A number of new laws will take effect in Texas next month,reports KTRK.
This September, Texas will become the 47th state to ban texting while driving. The lawhas drawn criticism from Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson,as it preempts Amarillo’s stricter texting-while-driving law.
Texas Senator Kel Seliger also called the law an example of state legislative overreach.
After Sept. 1, Texans will also be allowed to carry swords and machetes in public. And a new law will go into effect that provides amnesty for witnesses who report a sexual assault they saw while participating in another illegal activity.
Similarly, a new Good Samaritan law will not hold Texans liable for damages incurred while trying to rescue someone in distress from a vehicle.
Finally, drones will now be banned from flying over prisons and immigration detention centers.