We are happy to announce that library patrons can now access HeinOnline's Voting Rights & Election Law database remotely! This new addition to the library's roster of HeinOnline databases is a great starting point for anyone interested in current and historical resources on the electoral process, political campaigns, and voting rights.  ..read more

March 3rd – 9th is National Consumer Protection Week! Covering everything from debt collection to lemon laws, the library has many resources to help you learn about your rights as a consumer.   ..read more

A total of 31 bills passed by the 88th Texas Legislature will go into effect on January 1, 2024. Most new laws come from the regular legislative session that ended on May 29, 2023. Governor Greg Abbott also called four special sessions to consider additional legislation, some of which will become law on January 1. We may see more bills passed if the lawmakers gather again before the 89th Legislature convenes in 2025. Over 700 bills passed by the current legislature already went into effect on September 1, 2023. A handful of bills are scheduled to become law at a later date ..read more

Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 7. The bill bans private employers from adopting or enforcing workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates. State and local government employers are already prohibited from doing so in Chapter 81B of the Texas Health and Safety Code.  The new law will take effect on February 6, 2024. It covers employees, contractors, and job applicants in the private sector. The bill adds Chapter 81D to the Texas Health & Safety Code. According to Section 81D.002: Sec.81D.002. EMPLOYER CORONAVIRUS VACCINE MANDATES PROHIBITED. An employer may not adopt o ..read more

Texas voters approved 13 out of the 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution in the election yesterday, November 7, 2023. The legislature added the propositions to the ballot earlier this year. The governor's proclamation is expected to follow shortly ..read more

People often turn to small claims courts to resolve disputes over smaller amounts of money. According to the Office of Court Administration's Annual Statistical Report for FY 2022, there were 246,850 small claims cases on the docket in Texas justice courts in 2022 alone. Some examples of a small claims lawsuit include: A person damaged your property and won’t pay to fix it; You sold your car, but the person who bought it hasn’t paid you; or You paid a contractor for a job, but they never completed the work. We've answered your frequently asked questions about small claims in a new series of Le ..read more

Many new bills passed during the 88th Texas Legislative Sessions will go into effect on September 1st, 2023. A total of 774 bills and individual sections from 19 additional bills are scheduled to become law on this date.   A number of laws have already gone into effect or are scheduled to go into effect at a later date. We may see additional bills passed by this legislature if Governor Greg Abbott calls more legislative sessions before the 89th Legislature convenes in 2025.  ..read more

Exciting news! Patrons can now access Westlaw Classic in person at the library! Westlaw is one of the most prominent legal databases in the industry, and we are thrilled to offer this service to the public once again ..read more

Exciting news! Patrons can now access Westlaw Classic in person at the library! Westlaw is one of the most prominent legal databases in the industry, and we are thrilled to offer this service to the public once again ..read more

If you’ve been thinking about writing a will, the Texas Supreme Court has made it easier to do so without an attorney. The court has approved several official forms for people who want to write their own will: Will Form for a Person Who is Single, Widowed, or Divorced and Who Has Children Will Form for a Married Person Who Has Children Will Form for a Person Who is Single, Widowed, or Divorced and Does Not Have Children Will Form for a Married Person Who Does Not Have Children The forms are on the Forms page of the Texas Judicial Branch website. Bilingual versions with instructions in English ..read more