Texas Senate passes bill to speed up evictions, cite 'squatter horror stories'

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill that would expedite evictions against suspected squatters passed in the Texas Senate Thursday.SB 38, authored by Senator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, would require civil courts to act within 10-21 days after a property owner files to evict someone from their property.“The current process is so broken that it punishes the rightful property owners while rewarding trespassers who know how to game the system," said Bettencourt in a press release Thursday afternoon.