Mirroring laws passed by Florida, Georgia, New York, and others, House Bill 1076 criminalizes squatting in a model attempt to ensure that the private property rights of Texans are protected from bad actors (Salmonsen, 2024). In a time when Texas is one of the top three states in which squatters are occupying homes—with “an estimated 475 homes that had been occupied by squatters” concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (Rahman, 2024)—HB 1076, if passed, would be a major victory in the fight to protect the private property rights of Texans. The specificity of the bill ensures that there is no ambiguity in the law and closes any loopholes that bad actors have taken advantage of in the past. By doing so, HB 1076 aims to secure one of the most sacred of all rights: the right to property.
Higher Education
UT Austin’s New Civic Leadership School Takes Aim at “Anti-Civic Education”
A recent episode of Parent Empowerment with Mandy Drogin offered a pointed look at the University of Texas at Austin’s new School of Civic Leadership and the broader fight over what American students should be taught about Western civilization, religion, economics, and the nation’s founding ideals. Guest Justin Dyer, dean of the school, outlined the...
May 6, 2026