It shouldn’t be this hard! With way too few days left in the 89th Regular Session, with way too many bills sitting in the Calendars Committee, we have way too many of our good Legislative Priorities bills still needing a hearing. (Some of our good bills have been watered down unfortunately.) If you are paying attention, you will see that Senators Bob Hall and Tan Parker are fighting hard to protect Texas and Texans, with one notable exception, Government Regulated School Choice, but where are Representatives Angie Chen Button and Morgan Meyer? Meyer has one identical bill, HB 2272, listed below, but Button’s name is nowhere to be found. Button and Meyer continue to disappoint, but they are in good company. Most of the Republican-led House and Senate members are tone deaf to our legislative priorities. The Session is not over, so maybe Meyer and Button will surprise us. Final score cards will be held until Session is over. (Everyone deserves a fair chance to bring their grades up. We will give credit where credit is due.)

The following list of bills and their status comes to you courtesy of the the TexasGOP Legislative Priorities Committee. Many thanks are owed to them for their hard work tracking these bills.

We report; you decide!

Border Enforcement

SB 324 by Senator Kolkhorst. Relating to requiring state contractors, political subdivisions of this state, and private employers to participate in the federal electronic verification of employment authorization program, or E-verify. Received from the Senate, Representative Olcott, HB 3210 is in State Affairs. Needs a hearing.

SB 1798 by Senator Middleton. Relating to the resident status, tuition rates, and certain financial support for students enrolled at public institutions of higher education, including students not lawfully present in the United States. Needs to be voted out of the Senate Committee on Education K-16.

Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

SB 19 by Senator Middleton. Representative Spiller has HB 755, a version that can move. Needs to be voted out of State Affairs.

Secure Texas Elections

SB 16 by Senator Hughes. Relating to requiring a person to submit proof of citizenship to register to vote; creating criminal offenses. Bill passed the senate. Needs to be referred to Calendars committee.

SJR 37 by Senator Birdwell. Proposing a constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen. Needs to be referred to Calendars committee.

SB 396 by Senator Kolkhorst. Relating to confirmation of a voter’s residence by a voter registrar. Needs to be referred to Calendars committee.

HB 2272 by Representative Meyer is an identical bill left pending in house Committee on Elections. Needs to be referred to Calendars committee.

SB 985 by Senator Bettencourt. Relating to the combination of certain election precincts. Passed in both chambers. Sent to Gov. Abbott.

SB 618 by Senator Sparks. Relating to the unlawful altering of election procedures; providing a civil penalty. Representative Leach has identical HB 2773. Needs hearing in Elections Committee.

SB 310 by Senator Hughes. Relating to the unlawful altering of election procedures; providing a civil penalty. Identical bill by Representative Cain, HB 817. Needs to be voted on in the house.

Stop Sexualizing Texas’ Kids

HB 3225 by Representative Alders. Needs to be voted on in the House and sent to the Senate. Identical to Senator Hughes’ SB 2101. Relating to the prohibition of access by minors to sexually explicit materials in municipal public library collections; providing a civil penalty. Needs to be voted on in the House.

SB 240 by Senator Middleton. AKA “The Women’s Privacy Act” was just sent from the Senate to the House. It is in the House Committee on State Affairs. Needs a hearing.

HB 1549 by Representative Hickland is in the Trade, Workforce and Economic Development Committee. Needs hearing.

Similar Senate Bill, SB 2399 by Senator Paxton is in Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. Needs a hearing.

SB 13 by Senator Paxton. Relating to a school district’s library materials and catalog, the creation of local school library advisory councils, and parental rights regarding public school library catalogs and access by the parent’s child to library materials. Left pending in committee 5/7. Needs to be voted out of committee.

HB 1375 by Representative Schatzline. Relating to civil liability for obscenity. Left pending in Judiciary and Criminal Jurisprudence. Needs to be voted out of committee.

.HB 4623 by Representative Little. Relating to liability of public schools and professional school employees for certain injuries to students. Sent to calendars. SENT TO CALENDARS – ALONG WITH 1000 OTHER BILLS!

HB 3362 Little | et al. Relating to grand jury proceedings; providing a punishment for contempt of court. Sent to Calendars – WITH WAY TOO MANY OTHERS!

SB 1224 by Senator Sparks. Relating to the reporting of certain public or private school employee misconduct to local law enforcement. Passage in the Senate. Needs to be assigned a committee in the House.

HB 2206, companion by Representative Bumgarner is in House Committee on Public Education. Needs to be voted out of committee.

SB 1743 by Senator Campbell. Relating to the creation of the office of inspector general for education at the Texas Education Agency to investigate the administration of public education and required reporting on misconduct by employees of certain educational entities; creating a criminal offense; increasing an administrative penalty; authorizing an administrative penalty. Needs a hearing in Senate Committee on Education K-16. 

Companion HB 3617 by Representative Troxclair is in the House Committee on Public Education. Needs a hearing.

Secure the Electric Grid

SB 6 by Sens. King/Schwertner- (Lt. Gov Patrick’s Priority Bill)- relating to electricity planning and infrastructure costs for large loads. Left pending in committee. Needs to be voted out of House State Affairs Committee.

SB 75 by Senator Hall et al. – relating to the resilience of the electric grid and certain municipalities, addressing 16 critical infrastructure sectors. Needs to be referred to Calendars committee.

Companion HB 941 by Representative Cain – Needs a hearing in the House State Affairs Committee.

SB 388 by Senator King et al. – relating to the legislature’s goals for electric generation capacity in this state. Fifty percent of the megawatts of generating capacity installed in the ERCOT power region after January 1, 2026, issuing dispatchable generation credits, monitor cybersecurity preparedness of municipalities. Referred to State Affairs Committee in the House. Needs a hearing.

SB 2148 by Senator Hall– relating to the reliability of the electricity supply chain, simulating a tabletop exercise conducted to identify roles and responsibilities of a threat, or actual attack on a critical facility. Referred to the house State Affairs Committee. Needs a hearing.

SB 819 by Senator Kolkhorst et al. – relating to renewable energy generation facilities: authorizing fees, disincentivizing. Referred to House State Affairs Committee. Needs a hearing.

SB 231 by Senator King et al. – relating to temporary emergency electric energy facilities; reliability. Scheduled for hearing 5/12. Needs to pass out of House State Affairs committee.

HB 14 by Representative Harris et al (SB 2060 by Senator Parker)- relating to support for the development of nuclear energy. Left pending in committee 5/8. Needs to be voted out of Business & Commerce.

HB 3125 by Representative Guerra et al. – relating to establishment by the Texas Workforce Commission of a geothermal energy workforce education and training initiative – meeting energy demands. Passage in the House. Needs a hearing in the Senate Committee on Energy Resources.

HB 3809 by Representative Darby- (SB 1824 by Senator Schwertner) – relating to the removal of battery energy storage facilities. Referred to Business & Commerce Committee. Needs a hearing.

HB 3228 by Representative Lambert (SB 2657 by Senator Perry) – relating to the inclusion of recycling or disposal provisions in certain lease agreements of wind or solar power facilities. Referred to Business & Commerce Committee. Needs a hearing.

SB 1789 by Senator Schwertner (HB 4627 by Representative McQueeny) – relating to electric service quality and reliability. Needs to be referred to Calendars committee.

SB 715 by Senator Sparks. Relating to reliability requirements for certain electric generation facilities. Needs passage in Senate.

End Federal Overreach

HB 4535 by Representative McQueeney. COVID Vaccine Informed Consent. Committee report sent to Calendars. Needs a hearing.

HB 4076 by Representative Leach. Relating to prohibiting organ transplant recipient discrimination on the basis of vaccination status. Sent to Calendars. Needs a hearing.

HB 1586 by Representative Hull. Online Vaccine Exemption Form. Needs a hearing.

Texas is Not for Sale

SB 1067 by Senator Middleton. Relating to prohibiting public institutions of higher education and employees of public institutions of higher education and their spouses from soliciting or accepting gifts, grants, donations, or investments from certain foreign entities. Referred to House Higher Education Committee. Needs to be voted out of committee.

HB 1743 by Representative Little. Relating to the holding or acquisition of an interest in real property by or on behalf of certain foreign individuals or entities; establishing an agricultural intelligence office; creating a criminal offense. It has been left pending in House State Affairs. Needs to be voted out of committee.

SB 1845 by Senator Hughes. Relating to the registration as a lobbyist of persons who engage in certain lobbying activities on behalf of a foreign adversary and to prohibitions on the receipt of compensation related to those lobbying activities; providing a civil penalty. Needs to be referred to Calendars committee.

HB 119, identical bill by Representative Gerdes. Left pending in Senate State Affairs. Needs a hearing.

SUMMARY OF LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY LIST FOR END OF SESSION

Border Enforcement:

SB 324 by Sen. Kolkhorst/

HB 3210 by Rep. Olcott

SB 1798 by Sen. Middleton

Secure Texas Elections:

SB 16 by Senator Hughes

SJR 37 by Senator Birdwell

SB 396 by Senator Kolkhorst/HB 2272 by Rep. Meyer

SB 985 by Senator Bettencourt

SB 618 by Senator Sparks/HB 2773 by Representative Leach

SB 310 by Senator Hughes/HB 817 by Representative Cain

Stop Sexualizing Texas’ Kids:

HB 3225 by Rep. Alders/SB 2101 by Senator Hughes

SB 240 by Senator Middleton

HB 1549 by Rep. Hickland/SB 2399 by Sen. Paxton

SB 13 by Senator Paxton

HB 1375 by Representative Schatzline

HB 4623 by Representative Little

SB 1224 by Senator Sparks/HB 2206 by Rep. Bumgarner

SB 1743 by Senator Campbell/HB 3617 by Rep. Troxclair

Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying:

SB 19 by Sen. Middleton/

HB 755 by Rep. Spiller

Secure the Electric Grid:

SB 6 by Senator King/Senator Schwertner SB 715 by Senator Sparks

SB 75 by Senator Hall et al./HB 941 by Cain SB 388 by Senator King et al.

SB 819 by Senator Kolkhorst et al. SB 2148 by Senator Hall

SB 231 by Senator King et al.

HB 14 by Representative Harris et al./SB 2060 by Senator Parker)

HB 3125 by Representative Guerra et al.

HB 3809 by Representative Darby/SB 1824 by Senator Schwertner

HB 3228 by Representative Lambert/SB 2657 by Senator Perry

SB 1789 by Senator Schwertner/ HB 4627 by Representative McQueeney

Texas is Not for Sale:

SB 1067 by Senator Middleton

HB 1743 by Representative Little

SB 1845 by Sen. Hughes/HB 119 by Rep. Gerdes

End Federal Overreach:

HB 4535 by Rep. McQueeney

HB 4076 by Rep. Leach

HB 1586 by Rep. Hull

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Please send inquiries about the Dallas GOP Legislative Priority Committee to Liz Biesel and Beth Biesel. View all Legislative Priority posts here.