TLR’s primary focus in 2021 was shutting down abusive commercial vehicle litigation. Additional major bills included providing common-sense pandemic-related liability protections to businesses and healthcare providers that operate in good faith, closing a loophole in government contingent-fee contracting, and expanding Texas’ MDL panel.

TLR’s focus in the 2017 legislative session was weather-related litigation reform, which stops storm-chasing lawyers from taking advantage of Texas property owners after natural disasters. TLR also worked on several bills related to the judiciary, including judicial candidate petition signatures, straight-party voting and court security, as well as procedural bills like Supreme Court jurisdiction and rules around collecting foreign judgments. 2017 also saw the passage of legislation to create a road block for the drive-by lawsuit industry exploiting the Americans with Disabilities Act, which continues to be a problem around the country.

During the 2013 session, TLR built on reforms to asbestos litigation, and began to address attorney ethics by supporting barratry reforms. 2013 also saw the passage of subrogation reforms.

When abusive lawsuits threatened to shut down the dredging industry that makes Texas a hub for international commerce, TLR helped pass reforms that address lawsuits against dredgers, keeping Texas’ ports open and our economy thriving. TLR also helped pass additional asbestos litigation reforms as well as additional reforms to contingent fee contracts with government.

In 2003, TLR advocated our nation’s most comprehensive tort reform bill, House Bill 4, which addressed several areas of Texas’ legal system that were being abused. This historic omnibus bill helped bring fairness, efficiency and predictability to the legal system for plaintiffs and defendants alike. HB 4 serves as a national model for lawsuit reform, and addresses the areas of product liability, appeal bonds, Supreme Court jurisdiction, appellate court jurisdiction, class action attorney fees, proportionate responsibility, punitive damages, actual damages, judgement interest, offers of settlement, Good Samaritans, school employee liability, healthcare liability, migration of air particles, class action procedures, seat belt evidence, multidistrict litigation, lawsuits against architects and engineers and venue shopping.

After the billion-dollar tobacco settlement shed light on the ill-conceived and extremely costly private attorney contingency fee contract with the state, the Texas Legislature passed a law to reform future contingent fee contracts with government. That session also saw reforms to lawsuits against firearms manufacturers, Good Samaritan laws and truthful employment recommendations.

TLR had a strong ally during its first legislative session in Gov. George W. Bush and Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, who prioritized reining in Texas’ out of control lawsuit environment in order to grow our economy and create opportunities for families by working to pass TLR’s first legislative agenda, which included reforms to the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, judicial campaign finance reform, proportionate responsibility, punitive damages, frivolous lawsuits, public servant liability, healthcare liability, property owner liability and venue shopping.