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The Texas Legislature has been in session for one month. The legislature only meets for 140 days every other year! Many Texans have been unhappy with what has been done (or not done) so far. The Texas House has not done ANYTHING while the Texas Senate has already passed several legislative priorities out of their chamber.
Nonetheless, many pro-family bills in both chambers have been filed. So what has been accomplished so far and what is still to come?
The House has gotten off to a record slow start. Committee assignments weren’t given until yesterday, the end of the 5th week of the session! The most notable thing the House has done is pass a resolution to honor Beyoncé for her Grammy wins. As far as the committee assignments go, there weren’t many surprises. Every committee is chaired by a Republican with a Democrat as vice chair.
While we wait on bills to be referred to these committees, there are several key pieces of legislation we have our eye on in the House. Representative Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) filed a bill to bring universal school choice to Texas (House Bill 212). Representative Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) has authored multiple pieces of legislation to enhance parental rights and the protection of Texas kids like House Bill 1071 to create the Texas Adoption Assistance Program and House Bill 1075 to protect kids from “all ages” drag shows. Representative Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) has been very vocal on the slow start from the Texas House and is leading the charge in demanding Texans’ priorities be passed quickly.
The Texas Senate has been the exact opposite of the House. They were quick to get their school choice legislation bill filed and passed. Senate Bill 2, authored by Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), would establish a school choice program in Texas.. This has been a priority for Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. President Donald Trump even came out in support of this legislation. Senator Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) filed legislation to keep sexual and inappropriate books out of government schools (Senate Bill 13). Senator Phil King (Weatherford) filed his legislation to put the 10 Commandments in every Texas public school classroom (Senate Bill 10).
For important legislation (like the bills we mentioned) to become law, they must go through the committee process and pass a vote on the floor of each chamber. With the legislative session only occurring for a few months every other year, we have very limited time to protect Texas kids and families! It is of the utmost importance for Texans like you to keep the pressure on our elected officials to ensure Texas families are being put first.
We still have time to get these priority bills passed, but it will take hard work from all of us. If you have not already, sign up for our vote notices here so you are informed when things are happening. We will continue to update our social media on the status of various bills so make sure you are following us on all platforms to stay up to date!