Author Archives: Judith El Masri
On the Eve of the First Hurricane Season Since Harvey, Is Houston Ready?
The 2018 hurricane season officially starts in a month. Houston residents, municipalities, and politicians don’t seem to have noticed. Eight months post-Hurricane Harvey and little, if any, progress has been achieved regarding long-term plans (or short-term plans) for the way Houston development should occur to avoid flooding of homes and businesses. The terms 100-year… Read More »
Changes to Texas traffic laws: Autonomous vehicles, Cell Phones and Child Rescues
If you are a licensed driver here in Texas, chances are you have received a traffic ticket at some point in your driving history. If you are a driver in a large city, like my home Houston, odds are you may have gotten a traffic ticket from one of several law enforcement agencies. If… Read More »
Go Vote, Texan!
Today is Go Texan Day here in Houston, Texas. Yep, it is a real day as proclaimed by our mayor and many mayors before him. Go Texan Day has been a real thing since the 1950s in Houston and surrounding cities. Historically, the Friday before the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo begins, when there… Read More »
Home Equity Loan Restrictions Lifted in Texas with Low Voter Turnout
Texas voters amended the state Constitution in the last election (November 2017), to make home equity loans more accessible in the Lone Star state. In November 2017, seven new Constitutional amendments became law, despite few Texans going to the polls. According to the Texas Secretary of State, we have 15,099,137 registered voters, which accounts… Read More »
Texas Legislature Enacts Sexual Harassment Policies: Time for Change
This year, prior to the very recent barrage of local and national media coverage regarding reports of sexual assault and harassment, Texas lawmakers created policies empowering sexual assault victims and witnesses of such behavior at institutions of higher learning. During the 85th legislative session several laws were passed with the intent and design to… Read More »
Is Texas Empowering Texas Cities?
If you have been reading our firm blogs recently or just watching the local news here in our part of Texas, you know our state elected officials met this summer in the 85th Legislative session to write more laws; and write they did. At last unofficial count by me, there are 213 new laws… Read More »
Hurricanes and Catastrophic Status in Texas Property Law
For those of us that live on the Texas Gulf Coast, and particularly Houston and surrounding areas, it is painfully evident that the struggle to recover from the floods of Harvey continues, and complete recovery is unimaginable. This blog follows several blogs by our firm touching on property law issues that have manifested in… Read More »
Texas Young & Old: How Demographics are Changing in Cities, Large and Small
If you think the demographics of your Texas town has shifted to older homeowners and young renters, you may be right. If this is true, how will this affect the real estate market and marketability of your home? Better yet, who will run for political office and step up to help run towns and… Read More »
I can’t fly my drone anywhere in Texas?
Flying drones seems like a harmless hobby, but the State of Texas is concerned about the privacy of Texas citizens. Many drones enable you to attach your smartphone to the drone to take video and pictures, or have built-in cameras. Texas drone laws are generally stricter than elsewhere in the country. While many states… Read More »
Property Tax Payer Empowerment Act of 2017: The World is Watching Austin
If you own real property (real estate) in Texas, you pay taxes to the tax assessor known here as “ad valorem taxes.” Property taxes are always a hot topic and source of complaint or debate, depending on how you interpret the shouting that surrounds the issue. The Texas House recently passed legislation in an… Read More »