on its legislative duties and, instead, handed the power to regulate horse racing over to a private group.
HOUSTON - A federal judge is set to rule on whether to dismiss a physician’s lawsuit against a Harris County probate judge who allegedly turned a blind eye to the estate trafficking and elder abuse of her 91-year-old mother who was under a court-appointed guardianship when she died.