From the Better Business Bureau of Central East Texas:

May is National Moving Month, which kicks off the busiest time of year for Americans changing residencies. Unfortunately, it also means unlicensed movers and dishonest scammers are waiting to take advantage of unwary consumers.

In 2012, BBB received over 1.4 million moving-related inquiries and more than 9,300 complaints against movers. Complaints included damaged or missing items, big price increases over originally-quoted estimates, late deliveries, and goods being “held hostage” for additional (disputed) payment.

“Almost anyone with a truck and a website can claim to be legitimate moving company”, said Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of BBB Serving Central East Texas. “If you don’t take the time to make sure a company is trustworthy, however, you may end up paying thousands of extra dollars for lost or damaged items. In some cases, your items may not get delivered at all.”

By Steve Pringle

TFB Legislative Director

For years, Texas claimed to be a property rights state. Our politicians waxed eloquent on the stump about the sanctity of private property in Texas. Sometimes you get the idea that Davy Crockett died at the Alamo strictly because of Mexico’s eminent domain policy. It was, however, a sham. Texas, until the legislative session of 2011, had one of the nation’s worst eminent domain laws.

In that session, a decade-long battle resulted in substantial improvement. Now, only two years later, the Legislature is poised to surrender many of the gains in that landmark legislation. It’s called House Bill 2748 and it’s one of the worst ideas to emerge in the Legislature this session. If it passes, we’ll no longer be certain that private lands will not be taken to enrich other private interests. It once again greases the skids for pipeline companies to take private property—as they used to tell so many—“because we can.”

From Texas Workforce Commission:

As summer approaches, the number of teenagers looking for work increases dramatically. According to a 2012 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) study, the number of 16- to 19-year-olds employed or searching for work last year skyrocketed between April and July, increasing by almost 2 million workers for a total of more than 7.3 million in July1.

“Summer employment can help Texas high school students learn the value of hard work and responsibility, while experiencing the pride of earning their first paycheck,” said Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chairman Andres Alcantar. “TWC is committed to helping Texas’ future workforce acquire the skills that will benefit them throughout their careers.”