April 23, 2025      4:03 PM

War on squatters concerns tenants rights advocates who argue legislation moving in the Texas Legislature casts too wide a net

Apartment owners want an expedited process but opponents say “squatting is a false flag” and that legal aid groups “will simply cease to assist tenants in the evictions process."

A bill with bipartisan support making its way through the Legislature has tenants’ rights advocates, legal aid organizations, and even some law enforcement officials saying it would make it easier to evict renters and tenants.

Senate Bill 38 by Local Government Chair Paul Bettencourt, dubbed the “Secure Texas Against Squatters Act” and a top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and companion HB 32 by Trade, Workforce and Economic Development Chair Angie Chen Button, creates a streamlined process for removing so-called squatters. It passed out of the Senate 21-8, with Sens. Juan Chuy Hinojosa and Cesar Blanco, one of the bill’s co-authors, voting with the majority.

Black's Law Dictionary defines a squatter as “a person who settles on property without any legal claim or title.” But it's also a term associated with a new cause célèbres of some conservatives wrapping concerns about landlords’ rights and crime around a bill expediting the eviction process.

By James Russell

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