See below for an update detailing recent action on Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s priority legislation this session as of May 17th.
SB 1 (Huffman) General Appropriations Bill.
- Left pending in Senate Finance on 03/27/2023
- HB 1 is moving this Session, conferees appointed on 4/20 & 4/21
SB 2 (Hughes) Relating to conduct constituting the criminal offense of illegal voting; increasing a criminal penalty.
- Referred to House Elections on 4/10
- Companion: HB 4198 (Toth) referred to House Elections on 3/21
SB 3 (Bettencourt | Alvarado | Birdwell | Blanco | Campbell | et al.) Relating to an increase in the amount of certain exemptions from ad valorem taxation by a school district applicable to residence homesteads, an adjustment in the amount of the limitation on school district ad valorem taxes imposed on the residence homesteads of the elderly or disabled to reflect increases in the exemption amounts, and the protection of school districts against the resulting loss in local revenue.
- Placed on the House Calendar for 5/18
- Companion: HB 5046 (Toth) referred to House Ways & Means on 3/23
SB 4 (Bettencourt | Huffman | Parker) Relating to the maximum compressed tax rate of a school district.
- Referred to House Ways & Means on 4/10
SB 5 (Parker | Alvarado | Bettencourt | Blanco | Campbell | et al.) Relating to an exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion of the appraised value of tangible personal property that is held or used for the production of income and a franchise tax credit for the payment of certain related ad valorem taxes.
- Referred to House Ways & Means on 4/10
SB 6 (Schwertner | King) Relating to the establishment of the Texas Energy Insurance Program and other funding mechanisms to support the construction and operation of electric generating facilities.
- Referred to House State Affairs on 4/17
SB 7 (Schwertner | King) Relating to the reliability of the ERCOT power grid.
- Left pending in House State Affairs on 5/3
- Companion: HB 4832 (Hunter) Left pending in House State Affairs on 3/29
SB 8 (Creighton | Bettencourt | Campbell | King | Middleton | et al.) Relating to public education, including parental rights and public school responsibilities regarding instructional materials and the establishment of an education savings account program.
- Heard in House Public Education on 5/15
- Companion: HB 5261 (Frank) referred to Public Education on 3/24
SB 9 (Creighton | Bettencourt | Campbell | Hinojosa | Huffman | et al.) Relating to the rights, certification, and compensation of public school educators and assistance provided to public schools by the Texas Education Agency related to public school educators and to certain allotments under the Foundation School Program.
- Reported favorably from House Public Education on 5/16
SB 10 (Huffman | Alvarado | Bettencourt | Birdwell | Blanco | et al. SP: Bonnen | Burns | Capriglione) Relating to contributions to, benefits from, and the administration of systems and programs administered by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
- Conferees appointed, Senate: Huffman (Chair) | Campbell | Hinojosa | Kolkhorst | Nichols, House: Bonnen (Chair) | Capriglione | Gervin-Hawkins | Longoria | VanDeaver
- Companion: HB 600 (Bonnen) considered in Calendars on 5/8
SB 11 (Nichols) Relating to measures for ensuring safety and security in public schools, including measures related to certain student records and truant conduct and active shooter training for certain peace officers.
- Left pending in House Public Education on 4/25
SB 12 (Hughes) Relating to restricting certain sexually oriented performances on public property, on the premises of a commercial enterprise, or in the presence of a child; authorizing a civil penalty; creating a criminal offense.
- Reported favorably from House State Affairs on 5/12
SB 13 (Paxton | Bettencourt | Creighton | Hughes | Middleton | et al.) 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.
- Referred to House State Affairs on 4/24
- Companion: HB 5251 (Toth) referred to House State Affairs on 3/24
SB 14 (Campbell | Bettencourt | Hall | Hughes | Kolkhorst | et al. SP: Oliverson | Klick | Metcalf | Toth | Geren) Relating to prohibitions on the provision to certain children of procedures and treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria and on the use of public money or public assistance to provide those procedures and treatments.
- Passed by the House as amended on 5/15
SB 15 (Middleton | Bettencourt | Campbell | Creighton | Flores | et al. SP: Swanson) Relating to requiring public institution of higher education students who compete in intercollegiate athletic competitions to compete based on biological sex.
- Placed on House calendar for 5/17
SB 16 (Hughes) Relating to the purpose of public institutions of higher education and a prohibition on compelling students enrolled at those institutions to adopt certain beliefs.
- Referred to House Higher Education on 4/24
SB 17 (Creighton | Campbell | King | Kolkhorst | Middleton | et al.) Relating to the powers and duties of the governing boards of public institutions of higher education.
- Reported favorably from House Higher Education on 5/12
SB 18 (Creighton | Campbell | Flores | King | Kolkhorst | et al.) Relating to tenure and employment status at public institutions of higher education in this state.
- Place on House Calendar for 5/18
SB 19 (Huffman) Relating to the administration and investment of, and distribution and use of money from, certain constitutional and statutory funds to support general academic teaching institutions in achieving national prominence as major research universities and driving the state economy; redesignating the national research university fund as the Texas University Fund.
- Referred to House Higher Education on 4/14
- Enabling legislation SJR 5
- Companion: HB 1595 (Bonnen) passed by the Senate as amended on 5/9; HJR 3 (Bonnen) passed by the Senate as amended on 5/9
SB 20 (Huffman | Parker) Relating to the enforcement of criminal offenses by district attorneys, criminal district attorneys, and county attorneys.
- Referred to House Criminal Jurisprudence on 4/17
SB 21 (Huffman) Relating to the discipline of judges by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the legislature.
- Reported favorably from House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence on 5/10
- Companion: HB 5008 (Toth) referred to House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence on 3/23
SB 22 (Springer | Blanco | Creighton | Eckhardt | Hall | et al. SP: Guillen | Gerdes) Relating to the establishment of grant programs to provide financial assistance to qualified sheriff’s offices, constable’s offices, and prosecutor’s offices in rural counties.
- Passed by the House as amended on 5/16
SB 23 (Huffman) Relating to increasing the minimum term of imprisonment and changing the eligibility for community supervision and parole for certain felony offenses in which a firearm is used or exhibited and to certain consequences on conviction of certain offenses.
- Left pending in House Criminal Jurisprudence on 5/2
SB 24 (Kolkhorst | Campbell | Creighton | Hall | King | et al. SP: Frank | Noble | Hull) Relating to the powers and duties of the Health and Human Services Commission and the transfer to the commission of certain powers and duties from the Department of Family and Protective Services.
- Reported favorably from House Human Services on 5/3
- Companion: HB 4049 (Frank) referred to House Human Services on 3/20
SB 25 (Kolkhorst | Alvarado | Bettencourt | Blanco | Campbell | et al.) Relating to support for nursing-related postsecondary education, including scholarships to nursing students, loan repayment assistance to nurses and nursing faculty, and grants to nursing education programs.
- Reported favorably from House Higher Education on 5/15
SB 26 (Kolkhorst | Alvarado | Bettencourt | Blanco | Campbell | et al.) Relating to local mental health authority and local behavioral health authority audits and mental and behavioral health reporting, services, and programs.
- Left pending in House Health & Human Services on 5/15
SB 27 (Hughes) Relating to the creation of a specialty trial court to hear certain cases; authorizing fees.
- Left pending in Senate Jurisprudence on 3/29
- Companion: HB 19 (Murr) passed by the Senate as amended on 5/12
SB 28 (Perry SP: King, Tracy O., Troxclair) Relating to financial assistance provided and programs administered by the Texas Water Development Board.
- Passed by the House as amended on 5/17
- Companion: HB 10 (King, Tracy O.) referred to House Natural Resources on 3/7
SB 29 (Birdwell) Relating to prohibited governmental entity implementation or enforcement of a vaccine mandate, mask requirement, or private business or school closure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- Left pending in House State Affairs on 5/10
- Companion: HB 5027 (Toth) referred to House State Affairs on 3/23
SB 30 (Huffman SP: Bonnen) Relating to supplemental appropriations and reductions in appropriations and giving direction and adjustment authority regarding appropriations.
- Conferees appointed, Senate: Huffman (Chair) | Creighton | Kolkhorst | Nichols | Schwertner, House: Bonnen (Chair) | González, Mary | Jetton | VanDeaver | Walle