Texas Senate's Top Priorities Target Property Tax, Higher Ed, Children's Safety

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick released Monday afternoon the Top 30 bills to be tackled by the Texas Senate during the ongoing 88th legislative session, a list that targets property tax reform, higher education and children's safety, among other priorities.

Patrick's list of top bills includes the aforementioned state budget (SB1) but also includes popular efforts to reduce the property tax burden on Texas landowners (SB4) while also using the state budget surplus to fund a raise for teachers (SB9) and give retirees a 13th check (SB10).

The list also includes potentially controversial legislative efforts around the teaching of critical race theory in college (SB16), banning DEI hiring policies in higher education (SB17) and ending tenure at public universities (SB18). The Texas Senate also wants to add provisions that would allow elected district attorneys (SB20) and judges (SB21) who do not follow state laws to be removed from office.

The lieutenant governor's list of priorities also includes bills that would block gender modification surgeries in children (SB14), ban children from attending drag shows (SB12) and protect children from "obscene books" in libraries (SB13).

Only the first bill has been filed, SB1, so details regarding the specifics of the other 29 bills will not be known until they are filed by lawmakers.

"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 said in a statement.

The lieutenant governor typically holds back the first 30 bill numbers for his legislative priorities but said there were so many issues to tackle during this session he could have expanded it to 50.

"Just because a bill does not make the priority list does not mean it is not a priority for me or the Senate. We will pass over 600 bills this session. As I like to say, every bill is a priority to someone, otherwise, we would not pass it," Patrick said.

LT. GOV. PATRICK'S PRIORITY BILLS

As of Feb. 13, only SB 1 has been filed. The other bills will be listed here once filed by a lawmaker.

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

The 88th legislative session began on Jan. 10 and will adjourn on May 29.