Two-dozen new state laws take effect as of today. The new measures, passed by the State Legislature in its 2019 session, include greater transparency for government spending, protections against surprise medical bills, and criminal penalties for people who don't report campus sexual assaults. Other new laws target pill mills, online data breaches, and barriers to employment for former prison inmates. The new laws join almost 13-hundred others that took effect in 2019. The 86th session of the Texas Legislature ended in May.