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.
Local Government
Ft. Worth ISD’s New Superintendent Scores Big Payday
In October 2025, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath notified Fort Worth ISD (FWISD) trustees and administrators that “chronically low levels of support given to students and very low levels of academic performance” had prompted a state takeover of district operations. In support of the intervention, officials provided ample evidence of the obvious problems, like...
May 27, 2026