Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB617 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R5090 JG-D
2	2	By: Lopez of Bexar H.B. No. 617
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the prohibition of housing discrimination on the basis
10	10	of veteran status and to the enforcement of that prohibition.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 301.003, Property Code, is amended by
13	13	adding Subdivision (13) to read as follows:
14	14	(13) "Veteran status" means the status of a person as a
15	15	veteran, as that term is defined by Section 2308.251, Government
16	16	Code.
17	17	SECTION 2. Sections 301.021(a) and (b), Property Code, are
18	18	amended to read as follows:
19	19	(a) A person may not refuse to sell or rent, after the making
20	20	of a bona fide offer, refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of,
21	21	or in any other manner make unavailable or deny a dwelling to
22	22	another because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status,
23	23	[or] national origin, or veteran status.
24	24	(b) A person may not discriminate against another in the
25	25	terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling or
26	26	in providing services or facilities in connection with a sale or
27	27	rental of a dwelling because of race, color, religion, sex,
28	28	familial status, [or] national origin, or veteran status.
29	29	SECTION 3. Section 301.022, Property Code, is amended to
30	30	read as follows:
31	31	Sec. 301.022. PUBLICATION. A person may not make, print, or
32	32	publish or effect the making, printing, or publishing of a notice,
33	33	statement, or advertisement that is about the sale or rental of a
34	34	dwelling and that indicates any preference, limitation, or
35	35	discrimination or the intention to make a preference, limitation,
36	36	or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex,
37	37	disability, familial status, [or] national origin, or veteran
38	38	status.
39	39	SECTION 4. Section 301.023, Property Code, is amended to
40	40	read as follows:
41	41	Sec. 301.023. INSPECTION. A person may not represent to
42	42	another because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial
43	43	status, [or] national origin, or veteran status that a dwelling is
44	44	not available for inspection for sale or rental when the dwelling is
45	45	available for inspection.
46	46	SECTION 5. Section 301.024, Property Code, is amended to
47	47	read as follows:
48	48	Sec. 301.024. ENTRY INTO NEIGHBORHOOD. A person may not,
49	49	for profit, induce or attempt to induce another to sell or rent a
50	50	dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective
51	51	entry into a neighborhood of a person of a particular race, color,
52	52	religion, sex, disability, familial status, [or] national origin,
53	53	or veteran status.
54	54	SECTION 6. Section 301.026(a), Property Code, is amended to
55	55	read as follows:
56	56	(a) A person whose business includes engaging in
57	57	residential real estate related transactions may not discriminate
58	58	against another in making a real estate related transaction
59	59	available or in the terms or conditions of a real estate related
60	60	transaction because of race, color, religion, sex, disability,
61	61	familial status, [or] national origin, or veteran status.
62	62	SECTION 7. Section 301.027, Property Code, is amended to
63	63	read as follows:
64	64	Sec. 301.027. BROKERAGE SERVICES. A person may not deny
65	65	another access to, or membership or participation in, a
66	66	multiple-listing service, real estate brokers' organization, or
67	67	other service, organization, or facility relating to the business
68	68	of selling or renting dwellings, or discriminate against a person
69	69	in the terms or conditions of access, membership, or participation
70	70	in such an organization, service, or facility because of race,
71	71	color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, [or] national
72	72	origin, or veteran status.
73	73	SECTION 8. Sections 301.042(a) and (c), Property Code, are
74	74	amended to read as follows:
75	75	(a) This chapter does not prohibit a religious
76	76	organization, association, or society or a nonprofit institution or
77	77	organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in
78	78	conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society
79	79	from:
80	80	(1) limiting the sale, rental, or occupancy of
81	81	dwellings that it owns or operates for other than a commercial
82	82	purpose to persons of the same religion; or
83	83	(2) giving preference to persons of the same religion,
84	84	unless membership in the religion is restricted because of race,
85	85	color, sex, disability, familial status, [or] national origin, or
86	86	veteran status.
87	87	(c) This chapter does not prohibit a person engaged in the
88	88	business of furnishing appraisals of real property from considering
89	89	in those appraisals factors other than race, color, religion, sex,
90	90	disability, familial status, [or] national origin, or veteran
91	91	status.
92	92	SECTION 9. Section 301.068, Property Code, is amended to
93	93	read as follows:
94	94	Sec. 301.068. REFERRAL TO MUNICIPALITY. (a) Subject to
95	95	Subsection (b), the [The] commission may defer proceedings under
96	96	this chapter and refer a complaint to a municipality that has been
97	97	certified by the federal Department of Housing and Urban
98	98	Development as a substantially equivalent fair housing agency.
99	99	(b) The commission may not defer proceedings and refer a
100	100	complaint under Subsection (a) to a municipality in which the
101	101	alleged discrimination occurred if:
102	102	(1) the complaint alleges discrimination based on
103	103	veteran status; and
104	104	(2) the municipality does not have laws prohibiting
105	105	the alleged discrimination.
106	106	SECTION 10. Section 301.171(a), Property Code, is amended
107	107	to read as follows:
108	108	(a) A person commits an offense if the person, without
109	109	regard to whether the person is acting under color of law, by force
110	110	or threat of force intentionally intimidates or interferes with a
111	111	person:
112	112	(1) because of the person's race, color, religion,
113	113	sex, disability, familial status, [or] national origin, or veteran
114	114	status and because the person is or has been selling, purchasing,
115	115	renting, financing, occupying, or contracting or negotiating for
116	116	the sale, purchase, rental, financing, or occupation of any
117	117	dwelling or applying for or participating in a service,
118	118	organization, or facility relating to the business of selling or
119	119	renting dwellings; or
120	120	(2) because the person is or has been or to intimidate
121	121	the person from:
122	122	(A) participating, without discrimination
123	123	because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status,
124	124	[or] national origin, or veteran status, in an activity, service,
125	125	organization, or facility described by Subdivision (1); [or]
126	126	(B) affording another person opportunity or
127	127	protection to so participate; or
128	128	(C) lawfully aiding or encouraging other persons
129	129	to participate, without discrimination because of race, color,
130	130	religion, sex, disability, familial status, [or] national origin,
131	131	or veteran status, in an activity, service, organization, or
132	132	facility described by Subdivision (1).
133	133	SECTION 11. The change in law made by this Act applies only
134	134	to a complaint filed with the Texas Workforce Commission civil
135	135	rights division on or after the effective date of this Act. A
136	136	complaint filed before that date is governed by the law as it
137	137	existed immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that
138	138	law is continued in effect for that purpose.
139	139	SECTION 12. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.