Here are some of the bills we passed this week…

Texas Senate Passes SB 8 – Empowering Parental Rights and SCHOOL CHOICE!

From the first day I arrived in the Texas Senate, my goal and passion has been to improve public education. As Senator, when I served as Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, that passion only grew. I led the fight to increase school funding, reduce the number of STAAR tests from 15 to 5, created scholarships for future math and science teachers, and placed added focus on career education, as well as several other initiatives.

I have always believed in our public school system of over 8,000 campuses. Many schools are great, most are good, but we also have those that are failing our students. That is why we need school choice for parents who want options other than their failing public school. As Lt. Governor, we passed school choice through the Senate in 2015 and 2017. Sadly, both bills died in the Texas House without a hearing.

Parents are the single most important factor to the success of their child in education, followed by a teacher. Republicans, Independents and Democrats all support school choice because Texans agree that families must have choice in education so every child has the best chance of success.

Here is my official statement following the Texas Senate’s passage of SB 8.

Texas Senate Passes SB 9 – Teacher Pay Raise

As the husband of a long-time school teacher, the son-in-law of a teacher and father-in-law of a teacher, I know the impact that a great teacher makes on the development of a child. We all remember the teachers who made a significant impact on our lives.

Senate Bill 9 – Teacher Pay Raises – Empowering Teacher Rights, by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, increases teacher pay by $2,000 for every Texas teacher. Teachers in a district with 20,000 students or less will receive an additional $4,000 to help close the salary gap between urban, suburban, and rural teachers.

Here is my official statement following the bipartisan passage of SB 9.

Texas Senate Passes SB 14 – Ending Child Gender Modification

As Lt. Governor, I believe the practice of child gender modification is abhorrent and must be stopped in Texas.

Senate Bill 14 – Ending Child Gender Modification, by Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, prohibits physicians and health care providers from performing sex change surgeries or prescribing puberty blockers to minors unless medically necessary, and requires the Texas Medical Board to revoke the license of a physician who provides the prohibited sex change surgery or drugs. Additionally, SB 14 prohibits public money from being used or distributed to providers, medical schools, hospitals, or physicians who provide these surgeries or drugs.

Here is my official statement following the Texas Senate’s passage of SB 14.

Texas Senate Passes SB 12 – Banning Children’s Exposure to Drag Shows

It is shocking to me that any parent would allow their young child to be sexualized by drag shows. Children, who cannot make decisions on their own, must be protected from these sexually-oriented drag shows now occurring more and more in front of them.

I selected SB 12 to be a top priority of mine because someone must fight back against the radical Left’s degradation of our society and values. I will not allow Texas children to be sexualized and scarred for life by harmful drag performances.

Here is my official statement on the Texas Senate’s bipartisan passage of SB 12.

Texas Senate Passes SB 1601 – Banning Drag Queen Story Hour

The radical Left’s attempt to sexualize and indoctrinate Texas children is never-ending. It is infuriating and unfathomable that public money has been used to fund drag queen story hour in Texas libraries. The Senate’s passage of SB 1601 is of utmost importance to put a stop to the sexualization of our children.

Here is my official statement on the passage of Senate Bill 1601 – Banning Drag Queen Story Hour, by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Tyler, which bans drag story hour in Texas libraries.

Texas Senate Passes Monumental Power Grid Reform Package

The Power Grid Reform package passed with a strong bipartisan majority because the Texas Senate and I recognize the importance of protecting lives that can be lost during a blackout. We also know improving our grid is essential for the Texas Miracle to continue throughout the 21st century. Texas’ economy is booming and we must have reliable generation to meet ever-increasing demand.

Here is my official statement following the passage of the power grid reform package, where you can read more about each bill.

Texas Senate Passes SB 20 & SB 21 – Removing District Attorneys & Judges Who Refuse to Follow Texas Law

Texans unapologetically believe in the rule of law and expect their judges and district attorneys to follow Texas law. SB 20 and SB 21 are two of my top priorities this session because it is unacceptable that rogue district attorneys and judges, primarily in big cities, are not following our laws. These bills send a clear message that their delinquent behavior will not be tolerated.

Here is my official statement on the Texas Senate’s bipartisan passage of Senate Bills 20 and 21 – Removing District Attorneys & Judges Who Refuse to Follow Texas Law, both by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston.

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

Before this session, I came up with the idea for SB 23 to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Texans believe in the rule of law and know that criminals who use firearms while committing crimes must be punished to the full extent of the law. SB 23 makes it very clear that if any criminal uses a gun while committing a crime, they will face steep consequences.

SB 23 establishes a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for the use of a firearm in the commission of felony offenses.

Here is my official statement following the Texas Senate’s bipartisan passage of Senate Bill 23 – Creating A Mandatory 10-Year Prison Sentence for Criminals Committing Gun Crime, by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston.

Texas Senate UNANIMOUSLY Passes SB 25 – Creating New Scholarships for Nursing Students

Last fall, I came up with the idea of a new scholarship program to address our nursing shortage in Texas. I asked Chair Lois Kolkhorst, R- Brenham, to design the program and she has done a masterful job in crafting this legislation.

Here is my official statement following the Texas Senate’s unanimous passage of SB 25.

Texas Senate Passes SB 28 – Addressing Texas’ Future Water Needs

As Texas’ economy grows and leads America into the 21st century, our state’s water needs will outpace our supply. Senate Bill 28 – Addressing Texas’ Future Water Needs, by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, is one of my top priorities because Texas cannot wait to address this growing problem.

Here is my official statement following the Texas Senate’s bipartisan passage of SB 28.

Texas Senate Passes SB 29 – Banning Local COVID-19 Mandates

In March 2020, when the world locked down, I went on Fox News and suggested that Texas reopen our economy as quickly and safely as possible. I took an extraordinary amount of criticism but, in hindsight, everybody can now see that I was correct. Texas is thriving and our economy is the strongest in the world.

Here is my official statement on the Texas Senate’s bipartisan passage of SB 29, by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury.

Jennifer Garner Visits the Capitol

On Wednesday, Houston-born actress Jennifer Garner was honored by the Texas Senate for her work with Save the Children. She stopped by my office afterward and we had a great conversation about the work she’s been doing with the organization and their focus on education, especially for rural students.

Another Jennifer comes to Texas

A friend took this cool photo of me talking to Jennifer Landon, daughter of Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie actor, Michael Landon. She plays a saucy character on Yellowstone as one of the bunkhouse cowboys. In person she could not have been nicer. We had a long conversation about the show, her dad and Texas, which she loves.