Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has unveiled a list of 30 priority bills for the 2023 legislative session, signaling another push to move the state to the right.
According to Austin American Statesman, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick unveiled on Monday a collection of 30 bills that he views as high-priority. These bills encompass a variety of issues, including the management of the state’s finances for the next two years, as well as legislation aimed at improving teacher salaries, preserving parental rights, and ensuring the sustainability of Texas’ water resources.
According to a published article, these are the priority bills presented by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick:
- Senate Bill 1: Concerning the state budget
- Senate Bill 2: Making voter fraud a felony offense
- Senate Bill 3: aims to raise the homestead exemption to $70,000
- Senate Bill 4: Providing additional property tax relief
- Senate Bill 5: Raising the business personal property tax exemption
- Senate Bill 6: seeks to construct new natural gas plants
- Senate Bill 7: aims to further enhance the Texas grid
- Senate Bill 8: aims to give more power to parents by strengthening their rights, including the ability to choose the school their child attends
- Senate Bill 9: Empowering teacher rights and raising teacher pay
- Senate Bill 10: Adding 13th checks for retired teachers
- Senate Bill 11: Ensuring the safety and security of schools
- Senate Bill 12: prohibits minors from attending drag shows
- Senate Bill 13: aims to safeguard children from indecent materials in libraries
- Senate Bill 14: Ending child gender modification
- Senate Bill 15: Preserving women’s college sports
- Senate Bill 16: Prohibiting critical race theory in higher education
- Senate Bill 17: prohibits the use of discriminatory “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies in higher education institutions
- Senate Bill 18: aims to abolish the practice of granting tenure at general academic institutions
- Senate Bill 19: seeks to establish a new endowment fund for higher education
- Senate Bill 20: proposes the removal of district attorneys who do not comply with Texas law
- Senate Bill 21: suggests removing judges who fail to follow Texas law
- Senate Bill 22: aims to support rural law enforcement by providing additional funding for equipment and increasing pay
- Senate Bill 23: Creating a mandatory 10-year prison sentence for gun crimes
- Senate Bill 24: Expanding alternatives to abortion
- Senate Bill 25: aimed at creating scholarships specifically for registered nurses
- Senate Bill 26: Expanding mental health care beds across Texas with a focus on rural counties
- Senate Bill 27: proposes the establishment of a new court specialized in business-related matters
- Senate Bill 28: aims to tackle the future water requirements of Texas
- Senate Bill 29: Banning local COVID-19 mandates
- Senate Bill 30: Providing a supplemental budget.
In his announcement, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick emphasized a socially conservative agenda that includes banning certain books in schools, restricting transgender participation in college sports, and ending gender-transition treatment for young people. He also stated that he would push for “school choice,” including voucher legislation that would allow parents to use state dollars to send their children to private schools.
While Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s list of priorities is consistent with his role of pushing the legislature to the right, some of his proposals, particularly those related to education, could face opposition in the lower chamber of the legislature. Even if Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has a Republican majority in the Senate, the bills will have to pass through both chambers of the legislature and be signed by the governor to become law.
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