The Republican Party of Texas presently has eight legislative priorities, several of which overlap with Patrick’s priorities. Those include increasing the offense of illegal voting to a felony, banning child gender modification, banning obscene books in school libraries, and parental rights and school choice in education.
In revealing the list, Patrick elaborated on how senators like to get one of the earlier bill numbers because it signifies their bill is a shared priority of his office and has a greater chance of being passed.
He also explained that during his tenure as lieutenant governor, he has increased the number of priorities from 20 to 30, adding that there are many more issues needing to be addressed.
“I believe Texans support our priorities because they largely reflect the policies supported by the conservative majority of Texans,” Patrick stated in a press release. “Most will pass with bipartisan support.
“This session I could have used 50 low bill numbers because there are so many issues that need to be addressed,” Patrick said, explaining further, “Just because a bill does not make the priority list does not mean it is not a priority for me or the Senate. We will pass over 600 bills this session. As I like to say, every bill is a priority to someone, otherwise we would not pass it.”
The list of priority legislation includes:
- Senate Bill 1 – State Budget
- Senate Bill 2 – Restoring Voter Fraud to a Felony
- Senate Bill 3 – Increasing the Homestead Exemption to $70,000
- Senate Bill 4 – Adding Additional Property Tax Relief
- Senate Bill 5 – Increasing the Business Personal Property Tax Exemption
- Senate Bill 6 – Adding New Natural Gas Plants
- Senate Bill 7 – Continuing to Improve the Texas Grid
- Senate Bill 8 – Empowering Parental Rights – Including School Choice
- Senate Bill 9 – Empowering Teacher Rights – Teacher Pay Raise
- Senate Bill 10 – Adding 13th Checks for Retired Teachers
- Senate Bill 11 – Keeping Our Schools Safe and Secure
- Senate Bill 12 – Banning Children’s Exposure to Drag Shows
- Senate Bill 13 – Protecting Children from Obscene Books in Libraries
- Senate Bill 14 – Ending Child Gender Modification
- Senate Bill 15 – Protecting Women’s College Sports
- Senate Bill 16 – Banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Higher Education
- Senate Bill 17 – Banning Discriminatory “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) Policies in Higher Education
- Senate Bill 18 – Eliminating Tenure at General Academic Institutions
- Senate Bill 19 – Creating A New Higher Education Endowment Fund
- Senate Bill 20 – Removing District Attorneys Who Refuse to Follow Texas Law
- Senate Bill 21 – Removing Judges Who Refuse to Follow Texas Law
- Senate Bill 22 – Assisting Rural Law Enforcement Funding – Increasing Pay and Needed Equipment
- Senate Bill 23 – Creating A Mandatory 10-Year Prison Sentence for Criminals Committing Gun Crime
- Senate Bill 24 – Expanding Alternatives to Abortion
- Senate Bill 25 – Creating New Scholarships for Registered Nurses
- Senate Bill 26 – Expanding Mental Health Care Beds Across Texas – Focus on Rural Counties
- Senate Bill 27 – Creating A New Business Specialty Court
- Senate Bill 28 – Addressing Texas’ Future Water Needs
- Senate Bill 29 – Banning Local COVID-19 Mandates
- Senate Bill 30 – Supplemental Budget
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Matt Stringer
Matt Stringer is a reporter for The Texan who writes about all things government, politics, and public policy. He graduated from Odessa College with an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Leadership. In his free time, you will find him in the great outdoors, usually in the Davis Mountains and Big Bend region of Southwest Texas.
