Zwiener files legislation on landowner rights, billboards, less-lethal ammunition

On Monday, Texas State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) filed three more pieces of legislation about landowner rights, billboards and less-lethal ammunition.

With the addition of filing House Bills 1506, 1512 and 1513 her office says she continues her work to advocate for House District 45 constituents, having now filed 15 pieces of legislation during the 87th Legislative Session.

“These three bills came to be due to direct conversations with constituents of House District 45,” Zwiener said. “Hearing their concerns on landowner rights, our beautiful Hill Country scenery, and inappropriate use of force by law enforcement during demonstrations spurred us to action on these issues, to research ways my office could help.”

House Bill 1506 provides for up to a 180-day pause during the eminent domain process before a condemning private entity can take possession of a property after the monetary award is determined by a Special Commissioners’ hearing. According to Zwiener’s office, this will encourage condemning entities to negotiate an agreeable settlement and allow time for any planned litigation, ensuring that individuals whose property is being condemned have a greater voice and ample opportunity to negotiate a fair deal.

House Bill 1512 grants authority to the Hays County Commissioners, instead of Texas Department of Transportation, to handle permitting for billboards in unincorporated areas along Farm to Market and Ranch to Market roads. The bill intends to allow Hays County to determine where billboards make sense and where they don’t, following a number of billboards appearing along rural roads in areas of Hays County that depend on scenic tourism.

House Bill 1513 bans law enforcement from using less-lethal ammunition that causes blunt force trauma as a means for crowd control. Less-lethal munitions were not designed for crowd control and do not have the same precision as standard bullets, Zwiener’s office said. Their use during the protests following the death of George Floyd resulted in two individuals from house district 45 being severely injured after being struck in the head. One individual suffered a fractured skull, the other a fractured jaw.