The proposed legislation requires state law enforcement agencies to get a warrant for all e-mails regardless of the age of the e-mail. The Texas bill (HB 2268) was sent to the governer’s desk, and he has until June 16, 2013 to sign it or veto it. If he does neither, it will pass automatically and take effect on September 1, 2013.
The bill would give Texans more privacy against state-level snooping than anywhere else in the US. The bill would not protect against federal investigations but it is a change from what is being seen in other States and in Europe. The bill passed both houses of the state legislature earlier this year without a single "nay" vote.