Patrick outlines legislative priorities

AUSTINI – The Dallas Morning News reports Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named school choice, property tax cuts, religion in schools and banning hemp-derived THC products among the top Senate priorities for the legislative session Wednesday. “Over the last four years, the Texas Senate held the line, fighting back against President Biden’s disastrous agenda,” Patrick, a Republican, said in a statement. “Now, with President Trump back in office, Texas has a friend in the White House. The Texas Senate will continue to lead as the preeminent legislative body in America by passing our bold, conservative agenda, helping President Trump deliver on his promise of making America great again.” Every session, leaders of the House and Senate reserve the lowest bill numbers for their highest priorities – the budget, for example, is Senate Bill 1 – with the fastest track to passage. Patrick, who presides over the Senate, released a list of his top 25 bills, promising 15 more will come later.

The nation’s largest teachers’ group, the Association of Texas Professional Educators, expressed disappointment that increasing public school funding and raising teacher pay did not make the top priorities. “Our teachers and other public school employees need financial relief to stay in the profession,” executive director Shannon Holmes said in a statement. “Our school districts can’t cover the cost of the meaningful safety reforms implemented by the Legislature. They also can’t keep up with the cost of special education for our most vulnerable students.” Only the budget and Senate Bill 2, which creates a voucher-style program to supplement private school tuition, have been filed. SB 2 was approved by a Senate committee Tuesday. Farther down the list, Senate Bill 6, when it’s filed, will establish investments in electric grid reliability, while Senate Bill 9 will institute bail reform, Patrick said. Senate Bills 10 and 11 will deal with prayer and the Ten Commandments in schools, while two other bills will address “inappropriate books” and “drag time story hour” — a pre-emptive strike targeting the influence of transgender and LGBTQ communities and a popular social issue among evangelical Christian conservatives.