While Texas House Republican members are back in their districts claiming this session was “one of the most conservative sessions in Texas history,” they are met with the sad reality that their constituents are getting smarter and the scoreboard cannot be changed.
Grassroots conservatives were able to force more wins out of this session than we expected, but we still weren’t able to conserve the innocence of our children or the integrity of our elections.
If you are left feeling underwhelmed but wanting to know what exactly died, this list will provide a roadmap for the true failures of Speaker Dade Phelan and the loyal lieutenants whom he placed in leadership positions.
Culture & Sexual Revolution
HB 888 (Shelby Slawson) Detransitioner Suit Protection
Currently, children and adults who are lied to by the radical transgender religion only have two years after they are butchered to file a lawsuit against their abusers. Texas is one of the worst red states in America on this issue. This bill would have extended the time they have to sue. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
HB 3502 (Jeff Leach) Detransitioner Insurance Mandate
Currently, our health insurance companies have evil policies that pay for children to have their genitals mutilated but won’t pay when the child later regrets the abuse they were subjected to. They require the patient to pay out of their own pocket for all of the healthcare expenses to restore their body. This bill would have changed that. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
SB 1029 (Bob Hall) Destransitioner Protections
After the House killed HB 3502, they could have tried to pass SB 1029, which provided multiple pieces of the puzzle to help detransitioners. It passed the Senate on April 24. However, it never even got a hearing in the Texas House. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed the bill.
SB 1601 (Bryan Hughes) Defunding Drag Queen Story Hour
This bill would have cut all state funding for libraries that host drag queen story hour and other gross grooming events. This bill passed the Senate in early April, but it never got a hearing in the Texas House. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed the bill.
SB 162 (Charles Perry) Birth Certificate Sex Protection
This bill required a child’s sex to be listed on their birth certificate and banned it from being changed. Currently, parents can pick “male,” “female,” or “other” on a child’s birth certificate and can CHANGE it if they decide to abuse their kid with transgender transition treatment. The bill passed the Senate in March but never received a hearing in the Texas House. The Public Health Committee (Stephanie Klick) killed the bill.
SB 1446 (Bryan Hughes) ESG Ban for State Pensions
This bill would have banned Texas taxpayer-funded pensions from being used to advance radical leftists agenda policies through ESG. The bill passed the Senate on April 20 and was delayed for weeks by the Pensions Investments and Financial Services Committee (Giovanni Capriglione). The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
SB 1060 (Bryan Hughes) ESG Insurance Shareholder Restriction
This bill would prohibit insurers or holding companies organized under state law from including ESG proposals in a proxy statement or implementing an ESG shareholder proposal. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
SJR 70 (Bryan Hughes) Parental Rights Constitutional Amendment
This bill would have constitutionally established additional parental rights protections. Only three Democrats were radical enough to vote against it in the Texas Senate, where they passed the bill in mid-April. But those three radical Democrats were represented well in the Texas House, where the bill never even got a hearing. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed the legislation.
SB 163 (Donna Campbell) Parental Consent for Sex Ed
Current law requires public school districts to notify parents of their right to opt their child into sexual education courses. This requirement expires in 2024. This bill keeps the requirement that school districts obtain written consent from a student’s parent before a student may be subjected to any graphic sex education curriculum. This bill passed the Senate on April 20. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
Public & Higher Education
SB 8 (Creighton) School Choice
The Senate passed a school choice plan that would have benefited millions of Texas students. This legislation aligned with Greg Abbott’s requested solution. The bill never made it out of the Public Education Committee (Brad Buckley) because of the power that teacher unions and Democrats have.
SB 8/HB 890 (Creighton) Classroom Grooming Ban
This legislation would have banned teachers from grooming children in the classroom with gross gender ideology and sexual orientation agendas. Florida passed similar legislation. The Senate passed it twice. The Texas House killed it both times.
SB 1515 (Phil King) Ten Commandments
This bill would have required public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. It’s an incredible bill. It passed the Senate in late April. The Public Education Committee worked too slowly, but ultimately the Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
SB 16 (Bryan Hughes) Critical Race Theory Ban at Universities
This legislation would have stopped Marxist teachings from being shoved on young Texans at state universities. We are currently essentially paying to turn our young adults into Marxists. This ban on CRT passed the Texas Senate in mid-April. It never even got a hearing. The Higher Education Committee (John Kuempel) killed it.
SB 1072 (Bryan Hughes) Restrict Gender Ideology In Public Schools
This bill would have made it much harder for public schools to discuss anything regarding sex with children outside of parent-approved sex education classes. This bill passed the Senate May 2. It never even received a hearing. The Public Education Committee (Brad Buckley) killed this bill.
SB 595 (Lois Kolkhorst) Would Require Parental Consent for Mental Health Screening on Kids
This bill is simple. Stop leftist mental health professionals from privately grilling kids without parents’ permission. The Public Education Committee worked too slowly, but ultimately the Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
Vaccine Choice/Health Freedom
SB 177 (Mayes Middleton/Brian Harrison) Covid Vaccine Mandate Ban
This legislation would have ended COVID vaccine mandates in Texas. Right now, you can still be fired for not receiving Fauci’s vaccine. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
SB 2086 (Lois Kolkhorst) DNA Ownership
Do you own your DNA? The Senate thinks you should, but a Democrat chairman appointed by Dade Phelan thinks you shouldn’t. This bill never even got a hearing. The Business & Industry Committee (Oscar Longoria) killed it.
SB 265 (Charles Perry) State Reporting for Vaccine Injuries
This bill would have required doctors to report vaccine injuries to the VAERS system. This would have been a huge help to so many families who have been negatively affected by vaccines. The Senate passed the bill on April 20. It never even got a hearing in the Texas House. The Public Health Committee (Stephanie Klick) killed this bill.
SB 1584 (Bob Hall) Blood Donation Protection
The medical mafia is refusing to allow unvaccinated Texans the right to have someone they know who is unvaccinated donate blood to them when they need it. This bill would have fixed that. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
SB 666 (Bob Hall) Medical Board Reform
The Texas Medical Board is a weaponized agency being used to target conservative doctors. They can lose their license based on an anonymous complaint filed by someone who isn’t even a patient. This bill passed the Senate on May 12, but it never even received a hearing. The Public Health Committee (Stephanie Klick) killed this bill.
SB 389 (Bob Hall) Medical Board Transparency
The Texas Medical Board is one of the worst state agencies. They are punishing conservative doctors all across Texas and refusing to give documentation to legislators about the agency’s activities. This bill would require them to answer legislative inquiries and bring a very dark agency into the light. This bill passed the Senate on May 3. The bill never even received a hearing. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed this bill.
SB 301 (Bob Hall) Right to Treat
This bill prohibits licensing boards from denying, revoking, or suspending a license or taking any other disciplinary action against a licensed or certified healthcare provider or pharmacist due to the lawful dispensing, prescribing, or administering of ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. The Senate passed the bill on April 20. It never even got a hearing in the Texas House. The Public Health Committee (Stephanie Klick) killed this bill.
SB 426 (Angela Paxton) Right to Treat #2
This bill allows patients the right to access off-label medication and treatment from their doctor for COVID. The Senate passed the bill on April 5 but never even got a hearing in the Texas House. The Public Health Committee (Stephanie Klick) killed this bill.
Immigration
HB 20 (Matt Schaefer) Border Protection Unit Creation
This legislation would have created a force intended to return illegals to Mexico and would have challenged unconstitutional court rulings that have left our border wide open. This legislation was killed by the State Affairs Committee, who delayed as long as possible, and Speaker Phelan, who worked with Democrats to kill the bill with a point of order.
SCR 23 (Lois Kolkhorst) Border Invasion Declaration
This resolution declared an invasion at the southern border and urged Abbott to take all action necessary to stop the flooding of illegals into our state. It never even received a hearing. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed it.
HB 3280 (Terri Leo-Wilson) In-state Tuition Ban
This bill would end a taxpayer-funded subsidy for illegal immigrants. It never received a hearing. The Higher Education Committee (John Kuempel) killed the bill.
SB 2424 (Brian Birdwell) – Border Crossing Crime
This bill would have made it a state crime to illegally cross the southern border of Texas. The Senate passed it. Dade Phelan killed the bill with a point of order with a major assist from the State Affairs Committee, who sat on the bill for a month—which meant that if Dade Phelan ruled in Democrats’ favor, it automatically killed the bill.
HB 3846 (Steve Toth) E-Verify
This bill would make it harder for illegal aliens to steal American jobs. It didn’t pass either chamber, but the Senate got much further. The Senate heard the bill and passed it out of committee. The Texas House did neither. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed the bill.
HB 4743 (Tony Tinderholt) Taxing Remissions to Foreign Countries
The illegals who are flooding into Texas will show up owing cartels a massive amount of money. They get an American job and then send that money back to the cartels. This bill would tax the remissions sent back to Mexico, adding a financial penalty to the cartel income stream as well as giving Texans some tax income from many illegals in our state. This bill never even received a hearing. The Ways and Means Committee (led by Morgan Meyer) killed this bill.
Election Integrity
SB 990 (Bob Hall) Eliminates Countywide Polling
This legislation would make auditing elections much more possible. It passed the Senate in late April, but it never even got a hearing. The bill was killed by the Elections Committee (Reggie Smith).
SB 397 (Bob Hall/Brian Harrison) Requiring Early Voting Tapes be Printed
This legislation would make auditing elections much more possible. It passed the Senate in late April but never even got a hearing. The bill was killed by the Elections Committee (Reggie Smith).
SB 921 (Bryan Hughes) Bans Rank Choice Voting – This would ban a Democrat scheme to gut red states. It passed the Senate in late March; the House heard the House version but sat on it. The Senate bill was never heard. It was ultimately killed by the Elections Committee (Reggie Smith).
SB 1846 (Brandon Creighton) – Bans Voting Machines From China, North Korea, Iran, etc.
The Senate passed it in mid-April, but the Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed it by placing it on the last calendar.
SB 1910 (Paul Bettencourt) Election Transparency Act
Made local governments provide government documents related to election contest lawsuit. Passed the Senate in early April. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed it by placing it on the last calendar.
SB 2208 (Tan Parker) – Election Integrity AG Empowerment
The Court of Criminal Appeals wrongfully gutted Paxton’s ability to prosecute in blue counties by requiring the Democrat DAs to grant permission for him to do so after they cheat. This bill would have fixed that by allowing lawsuits in adjoining counties. The Senate passed this bill in late April. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed it by placing it on the last calendar.
SB 1807 (Drew Springer) Election Law Conformity
It’s illegal for local governments to make up their own election laws and procedures. But as there is no penalty for breaking the law, Democrats are doing it. This penalizes local officials. It passed the Senate in mid-April. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed it by placing it on the last calendar.
SB 1600 (Bryan Hughes) Proof of Citizenship to Vote
In Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., 570 U.S. 1 (2013), the United States Supreme Court discussed the circumstance under which a state could require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in that state. This bill requires the secretary of state to coordinate with the federal Election Assistance Commission. It would establish rules to require a person to provide evidence of citizenship to vote. It passed the Senate in mid-April but never even got a hearing. The Elections Committee (Reggie Smith) killed it.
SB 260 (Lois Kolkhorst) Cleaning Inactive Voters From the Rolls
We have a lot of inactive voters who should be cleaned from the voter rolls. This bill followed Ohio legislation that would give us mechanisms for doing that. It passed the Senate in mid-April but never even got a hearing. The Elections Committee (Reggie Smith) killed it.
SB 1938 (Paul Bettencourt) Voter Registrar Accountability
This bill would have given the secretary of state more tools to financially punish Democrat counties that are disregarding Texas law. It passed the Senate in mid-April but never even got a hearing. The Elections Committee (Reggie Smith) killed it.
SB 1039 (Paul Bettencourt) Voter Irregularity Audit
This bill would have established a process by which a county could obtain an explanation for voter irregularities. This would give counties the ability to obtain an additional audit from the secretary of state, if the local explanation for the irregularity was unsatisfactory. It passed the Senate in mid-April but was severely delayed in the Elections Committee (Reggie Smith). The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
SB 1911 (Paul Bettencourt) Election Supply Mandate
One of the ways that Democrats in Harris County, the largest county in Texas, stole their local elections was by intentionally under-supplying red precincts. This literally led to voters waiting in lines for hours and going home because their precinct was out of paper. This bill would have penalized those malicious actions. This bill passed the Senate in mid-April, was heard in the House Committee on Elections in early May, and then the committee sat on it and never voted it out. The Elections Committee (Reggie Smith) killed this bill.
Guns
HB 1894 (Briscoe Cain) Ban on Red-flag Laws
The bill was sent to a committee designed to pass mostly gun control legislation. Justin Holland and Sam Harless, two of Dade Phelan’s most loyal lieutenants, walked the vote to kill this bill. They have both been consistently rewarded for their loyalty with powerful positions in the Texas House.
HB 2705 (Richard Hayes) Protect Short Barrel Firearms
This bill would protect gun owners who possess short barrel firearms. The Calendars Committee (Dustin Burrows) killed the legislation by placing it on the last calendar and letting the “clock run out.”
HB 5153 (Tony Tinderholt) Federal Gun Control Opposition
This bill would have put teeth into a prohibition of federal law enforcement officers who try to enforce gun control. The bill never even received a hearing. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed this bill.
HB 4663 (Mark Dorazio) Adult Gun Right Protection
This would bring us in line with the federal ruling that Texas’ attempt to restrict some adults from their Second Amendment rights was unconstitutional. The bill never even got a hearing. It was killed by the Community Safety Committee (Ryan Guillen).
Other Conservative Policy
SB 147 (Lois Kolkhorst) China Land Ban
This bill would have banned Chinese nationalists from purchasing farm land, minerals, water, and timber. The bill passed the Senate; the House version was given a hearing in State Affairs but was never voted out. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed both versions.
SB 175 (Mayes Middleton) Taxpayer-funded Lobbying Ban
This legislation simply prevents your taxpayer dollars from being used to hire lobbyists who work to advance liberal legislation and kill conservative bills. The bill passed the Senate and was never even given a hearing in the Texas House. The State Affairs Committee (Todd Hunter) killed this bill.
It is clear that the Texas House does not realize what time it is. Conservative Republicans are rightfully upset that obvious layups were missed. Either the Legislature is inept, or they are willfully thwarting the will of voters and intentionally killing conservative policy due to cowardice and fear of liberal politics and leftist activists who are given undue influence in a chamber run by weak men.
Listen to or watch The Luke Macias Show on the bills killed by the Texas House.
