Two months after the 89th Texas Legislative Session, Lt. Col. Dan Patrick announced the second slate of priority bills the Senate hopes to approve the session as Senate continues to pass bills at a “broken pace.”
Patrick, a three-term Republican who presides over the state senator, announced his first 25 of his top 40 priorities in late January. Many of these bills support the conservative culture war agenda that the lieutenant governor defended alongside Greg Abbott’s government and President Donald Trump.
Ten of Patrick’s 40 priorities have already passed away from the Senate, including three items from a new list released Thursday. Six of these bills have not yet been introduced. Patrick said he hopes all 40 people will head home for consideration by mid-April.
“We are moving rapidly to secure all these bills that reflect the will of the majority of Texans, and have enough time to pass through Texas homes, arrive at Governor Abbott’s desk and sign the law,” Patrick said in a statement. “This session began with a hopeful working relationship with Speaker (Dustin) Burrows. Working with the house could be the best session ever for all Texans, especially for conservatives.”
Which priority bills have already passed Texas Senators?
By Thursday, the Senate had already passed the repeal of priority bills, including a version of the school voucher proposal that supporters call “school choices.” Senate Bill 2 provides students with up to $11,500 in public funding each year to attend private schools. The Senate passed the measure mainly along party lines in early February. The House is currently considering a version of the voucher bill in its committee.
The Senate also passed a teacher pay bill, a bail reform package, an increase in homestead exemptions on property taxes, and a ban on lottery courier services. The Chamber of Commerce has also banned child sexual abuse materials generated by AI, banned advanced laws to “make Texas healthy again,” and took steps to establish the Dementia Research Center and the state Bitcoin reserve.
What are Patrick’s new priorities?
Patrick’s second round priority bill includes teacher pay bills that offer educators a salary increase of up to $10,000, which will increase funding for teacher incentive allocation programs intended to reward high-performance teachers. SB 26 passed unanimously later last month.
The Senate also passed a proposal to ban lottery courier services, which serves as a physical proxy for lottery players who purchase tickets online. Practice recently entered the spotlight after courier sold victory tickets in February with a $83.5 million jackpot and pulled surveillance from Patrick, who pointed to longtime Texas law banning lottery sales over the phone.
The lieutenant governor’s priority list also includes laws that have not yet been introduced, such as proposals for business tax relief and a pair of apparently abortion-related bills. SB 31 is called “Homeland Life,” and in connection with calls from Abbott and the Republican leaders, it can clarify the state’s widespread abortion ban to protect mothers at risk of death.
Dan Patrick’s Priority Bill
Below is a list of Patrick’s top 40 priority bills, including those previously announced, and a short explanation provided by the Lieutenant Governor’s office.
SB 1: TEXASSB 2 Senate budget: Provides school options B: Prohibit THC (compounds found in marijuana that users feel “high”) in TEXASSB 4: Increase homestead exemption to $140,000 ($150,000 for seniors) SB Texas Electric Grid Reliability SB 7: Increased investment in Texas water supplies 8: Request local law enforcement to support federal deportation efforts SB 9: Maintain violent offenders from the streets – 10: Place 10 orders for schools 11: Protect schools’ freedom of prayer. SCORLISSB 14: TEXAS DOGE – Improve government efficiency SB 15: Removing barriers to affordable housing B: Stop non-citizens from votes B 17: Stopping foreign enemy land Grubs B 18: Drug Time Story hoursb 19: Stopping taxpayer dollars for lovivisists American film “Capital Sub 23: Texas long-term financial futures to remove rainy day fund cap 24: Educating Texas students on the fear of communism 25: Texas Healthy Anse Again 26: Increase in teacher paise) VerdictsSB 31: “Mother of the Mother Act” SB 32: Business Tax ReliefSB 33: Taxpayer-funded abortion TravelsB 34: Wildfire ResponsesB 35: High-quality competitive roads 36: Establishing homeland security sector within DPSSB 37
