Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick Releases His Priority Bills

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The 88th Texas Legislative session continues and lawmakers are waiting to hear from Texas Governor Greg Abbott during his State of the Sate Address what his emergency items will be in the session. Those bills are focused on because lawmakers can begin working on the Governor's emergency items fast.

On Monday, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick released 30 "priority" bills for Texas Senators to pass during the session. According to Patrick's press release, these are the conservative bills that Texans want.

 In 2017, I increased the low bill numbers to 30. Senators like to get a low bill number because it shows their bill is also a priority of the Lt. Governor and has a great chance of passing. I believe Texans support our priorities because they largely reflect the policies supported by the conservative majority of Texans. Most will pass with bipartisan support.

Patrick went on to say he could have had 50 priority bills for this session. Many of the bills that Patrick listed deal with children, tenure, and the grid.

Lt. Gov. Patrick’s Priority Bills:

Senate Bill 1 – State Budget

Senate Bill 2 – Restoring Voter Fraud to a Felony

Senate Bill 3 – Increasing the Homestead Exemption to $70,000

Senate Bill 4 – Adding Additional Property Tax Relief

Senate Bill 5 – Increasing the Business Personal Property Tax Exemption

Senate Bill 6 – Adding New Natural Gas Plants

Senate Bill 7 – Continuing to Improve the Texas Grid

Senate Bill 8 – Empowering Parental Rights – Including School Choice

Senate Bill 9 – Empowering Teacher Rights ­­– Teacher Pay Raise

Senate Bill 10 – Adding 13th Checks for Retired Teachers

Senate Bill 11 – Keeping Our Schools Safe and Secure

Senate Bill 12 – Banning Children’s Exposure to Drag Shows

Senate Bill 13 – Protecting Children from Obscene Books in Libraries

Senate Bill 14 – Ending Child Gender Modification

Senate Bill 15 – Protecting Women’s College Sports

Senate Bill 16 – Banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Higher Education

Senate Bill 17 – Banning Discriminatory “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) Policies in Higher Education

Senate Bill 18 – Eliminating Tenure at General Academic Institutions

Senate Bill 19 – Creating A New Higher Education Endowment Fund

Senate Bill 20 – Removing District Attorneys Who Refuse to Follow Texas Law

Senate Bill 21 – Removing Judges Who Refuse to Follow Texas Law

Senate Bill 22 – Assisting Rural Law Enforcement Funding – Increasing Pay and Needed Equipment

Senate Bill 23 – Creating A Mandatory 10-Year Prison Sentence for Criminals Committing Gun Crime

Senate Bill 24 – Expanding Alternatives to Abortion

Senate Bill 25 – Creating New Scholarships for Registered Nurses

Senate Bill 26 – Expanding Mental Health Care Beds Across Texas – Focus on Rural Counties

Senate Bill 27 – Creating A New Business Specialty Court

Senate Bill 28 – Addressing Texas’ Future Water Needs

Senate Bill 29 – Banning Local COVID-19 Mandates

Senate Bill 30 – Supplemental Budget

While many, if not all of these bills will pass the Senate, they still must pass in the Texas House. Patrick also pointed out that the Senate is likely to pass 600 bills in total.