Texas Proposition 9 Passes

The right of the public to access and use the public beaches of the Gulf of Mexico

The Texas Proposition 9, which is otherwise known as the House Joint Resolution 102, was voted on recently in November. The passing of the proposition effectively means that the public, individually and collectively, has an unrestricted right to use and a right of ingress to and egress from a public beach. The right granted by this subsection is dedicated as a permanent easement in favor of the public. The legislature may enact laws to protect the right of the public to access and use a public beach and to protect the public beach easement from interference and encroachments. This constitutional amendment strengthens the Open Beaches Act passed in 1959 which grants the public free and unrestricted access to public beaches.