What happened: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed into law Senate Bills (SB) 68 and 69—comprehensive tort reform measures aimed at curbing lawsuit abuse. Meanwhile in Texas, similar reforms are advancing through SB 30 by Sen. Charles Schwertner and SB 39 by Sen. Brian Birdwell, each of which has passed the Texas Senate and awaits consideration in the Texas House.

Tell me more: Both SB 30 and SB 39 are among Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s priority bills for the 2025 Texas Legislative Session. They are being shepherded through the House by Appropriations Chairman Greg Bonnen and Judiciary Chairman Jeff Leach. 

Why it matters: A vast majority of Texans believe lawsuit abuse is a key factor driving up the price of goods and services and want their legislators to take action to fix the system.

• A recent survey found that 86% of likely Texas voters support medical cost transparency in lawsuits, 79% say legal reform is critical to sustaining the state’s economic growth and 67% say lawsuit abuse drives up everyday costs.

TLR Thoughts: TLR applauds Gov. Kemp and Georgia lawmakers for delivering a comprehensive tort reform package that will restore balance to the state’s civil justice system. Texas has a vital opportunity this session to pass and enact meaningful reforms through SB 30 and SB 39 that will help stabilize insurance markets, rein in meritless lawsuits and preserve Texans’ access to the courts. TLR, alongside the Lone Star Economic Alliance (LSEA), is urging Texas lawmakers to act without delay.

Read the full article here.

What happened: Texas has been ranked the Best State for Business for the 21st year in a row by Chief Executive magazine. 

Tell me more: Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law SB 14 (Texas DOGE) – the first piece of legislation enacted into Texas law this session. The bill passed with bipartisan supermajorities in both the Texas House and Texas Senate, and includes myriad reforms backed by the Coalition for Regulatory Efficiency and Reform, of which TLR is a proud member. 

• Critically, SB 14 will help modernize Texas’s regulatory system and support continued economic growth for Texas.
• The law builds on the Governor’s Small Business Freedom Council’s recommendations and will slash regulations, put stricter standards on new regulations that could be costly to businesses and ensure Texas remains the best state for businesses of all sizes.

In his own words: “Texas offers businesses the freedom to succeed. We will continue to cut red tape and partner with job-creating businesses and innovators to build a stronger, more prosperous Texas for decades to come.” — Gov. Greg Abbott

TLR Thoughts: TLR applauds Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker Dustin Burrows and members of the Texas Senate and Texas House for their leadership and for taking swift action to reduce the regulatory burden on Texas. 

Read the full article here.

What happened: A growing number of companies—including Tesla, TripAdvisor, Dropbox and Meta—are reincorporating outside of Delaware amid legal unpredictability, prompting Delaware to advance Senate Bill 21, its most significant corporate-law overhaul since 1967.

Tell me more: Delaware has long been favored for its business-friendly laws and over 200 years of corporate case law—which over the years has drawn roughly two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies and 80% of newly public firms—but recent court decisions and franchise taxes have spurred firms to explore alternatives. 

• In 2023, TLR worked hard to ensure the enactment of legislation creating a specialized business court in Texas that would handle complex business-to-business litigation—a major economic development tool for the state—as well as the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, which handles appeals for the business court and important cases involving the State of Texas. By building a judiciary tailored for corporate cases, Texas has positioned itself as a serious contender for incorporation.
  

TLR Thoughts: The creation of the Texas Business Court remains one of the most transformative steps the state has ever taken to strengthen Texas’s economic competitiveness. TLR is working with the Texas Legislature to further enhance the Business Court through SB 29 by Sen. Bryan Hughes and HB 15 by Rep. Morgan Meyer, as well as the state’s corporate governance laws through HB 40 by Rep. Brooks Landgraf and SB 2883 by Sen. Bryan Hughes. Collectively, these efforts will help position Texas as a major challenger to the decades-long dominance of Delaware’s business courts.

Read the full article here.

What happened: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed into law a comprehensive tort reform package aimed at leveling the playing field in courtrooms, stabilizing insurance costs and increasing transparency and fairness in civil litigation.

How it works: The new law reevaluates premises liability standards, truth‑in‑damages calculations for medical costs, bans arbitrary “anchoring” of noneconomic damages and permits a party to bifurcate trials and file a motion to dismiss in lieu of an answer. 

• It also brings transparency to third‑party litigation funding and prohibits hostile foreign actors from exploiting Georgia’s courts.

In his own words: “Today is a victory for the people of our state who for too long were suffering the impacts of an out‑of‑balance legal environment” — Gov. Brian Kemp. 

TLR Thoughts: TLR applauds Gov. Kemp and Georgia’s lawmakers for enacting one of the most meaningful tort reform packages in decades. Georgia’s meaningful reforms will ensure that truly injured victims can recover fair compensation while preventing frivolous lawsuits from driving up costs for businesses and families. TLR—alongside the Lone Star Economic Alliance (LSEA), a business coalition comprised of 1,150 Texas job creators, individuals and associations from every corner of the state—is urging Texas legislators to pass similar reforms through SB 30.

Read the full press release here.

What happened: On April 16, in a major move, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 30 by a vote of 20-11. The common-sense lawsuit reform bill by Sen. Charles Schwertner will bring uniformity to Texas courtrooms by defining the noneconomic damages of pain and suffering and mental anguish, assuring that harmed persons are fully compensated on a fair and reasonable basis. 

Remind me: SB 30 was named among Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s top priority bills in March. Upon Senate passage of SB 30, Lt. Gov. Patrick said, “Nuclear verdicts have major financial consequences and can leave individuals and businesses in ruins. These monstrous verdicts drive up insurance costs for Texans and make it harder for businesses to effectively operate in Texas. I thank Sen. Schwertner for his leadership on this critical issue.”

Tell me more: Critically, SB 30 would limit the evidence of medical damages that plaintiffs may submit at trial to 300% of the 2025 Medicare reimbursement rate with an adjustment for inflation. The provision is meant to prevent lawyers from “colluding with providers who over-diagnose, overbill and overtreat” victims to come up with inflated medical charges. Additionally, SB 30 makes clear that noneconomic awards cannot be used to punish defendants, make an example to others or serve a social good.

TLR Thoughts: Senate passage of SB 30 is a meaningful step toward real reform—and a win for every Texan. The bill now heads to the Texas House, where it will be carried by Rep. Greg Bonnen.

Read the full article here.

What happened: The Texas House last week passed two major priorities of the House Committee on Government Efficiency and Reform (DOGE): SB 14 and HB 12.

Remind me: Texas is the fifth most regulated state in the nation, with over 274,000 restrictions as of 2023. 

• In February, Jeff Rose, former Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals, wrote an op-ed calling for meaningful regulatory reform in Texas.

Tell me more: SB 14 creates a Regulatory Efficiency Office to streamline agency rules, requires plain language in all regulations, ensures agencies don’t have an unfair advantage in court and establishes a user-friendly public website. It passed the House 97-51, with one member present not voting on April 9, and is now on the Governor’s desk.

• HB 12 enhances the Sunset review process by adding efficiency audits and tying regulations to agency deliverables. It passed the House 149-0 on April 8 and was referred to the Senate Business & Commerce Committee on April 14.

TLR Thoughts: Texas’s excessive regulatory framework threatens its economic competitiveness, especially for small businesses and consumers, which is why TLR is part of the Coalition for Regulatory Efficiency and Reform (CRER). Texas is the best place for business. Overly burdensome licensing regulations shouldn’t get in the way.

What happened: A new op-ed by Erling President Mike Embertson urges the importance of SB 30 and HB 4806 to restore transparency and fairness to Texas’s legal system. 

Tell me more: Routine fender benders are turning into costly legal battles, forcing businesses and insurers into massive settlements—regardless of fault or injury. Lawsuit abuse doesn’t just impact the businesses involved—it affects every Texan. Without reform, more local employers will be forced to make difficult decisions, like laying off workers or shutting down entirely.

TLR Thoughts: SB 30 and HB 4806 offer a smart, targeted approach to protecting the future of Texas jobs, families and the state’s economic stability. When minor accidents result in outsized settlements, everyone pays the price. 

Read the full article here.

What happened: Protecting American Consumers Together (PACT) has released a new survey of likely Texas voters gauging their views on the rising cost of living and the impact of lawsuit abuse on everyday expenses. The results: a vast majority of Texans believe lawsuit abuse is a key factor driving up the price of goods and services and want their legislators to take action to fix the system. 

By the numbers:

• 80% say the cost of living has increased in the past year.
• 79% believe reforming the legal system is key to sustaining Texas’s economic growth.
• 67% say lawsuit abuse drives up everyday costs.
• 86% support medical cost transparency in lawsuits.
• 71% support more regulation of billboard attorneys.
• 63% support a “loser pays” system.
  

TLR Thoughts: Texas voters overwhelmingly support commonsense reforms to fix a broken legal system and protect consumers from hidden costs. Texas lawmakers have an opportunity this session to ensure a more transparent legal system – and to curb the unnecessary and meritless lawsuits that increase the cost of doing business in Texas – by passing SB 30 by Sen. Charles Schwertner and its companion, HB 4806 by Rep. Greg Bonnen.

Read the full press release here.

What happened: Governors and lawmakers in Georgia, South Carolina and Texas are focusing on the ways in which their states’ legal climates are significant drivers of the cost of living and doing business.

Tell me more: In Texas, lawmakers are considering legislation that aim to crack down on the ability to bring meritless lawsuits and win “nuclear verdicts:” SB 30 by Sen. Charles Schwertner and its companion, HB 4806 by Rep. Greg Bonnen, and SB 39 by Sen. Brian Birdwell and its companion, HB 4688 by Jeff Leach. 

• On March 31, the Senate State Affairs Committee heard SB 30. Job creators from every corner of Texas converged at the Capitol to testify in support of the bill, explaining how skyrocketing insurance costs are crippling their businesses. Ultimately, higher costs are passed through to consumers of goods and services. 
• Today, SB 39 and HB 4688 are being heard in the Senate Transportation Committee and in the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence, respectively.

TLR Thoughts: Runaway lawsuits are placing Texas businesses of all sizes, across all sectors, in an extremely tenuous position. Texas job creators are being forced to raise prices, lay off employees or close their doors – ultimately harming the Texans these businesses serve every day. TLR is proud to work alongside the Lone Star Economic Alliance – a coalition of over 1,150 Texas businesses, individuals and business associations – to address the dire issue through the reforms included in these four bills.

Read the full article here.

What happened: Protecting American Consumers Together (PACT) has launched a major TV and radio ad campaign in Texas to support lawsuit abuse reform and to highlight the impact of abusive litigation on consumer costs and the state’s economy. 

Remind me: PACT is a national advocacy group that launched ads in Texas in late March to raise awareness of the consumers impacted by inflated costs, hidden fees and questionable tactics used by certain personal injury lawyers.

Tell me more: PACT’s new seven-figure, statewide ad campaign – “Strong” – highlights the need to “pass reform to end lawsuit abuse that hurts consumers, drives up everyday costs for all Texans, and fundamentally threatens the state’s strong economy.”

• The ads follow the March 31 Senate State Affairs Committee hearing on SB 30, which exposed “the systemic approach some personal injury lawyers take to abuse their clients and drive up costs for all Texans.”

TLR Thoughts: Texas boasts the world’s eighth largest economy but is overdue for reforms that will rein in trial lawyer abuses and help restore fairness and transparency to Texas’s courts. Notably, SB 30 will help curb abusive lawsuits by: (1) encouraging doctors to treat accident victims; (2) stopping the manipulation and inflation of medical damages; and (3) educating jurors on noneconomic damages by providing clear standards and definitions.

Read the full article here.

What happened: On March 31, the Senate State Affairs Committee held a hearing on SB 30, Sen. Charles Schwertner’s lawsuit abuse reform bill. The all-day hearing, which lasted past midnight, included testimony from witness after witness who shared their personal stories and firsthand experiences of lawsuit abuse in Texas, underscoring the dire need for reform in the state.

By the numbers: According to an August 2023 LexisNexis survey of personal injury victims, 71% of respondents reported their attorney encouraged them to seek additional treatment, and 25% said their attorney was primarily responsible for setting their medical treatment. Almost half of respondents said their attorneys were involved in selecting doctors’ offices and determining specialists they saw.

In his words: “If [lawsuit abuse] does not stop, the Texas Miracle will stop.” – Lee Parsley, President and General Counsel, Texans for Lawsuit Reform 

TLR Thoughts: Members of the Lone Star Economic Alliance showed up in force at the March 31 Senate State Affairs Committee hearing to support SB 30, which would restore transparency and fairness to Texas’s courts. Notably, SB 30 includes reforms that will (1) encourage doctors to treat accident victims; (2) stop the manipulation and inflation of medical damages; and (3) educate jurors on noneconomic damages by providing clear standards and definitions.

Read the full article here.

What happened: Texas has a chance to complete the triple crown of its pro-business legal environment. That’s why the Texas Legislature is advancing SB 29 by Sen. Bryan Hughes – legislation that will “ensure Texas businesses are protected from frivolous attacks by profit-seeking activists” and that will “guarantee company leaders can make decisions based on the best interests of the company’s stakeholders rather than outsiders.”

Tell me more: SB 29 codifies a long-standing concept in corporate common law called the “business judgment rule,” ensuring corporate directors cannot be sued for decisions made in good faith, even if the outcome is unfavorable. It also establishes stricter requirements for shareholder lawsuits, preventing opportunistic legal attacks that could disrupt businesses.

• The bill has passed out of the Senate State Affairs Committee and is headed to the Senate floor.

Why it matters: A stable and predictable legal framework attracts businesses, fuels economic and job growth and enhances Texas as a state of opportunity.

• By codifying corporate protections against needless and disruptive litigation, SB 29 would ensure that companies can focus on innovation and expansion rather than legal battles – helping establish Texas the leading state for incorporations.

TLR Thoughts: TLR has long advocated for policies that protect businesses from abusive litigation while ensuring fairness in the legal system. TLR-backed SB 29 – and its House companion HB 15 by Rep. Morgan Meyer – are a crucial step in strengthening Texas’ pro-business legal environment, giving companies the certainty they need to grow and create jobs.

Read the full article here.