California man fined for selling maps of property boundaries without a license
Texas state politics/law is completely f'd in so many ways, but one thing they do that I think is fantastic, and I wish all states did, was have a "Sunset Review Commission", <a href="https://www.sunset.texas.gov/how-sunset-works" rel="nofollow">https://www.sunset.texas.gov/how-sunset-works</a>.<p>Basically, all agencies that are authorized by the legislature are set to automatically be abolished in (usually) 12 years. Once the expiration date is near, the Sunset Commission reviews the agency and recommends whether to reauthorize it, in which case the legislature must pass a law to reauthorize, but the "default" is that the agency expires.<p>This really helps fight the natural tendency of lots of these professional agencies to grow to protect their own power, regardless of their original purpose. And even if agencies are normally always renewed, the review process itself is really useful to, when necessary, smack these agencies upside the head to get them back to their original goal. One example I'm familiar with, a couple years ago the Sunset Commission basically tore the Texas Veterinary Board a new one after they decided to go after animal shelter vets for trying to save animals with extremely limited resources, <a href="https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/One-third-of-state-veterinary-board-resigns-10784396.php" rel="nofollow">https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/One-third-of...</a> - actual report at <a href="https://www.sunset.texas.gov/public/uploads/files/reports/State%20Board%20of%20Veterinary%20Medical%20Examiners%20Staff%20Report%20with%20Final%20Results_6-21-17.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.sunset.texas.gov/public/uploads/files/reports/St...</a>