Legislation

+ Overview

While the legislature is in session, we’ll be at the capitol every day, Monday to Thursday, as a point of contact to those testifying in committee hearings, as well as for those who just want to register support or opposition at a kiosk.

Make sure you click here to read this post before you head to the capitol!

Bills to register a position on in-person at the capitol can be found at this FB group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1813429042316057/

Please note: the below is NOT a complete list of the Legislation we are tracking. This is our priority bill list. For a complete bill list, click on the link above.

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Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and the Texas GOP are doing everything they can to outdo the cruelty, ignorance, and stupidity of the Trump administration. They are also doing everything they can to dismantle the US Constitution. We can’t let them.

Have a look at how a bill becomes law in the Texas legislature if you need to see where each stands in the process. Click here for a basic overview of how a bill becomes law in the Texas Legislature.

To quickly track the status of a bill in the TX Legislature, click here (and enter the bill number).

To create your own list of bills to track, and email yourself alerts when a bill moves, click here to read out our how-to instructions.

Before you testify at a committee hearing or come and register your position on any of these bills at the capitol, click here to to read our how-to instructions.

+ Education

SB 18 would disproportionately harms Hispanic & African-American students by cutting higher ed set-asides for scholarships.

• Author: Seliger | et al.
• Last Action 5/1 House Referred to Higher Ed Committee

SB 3 would defund public education in TX and create two new state programs aimed at subsidizing the costs associated with private school tuition and homeschooling

• Author: Taylor, Larry | et al.
• Last Action 5/12/2017 H Referred to Public Education

SB 141/HB 393 would aim to end in-state tuition for undocumented Texas residents.

• Last Action 4/3/2017 H Received from the Senate 2/16 House referred to state affairs committee

+ LGBTQ Rights

SB6 would make it illegal for transgender people in Texas to be afforded access to facilities matching their gender identity.

• Author: Lois Kolkhorst
• Last Action 03/16/2017 H Received from the Senate
• overturn non-discrimination ordinances currently protecting transgender individuals in some cities and make it illegal for transgender people in Texas to be afforded access to facilities matching their gender identity.

 

SB 893 would provide individualss & businesses the ability to decline to provide services to anyone over “religious beliefs”

• Author: Bryan Hughes
• Last Action 02/28/2017 S Referred to State Affairs

 

HB1813 would authorize a government official to refuse to celebrate a wedding, as long as another official in the state accepts to do so.

• Author: Flynn | et al.
• Last Action 03/13/2017 H Referred to State Affairs

 

HB 1805 would prohibit any adverse action against a child welfare service provider refusing to provide services to an individual on religious grounds or refusing to provide information or counseling concerning contraceptives or abortions.

 

HB1923 would prohibit any adverse action by government entities against people acting according to the belief that marriage should only be between one man and one woman or that sexual relations should be reserved to such a marriage.

• Author: Matt Krause | et al.
• Last Action 03/13/2017 H Referred to State Affairs

 

SB 892 would prohibit adoption or CPS if conflicts with provider’s homophobic religious beliefs.

• Author: Charles Perry
• Last Action 4/19/17 S Left pending in committee

 

SB 242 would force teachers and counselors to “out” LGBTQ students to their parents. 

• Last Action 01/30/2017 S Referred to Education
• SB242 would require teachers to out LGBTQ students to their parents, many of whom refuse to accept the existence of LGBTQ people and subject them to horrible abuse and cruelty.

HB 3859 Religious refusal bill allows CPS to discriminate against adoptive parents based on orientation

• Author: Frank | et al.
• Last Action 5/11/2017 S Referred to Health & Human Services

+ Immigration

SB4 would prohibit cities and counties from becoming sanctuaries.

• Last Action 03/15/2017 H Left pending in committee
• Greg Abbott made this an “emergency item”, and has been grandstanding on the same brand of anti-immigrant hysteria Trump has used to rile up the far-right base, trying to sell it to the public at large as a move that will “keep us safe.” This, of course, is absurd.
• SB4 is just Greg Abbott’s way of trying to punish a city for failing to cooperate in mass deportations. The bill cuts state criminal justice grants, money that funds services for veterans, parents struggling with drug addiction and victims of family violence.
• Indivisible has write-ups on SB4 on the site here and here. The Washington Post article from February 2nd can be found here. There’s background on why sanctuary cities are actually safer here and you can find the full testimony of the many, many Texas law enforcement officers who opposed SB4 here.

HB 889 would Prohibit cities and counties from becoming sanctuaries.

• Last Action 02/23/2017 H Referred to State Affairs
• Charlie Geren’s Companion to SB4.

 

+ Reproductive Rights

SB 25 would shield healthcare providers from certain types of litigation related to “wrongful birth.” Read our summary of SB25 here.

• Last Action 5/9/17 H Committee report sent to Calendars

 

SB 20 would prohibit insurance companies from covering abortions.

• Author: Taylor, Larry | et al.
• Last Action 5/1/2017 H Referred to State Affairs

HB 948 Abolition of abortion act. Criminalizes abortion. Tinderholt insanity.

• Author: Tinderholt | et al.
• Last Action 02/21/2017 H Referred to State Affairs

SB 258 would require that a woman who has a miscarriage pays for a funeral for fetal tissue.

• Author: Huffines | et al.
• Last Action 5/9/2017 H Referred to State Affairs

SB 415 would ban what they call “dismemberment abortions”. Horrendous.

• Author: Perry | et al.
• Last Action 5/3/2017 H Referred to State Affairs

SB 8 would ban the sale and donation of fetal tissue. Federal law already bans sale. Also deals with “partial-birth” abortion & sale of fetal tissue.

• Author: Schwertner | et al.
• Last Action 05/12/2017 H Committee report sent to Calendars

SB 25 would shield healthcare providers from certain types of litigation related to “wrongful birth.”

• Author: Creighton | et al.
• Last Action 05/05/2017 H Reported Favorably without Amendments (Engrossed)

 SB 651 would redefine and expands the definition of religious expression (as defined by racist homophobes).

• Author: Charles Perry | et al.
• Last Action 05/9/2017 H Committee report sent to Calendars

+ States’ Rights/Local Control

SB 89 provides for the state of Texas to refuse to enforce any federal law deemed to violate the Texas Constitution.

• Author: Bob Hall
• Last Action 01/24/2017 S Referred to State Affairs

SB 21 Convention of states.

• Author: Brian Birdwell | et al.
• Last Action 05/10/2017 HS Senate appoints conferees

SJR 2 Convention of states.

• Author: Birdwell | et al.
• Last Action 03/01/2017 H Received from the Senate

SB 92 would repeal any existing local protections that are broader than state law.

• Author: Hall
• Last Action 01/24/2017 S Referred to Business & Commerce

HJR 39 Convention of states.

• Author: Miller | et al.
• Last Action 03/09/2017 H Referred to State & Federal Power & Responsibility, Select

HB 2808 Relating to preventing the commandeering of state resources by the federal government.

• Author: Swanson
• Last Action 03/03/2017 H Filed

+ Voting & Elections

SB 643 would require voters to show proof of citizenship to vote, likely reducing the turnout among blacks, Latinos, and Asians.

• Author: Watson
• Last Action 02/13/2017 S Referred to State Affairs

HB 143 would create an online voter registration system. We support.

• Author: Israel | et al.
• Last Action 02/13/2017 H Referred to Elections

 

HJR 32 Redistricting. We support. 

• Author: Howard | et al.
• Last Action 02/16/2017 H Referred to Redistricting

 

HJR 118 Redistricting. We support.

• Author: Neave
• Last Action 03/20/2017 H Referred to Redistricting

HJR 74 Redistricting. We support.

• Author: Anchia
• Last Action 03/20/2017 H Referred to Redistricting

HB 369 Redistricting. We support.

• Author: Howard
• Last Action 02/16/2017 H Referred to Redistricting

+ Criminal Justice

HB 2702 Sandra Bland bill for criminal justice reform. We support.

• Author: Coleman | et al.
• Last Action: 3/30/2017 H Referred to Homeland Security & Public Safety

HB 3289 Limit incarceration penalties for technical violations as a result of probation. We support.

• Author: White
• Last Action 03/28/2017 H Referred to Corrections

HB 2398 SMART Act, reduce penalties for minor drug poss & divert savings from reduced jail costs to pre-trial treatment. We support.

• Author: King, Phil | et al.
• Last Action 03/20/2017 H Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence

+ Ethics & Anti-Corruption

SB 14  Ethics reform: require lobbyists to disclose donations. Transparency. We support.

• Author: Taylor, Van | et al.
• Last Action 02/08/2017 H Received from the Senate