Proposed Short Term Rental Preemption Bills Will Put Our Children at Risk

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- With the proposed short term rental preemption bills, HB 3773, HB 3778 and SB 1888, Representative Chen-Button and Senator Fallon are catering to the vacation rental industry at the expense of our children’s safety. Representative Swanson is on the Urban Affairs Committee and has the power to protect our children stop these bills.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has confirmed that a registered sex offender staying at a short term rental is not required to notify law enforcement or surrounding neighbors of their presence. On their website, AirBnB states they cannot guarantee that guests are not on a sex offender registry. The anonymity that short term rentals provide is also attracting human trafficking and pop-up brothels to the neighborhoods where our children live. These short term rentals are next to schools, parks, daycares and the homes where our children play.

Selling out our children’s safety to billion dollar corporations, lobbyists and real estate investors is abhorrent and unacceptable. These are homes, not hotels. Please contact your state representatives to let them know you oppose these bills.