Texas Free WiFi Map

Do you have a laptop, tablet, phone, or other mobile device but lack consistent, reliable access to the Internet? Do have a limited data plan that restricts your access to online resources just when you need them the most? We found a solution!

The Texas State Library & Archives Commission, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, and Texas Legal Services Center/TexasLawHelp.org have developed an ArcGIS map of free public drive-up WiFi spots in Texas. Users can enter their address or city and search for available public WiFi within a specified distance. (Harris County Law Library is one such location.) Anyone who needs free internet access for school, work, virtual court hearings, telehealth visits, or access to web-phone or -text services will find this information useful. 

The map is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. 

BPSOS-Houston deserves much credit for their assistance in translating the site for Vietnamese speakers.

Access the Texas Free WiFi Map at either of the links below.

• TexasLawHelp.org Free WiFi Map

• Texas State Library and Archives Commission Free WiFi Map

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides a list of additional resources to help Texans get and stay connected to the Internet, a couple of which are listed here.

• Find local internet service providers making price and service adjustments to keep communities connected.

• Find local service providers in your area using BroadbandNow.org

If you have any questions or comments regarding the map tool, please contact TexasWiFiMap@tlsc1.org

Provide feedback by filling out this short survey.

Are You Registered?

If you intend to vote in November’s general election and have not yet registered to vote, don’t miss out on your opportunity! Today, October 5, is the final day to register, but we at the Harris County Law Library have got you covered with a list of resources that can help you get that done.

Harris County Tax Assessor - If you are a Harris County resident, visit the website of the Harris County Tax Assessor. There, you will find information about eligibility requirements, ways to confirm your registration status, and ways to obtain a voter registration application.

VoteTexas.gov - Texas residents can confirm their voter registration status and learn how to register to vote, if they haven’t already done so on the VoteTexas.gov website from the Texas Secretary of State.

Vote411.org - The League of Women Voters Education Fund has created Vote411.org, a website that provides personalized voting information and voting information by state. It even has checklists for first-time voters.

Don't miss out on the chance to exercise your right to vote in the November 3rd election. Take part in democracy because #votingmatters. Register today!

Find Community Education Resources with Lone Star Legal Aid

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA), a nonprofit law firm that advocates on behalf of low-income and underserved populations here in the Greater Houston area, has recently added a library of videos to its website to educate the community about some common civil legal issues. The videos were prepared by LSLA staffers and provide tips and answers to frequently asked questions encountered by the organization in its interactions with its client community. With the world still in the grips of the current health crisis, many videos are COVID-related and provide tips in such areas as consumer law, employment law, family law (available in Spanish, too), the pandemic’s impact on veterans and other public benefits, safety planning, economic stimulus and tax information, and SNAP benefits. To assist veterans with questions that may be specific to their situation, the Military & Veterans Unit (MVU) of LSLA has created videos to answer questions relating to VA service-connected disability claims, preventing identity theft, solutions for identity theft, and military discharge upgrades. The MVU has also produced videos that provide all Texans, regardless of military status, with helpful information about the divorce process in Texas as well as expunctions and nondisclosures.

In addition to these community education resources, LSLA assists with a wide array of legal matters, including:

• postconviction reentry issues;

• fraud or deceptive trade practice, unlawful repossessions, and bankruptcy;

• work place safety issues and employment discrimination;

• divorce and child custody;

• Medicaid and Medicare and county indigent health care;

• evictions and foreclosures; and

• delinquency and neglect issues.

In addition to the services listed above, LSLA has other programs and initiatives that are of help to the community. LSLA’s Crime Victim Unit provides assistance to individuals who have been victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and elder abuse. The goal of its Equitable Development Initiative is to promote revitalization in low-income neighborhoods through community advocacy, environmental justice, and fair housing. LSLA also has a Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic that represents individuals involved in disputes with the IRS. You can find a list of all of LSLA’s services here.

Service of Process Through Social Media Approved by Texas Supreme Court

Image credit: https://pixabay.com/

In 2013, a bill was introduced in the Texas legislature to allow substituted service through social media websites. We wrote about if for this blog in August 2018. The 2013 bill was never referred to committee, and the subject was not addressed again until last year when the Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 891. This bill directed the Texas Supreme Court to adopt rules under Section 17.033, Civil Practice and Remedies Code that would “provide for the substituted service of citation by an electronic communication sent to a defendant through a social media presence.”

According to the high court’s Order, “the court may authorize service…in any other manner, including electronically by social media, email, or other technology, that…will be reasonably effective to give the defendant notice of the suit.” In deciding to authorize substituted service in this manner, the court may consider such factors as: the defendant maintains a social media page on the specified website; the profile on the social media page is indeed the profile of the defendant; the defendant regularly accesses the social media account; and the defendant can reasonably be expected to receive actual notice if the electronic communication is sent to the defendant’s social media account.

The amendments will take effect on December 31, but public comments submitted to the court until December 1, will be considered if any changes to the amendments are deemed necessary.

Justice Court Cap Set to Double

Beginning September 1, the people of Texas will find it easier to obtain restitution when they have suffered damages: Justice Courts will hear cases on matters up to $20,000.

Justice Court jurisdiction has been limited for years to controveries concerning $10,000 or less, but inflation has rendered this limit increasingly out of date.

This change comes almost a decade into the effort to make Justice Court more accessible to the average Texan. In 2011, the legislature adopted Texas Government Code Sec. 27.060, which states the purpose of small claims court is to “ensure the fair, expeditious, and inexpensive resolution of small claims cases.” Justice Court judges are further required to keep hearings “informal, with the sole objective being to dispense speedy justice between the parties.”

At the Harris County Law Library, we see first-hand how average Texans can be frustrated by the $10,000 limit in pursuit of restitution, particularly in cases involving damage to their motor vehicles, or sometimes by unscrupulous contractors to their homes. Filing a small claims case requires filing out a one page, fill-in-the-blank form by hand. The form is conveniently available for free on the Harris County Justice of the Peace website. But even a Houstonian savvy enough to find their way to our reference desk is likely to be frustrated by the legalese-laden templates and handbooks necessary to press a claim worth any more than $10,000. Especially if they are suing an established corporation, even a well-educated pro se litigant with a good claim is likely to be unfamiliar with legal terminology and procedure, and will face an uphill battle.

As our library strives to provide all the residents of Harris County with access to justice, we are pleased our patrons will benefit from the broadened access to Texas’s so-called “people’s court.”