Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has announced the first 25 of his top 40 priority measures for the 89th Legislative Session.
The list includes the already-filed Senate Bills 1 and 2, which relate to the preliminary budget and school choice, respectively.
Senators already passed the school choice measure out of the Education Committee on Tuesday, and the first Finance Committee hearings on the budget have already begun.
“Thousands of bills are filed by Texas senators each session,” stated Patrick. “Traditionally, bill numbers 1 through 20 have indicated the Lt. Governor’s priorities for the Senate. In 2017, I increased the number of priority bills to 30. This year, I am increasing the number of priority bills to 40.”
“Many other priorities are included in our state budget, such as border security funding, hiring more state troopers for the Department of Public Safety, and enhancing statewide disaster response with new equipment and more personnel,” he added.
SB 3 would ban consumable THC—a psychoactive chemical compound found in cannabis—from being sold in Texas. Patrick first outlined his plan for the measure to be a priority in early December 2024.
SB 4, meanwhile, would increase the homestead exemption from $100,000 for all adults to $140,000 for adults and $150,000 for seniors. The homestead exemption refers to the amount of money a homeowner can deduct from the value of his or her house before it is taxed.
The Texas Senate’s preliminary budget proposal, which includes $32 billion in total property tax cuts, already accounts for the contingent financing of a homestead exemption increase.
SB 6 seeks to address the reliability of Texas’ electrical grid. While no such measure has been filed yet, State Sen. Kevin Sparks (R-Midland) filed a measure earlier this month to end Texas energy market distortions caused by federal subsidies.
SB 8 is a measure that would require state law enforcement to work with federal law enforcement to assist in criminal deportation efforts. Florida is currently mulling similar legislation in their state.
Other priority items include:
- SB 5—Combatting Alzheimer’s – Establishing DPRIT (Dementia Prevention & Research Institute of Texas)
- SB 7—Increasing Investments in Texas’ Water Supply
- SB 9—Reforming Bail – Keeping Violent Criminals Off Our Streets
Patrick already worked to get the Senate to pass a constitutional amendment in 2023 that would have given judges the authority to deny bail to defendants charged with certain sexual or violent offenses. However, the effort ultimately died in the House.
- SB 10—Placing the Ten Commandments in School
- SB 11—Protecting the Freedom to Pray in School
- SB 12—Establishing a Parental Bill of Rights in Public Education.
Gov. Greg Abbott has already taken initial steps toward increasing transparency for parents regarding their children’s education. In 2023, he signed a measure into law that gives parents access to certain instructional materials.
- SB 13—Guarding Against Inappropriate Books in Public Schools
Abbott also signed legislation in 2023—House Bill 900—that sought to clamp down on inappropriate books in public libraries. Still, activists asked the state to go further.
State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco) has proposed two new measures this session to address some of those concerns, and State Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) has proposed his own measure broadening what constitutes “harmful material.”
- SB 14—Texas DOGE – Improving Government Efficiency
The measure will likely be modeled after the federal Department of Government Efficiency, which is charged with reducing wasteful government spending and eliminating unnecessary regulations.
- SB 15—Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing
- SB 16—Stopping Non-Citizens from Voting
- SB 17—Stopping Foreign Adversaries’ Land Grabs
- SB 18—Stopping Drag Time Story Hour
- SB 19—Stopping Taxpayer Dollars for Lobbyists
- SB 20—Stopping AI Child Pornography
- SB 21—Establishing the Texas Bitcoin Reserve
- SB 22—Establishing Texas as America’s Film Capital
- SB 23—Removing the Cap on the Rainy Day Fund to Secure Texas’ Long-term Financial Future
The Economic Stabilization Fund is a “rainy day fund” created in 1988 to save revenue from economic booms for economic downturns. According to Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s recent Biennial Revenue Estimate, the fund is expected to exceed the constitutional cap.
- SB 24—Educating Texas Students on the Horrors of Communism
- SB 25—Making Texas Healthy Again
Although details have not been released on what SB 25 entails, several lawmakers have already filed measures related to public health this session that could be incorporated into the final legislation.
Patrick said the last 15 priorities are “coming soon.”
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