What did lawmakers do about littering, drinking on buses and cellphones?

The next time you consider tossing a piece of trash out of your car window, you might want to think again.

State lawmakers this year passed a bill hoping to crack down on littering, which costs Texas millions of dollars every year.

So now, if Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs off on the plan, Texans convicted of littering face a sentence requiring them to pick up trash for as many as 60 hours or work the same amount of time at a local recycling facility.

“The offender is far less likely to re-offend if they have to perform community service rather than just paying a simple fine,” state Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, said of House Bill 1884 during a committee hearing earlier this session.

This is just one of the many bills state lawmakers passed this session that could impact nearly every corner of Texans’ daily lives.

While lawmakers did work on issues ranging from balancing the state budget to trying to find property tax reform, they also weighed in on much smaller issues during the 140-day session.

Bills regulating texting while driving, drinking while riding buses — even changing the color of photographs on Texans’ driver’s licenses — are among the hundreds of measures lawmakers approved this year.

“While many legislators are focused on big ticket items, thousands of smaller changes pass that gradually alter the lives or activities of Texans,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “Most Texans would be shocked if they looked at a count of the number of things that the Legislature changes in 140 days.

“At the end of 140 days, legislation on hundreds of issues sums up to directly affect the lives of Texans.”

Here’s a look at some of these bills, which Abbott may or may not have weighed in on yet. The governor has until June 18 to sign or veto bills.

The legislative session wrapped up Memorial Day.

Under consideration

A look at some of the measures approved by both chambers by late Friday and sent to the governor for consideration:

Put down the phones: Texans will have to stop texting while driving as of Sept. 1, if the governor signs HB 62 into law. This measure doesn’t prevent drivers from using GPS systems or playing music from their phones — or talking on the phone through hands-free devices. But it would end texting while driving. Texas is one of four states, along with Arizona, Missouri and Montana, that don’t have statewide bans on texting while driving.

Measuring the beef: HB 2029 would exempt Texas barbecue restaurants — and other restaurants that measure food “sold for immediate consumption” — from having to use state-certified weigh scales. Currently, those scales must be where people can see them to show that people are getting exactly the amount they are paying for. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has come out against this bill, saying: “I trust my local barbecue guy, but I still want to see that when I buy a pound of sausage I’m getting a pound of sausage,” Miller wrote in an article published by TribTalk.

Get a new driver’s license: You might soon notice something different about newly renewed driver’s licenses. HB 1345 removes the requirement that your photo must be in color. If the bill is signed into law by the governor, driver’s license photos could be in black and white as soon as Sept. 1.

Drinking while riding: Texans could soon kick up their feet and tip back a glass of their favorite alcoholic beverage while riding a bus in Texas. If the governor approves HB 3101, there will be a new passenger bus beverage permit — at the cost of $500 a year — that gives operators of passenger buses the same right to sell alcohol that commercial planes have. The permits would come from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Buy used watches: HB 2027 by state Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, repeals a 1941 law geared to cut down on counterfeiting that required secondhand watches to be specifically labeled and marketed. “The requirements and penalties associated with the sale of secondhand watches appear to have outlived their usefulness,” a bill analysis states, noting that many secondhand items being sold on the internet are out of compliance with this law. “Consequently, the need for consumer protections specific to watch purchases has dissipated.”

Study up before voting: Heading to the polls after Sept. 1 might require a bit more homework, if Abbott signs HB 25 into law. This measure would eliminate straight-party voting, which means Texas voters can no longer just go in and throw a lever or hit a button and be done voting. Now they will have to vote all the way down the ticket.

Reward Texans for saving money: HB 471 lets credit unions and banks create saving account programs where Texans can win prizes — including cash — for putting money into their own savings accounts. This is a measure geared to combat payday lending by encouraging all Texans to build up their own stockpiles of savings in case of emergencies. If the governor signs this into law, Texans would have to approve House Joint Resolution 37 allowing this in November. Abbott vetoed a similar message last session. “It is smart, forward-thinking policy that Texas needs to adopt to ensure that every family has sufficient funds in a bank or credit union so they do not turn to predatory lenders in times of need,” said state Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, author of the bill.

Protect loved ones in death: Senate Bill 524 will boost the penalty for abuse of a corpse from a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by as much as one year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000, to a state jail felony, which would mean between 180 days and two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. This measure became necessary, advocates say, after bodies were found decomposing or that hadn’t been embalmed at the Johnson Family Mortuary in Fort Worth in 2014. Some families received ashes of people that weren’t their loved ones. State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, and state Reps. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, and Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, carried the bill through both chambers.

Win money: HB 3125 allows 50-50 raffles at more sporting events. These raffles give one lucky winner half the jackpot and the other half to local charities. The size of jackpots would depend on sales, but they’ve been as high as $65,000 at Dallas Cowboys games, where the drawings already are legal. State lawmakers in 2015 approved a plan to let 10 professional sports teams in Texas hold these fundraisers, known as 50-50 raffles, during sporting events, and voters also approved the plan. This measure lets even more sports groups — ranging from Texas Motor Speedway to the Professional Golf Association to minor league baseball teams — participate as well. Abbott would have to sign off on this measure, and HRJ 100 as well. If he does, Texas voters also would have to approve this in November.

Watch out for driverless vehicles: SB 2205 allows driverless vehicles, also known as autonomous vehicles, to be tested on Texas roads. The measure lays the groundwork for these vehicles to someday be driven — and someday be produced — here by allowing the continued testing and implementation of driverless cars in Texas. If signed into law, this measure would go into effect Sept. 1.

Signed into law

The governor by late Friday had signed 95 bills, including measures geared to:

Prevent hot checks from being given to county officials: SB 492 lets county tax assessor-collectors send credit card payments and checks that don’t clear to a private collection agency to collect money due to the government. Those private collection agencies will work to claim the money due — with a fee for their work. This measure went into effect May 4.

Reduce sky-high medical bills: SB 507 helps Texans fight surprise medical bills that could come, for instance, from unexpected out-of-network charges during an emergency room visit. A 2009 measure by state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, created a mediation system to help Texans hit by unexpected and large medical bills from this type of circumstance. This year’s bill by Hancock expands the mediation system to include out-of-network providers helping patients at in-network facilities and hospitals. It also allows mediation for emergency care bills over $500 at any healthcare facility. “No Texan looks forward to visiting a surgical center or emergency room,” Hancock said. “But when that happens, hidden charges and surprise bills should be the last thing on their mind.” This measure goes into effect Sept. 1.

Save some stamps: Potential jurors in Texas receive a jury summons — and often a questionnaire as well in the mail. SB 259 gives counties the option of not mailing the questionnaire and instead listing a website on the summons for jurors to go print their own copy of the questionnaire or fill out the form online. This measure goes into effect Sept. 1.

Save Texas gun owners some money: Signed into law already is SB 16, which drops the cost for a License to Carry from $140 to $40 and the renewal fee by $30. It also waives the fee for Texas military and peace officers. The measure goes into effect Sept. 1.

New information: When you’re getting your driver’s license renewed, you might see new information displayed there. As of Sept. 1, those offices have the ability to start displaying written information and videos on driving with autism, now that HB 1434 has been signed into law by the governor.

Phone it in: Texans who want to protest their property appraisal, but find that their full-time jobs make it hard to show up for a hearing before an appraisal review board hearing, could find relief under HB 455, which lets property owners protesting the values of their homes do so by a telephone conference call rather than showing up in person. This goes into effect Sept. 1.

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 5:16 PM with the headline "What did lawmakers do about littering, drinking on buses and cellphones?."