Senate District 1

READ MY TOP PICKS

HB 20 (87R) Social Media Censorship Bill

HB 20 prohibits social media platforms with over 50 million users from removing account holders for "viewpoint discrimination." Banned users can sue for reinstatement or have the Texas attorney general sue on their behalf. If they are successful in the lawsuit, the social media platform must pay the account holders‘ attorney fees.

SB 1446 ESG

SB 1446 would ensure that Texas public retirement system assets are invested based solely on financial factors and not for social, political, or ideological interests. The bill also requires public notice with respect to how a proxy advisor will cast a vote on behalf of state retirement funds. Certain investment relationships also must be disclosed so that retirement system members know how their pension shares of are being used to influence corporate decisions. SB 1446 helped give Texas a voice in the national debate over harmful ESG investment practices. I will continue to work to see that such legislation is enacted into law.

SB 12 Drag Queen Bill

SB 12 is common sense legislation to protect kids from sexually explicit performances, including drag shows. The bill prohibits commercial establishments from having a sexually oriented performance in the presence of a child and authorizes the Attorney General to enforce this provision. In addition, the bill prohibits sexually oriented performances on public property when children are or may be present. No child should be exposed to a drag show. Such performances in front of a child have nothing to do with the freedom of speech or expression. SB 12 carefully defines explicit behavior to stop these performances and protect kids.

SB 490 Medical Billing

SB 490 requires that a medical provider send an itemized bill prior to collecting money from the patient. The bill must include a detailed list of each medical service provided, the amount the provider will accept as payment in full for that service, and a plain language description of the service.

HB 19 Business Courts

HB 19 creates a business trial court employing judges and staff with special expertise in business law. Business court judges have specific jurisdictional parameters and are aligned with the state’s Administrative Judicial Regions. This bill will support the Texas economy by streamlining the resolution of complex business disputes and giving businesses greater confidence in the state’s legal system.

Senate District 4

read my top picks

SB 17: Banning DEI at Texas Public Universities

• Ending required political loyalty oaths

• Banning 'diversity trainings'

• Closing DEI offices

HB 2127: Texas Regulatory Consistency Act

• Preventing liberal city councils from passing job killing regulations

• Giving Texas small businesses the predictability they need to grow and invest

SB 8/ HB 100: Finally bringing school choice to Texas families!

• $8k Education Savings Accounts

• **Only Passed the Senate**

Senate District 5

read my top picks

SB 2627 - Strengthens the Texas electric grid by encouraging the construction, maintenance, modernization, and operation of dispatchable electric generation facilities through low-interest loans. In November, Texans overwhelmingly approved Proposition 7, The Texas Energy Fund, which will fund these crucial projects.

SB 2013 - Hardens the security of the Texas power grid and puts in place necessary protections to prevent exposure from cyber or physical attacks by hostile foreign powers.

HB 2837 - Prohibits the misuse of payment card processing systems to surveil, report, or otherwise discourage constitutionally protected firearm and ammunition purchases.

HB 5066 - Ensures that the Permian Basin has the electricity infrastructure needed to continue producing oil and gas, which will help boost our economy and promote energy independence.

Senate District 7

read my top picks

SB 2 & SB 3: Record 18 Billion Dollars of Property Tax Relief

Increased Texas homestead exemption to $100,000 on 5.72 million Texas homeowner’s ISD property tax bills effective on this year’s property tax bill and approved a “catch-up” for over-65 and disabled for the $15,000 homestead exemption increase adjustment from the May 2022 state-wide election. Plus, a huge 18% decrease in the M&O property tax rate compression which comes out to approximately $12.7 Billion of savings. This “Texas Two-Step” created a savings of $1200/yr for homesteaded property taxpayers and $1450/yr for over-65 and disabled! Three county citizens were elected county-wide in May of 2024 to join each County Appraisal Districts (CAD board) of directors in non-partisan positions. The elected CAD board of directors will now help select Appraisal Review Board (ARB) members in each county with 75,000 population or greater.

Approved non-homesteaded real property valued at $5 million and under to receive a 20%

circuit-breaker on appraised value increases as a 3-year pilot project. The constitutional circuit breaker will sunset Dec. 31, 2026, however, the constitutional fund set up to fund SB 2’s property tax cut will remain evergreen.

SB 3 increased the franchise tax threshold amount from $1.235 million to $2.47 million, which has the effect of removing 67,000 small and mid sized businesses from the paying this tax. Additionally, removed the burdensome administrative requirement of having to file a No-Tax-Due return, thereby by saving business owners time and money.

SB 1750: Give Elections back to the Elected Officials in Harris County

Elections in Texas counties with large populations face several issues, such as limited oversight of election administrators, the potential concentration of power in the hands of a few individuals, and the need for election officials to be more available and accountable to the voters. For example, in 2022, there was an actual documented undersupply of ballot paper by the then Harris County election administrator caused polling place to run out of ballots on election day. This caused unprecedented voter suppression on a wide scale in the nation’s 3rd largest county. The unelected Harris County elections administrator resigned following delays in releasing vote counts and an announcement that her office needed to enter around 10,000 mail-in ballots into the election night count.

S.B. 1750 resolved these issues by abolishing the county elections administrator position in a county with a population of more than 3.5 million and transferring the administrator’s powers and duties to the county tax assessor-collector and county clerk, who are elected positions.

SB 2038: Let Taxpayers Leave City ETJs Statewide

Senator Paul Bettencourt passed, SB 2038, that’s making a positive real difference for property owners! For decades, in some cases, landowners have been subject to city regulations through Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, ETJ, and subject to possible regulation and annexation without any elected representation or recourse. This has kept commercial landowners and many residential sub-divisions in a state of limbo, that they’ll never get any elected municipal representation if needed but can’t go back to being just a

part of the county they live in! Until now that is, with the use of SB 2038!

Example: Tesla used SB 2038, to shed Austin’s city oversight of its factory featured in the Houston Chronicle.

You can see in the story an Austin City Map where the city boundaries are hop-scotched all over Travis County. At the same time, Harris County Residents deal with that daily with the rivets of City Houston Annexations throughout North West Harris County. (They annexed commercial businesses, malls, etc. bypassing residential voters!)

So individual landowners and subdivisions can use a petition process to be released, all designed to let landowners decide what representation they want in the future versus being held for years and years in City ETJs!

Senate District 8

READ MY TOP PICKS

SB 13 / HB 900: Protecting children from explicit materials in our school libraries

• We passed HB 900 to removing explicit materials from our school libraries.

• Before this law, some of our Texas public schools had pornography on our shelves - we wi not stand for that!

• This law in effect now and all schools must comply.

HB 1181 / SB 2021: Age Verification for Pornography Online

• There have always been laws restricting minors from purchasing pornography. For example, you must be over 18 to purchase a pornographic magazine from a store.

• These same protections were not applied online, and therefore our children had very few safeguards protecting them from pornographic websites.

• Now, any pornographic websites that want to operate in Texas must verify the age of their users!

SJR 29: Constitutional Amendment establishing a Parent’s Right to Direct their Child’s Education

• Children belong to their parents, NOT the government.

• We, as parents, have a fundamental right to be in control of our own children’s education.

• Parental empowerment is of the utmost importance to me, and to the Texas Senate.

• The Texas House would not even hear this bill.

Senate District 10

read my top picks

Electricity:

· SB 947: Protecting our grid; creating new criminal offensives for attacking the grid that results in a power outage.

Reigning in Rogue Prosecutors:

· SB 1516: Requires habeas corpus applications to be filed, heard, and ruled on in a court in the county in which the felony or misdemeanor case is pending. Not allowing venue shopping and wasting taxpayer dollars on transporting habeas applicants across the state.

Anti-ESG Legislation:

· SB 833: Prohibiting insurance companies from using ESG in setting rates.

Anti-BDS Legislation:

· SB 1517: Prohibiting academic boycotts by higher education campuses; this also included a budget rider.

Border Security:

· SB 1518: Creating new category for terroristic offenses and national terrorism registry. $5.1 million for Terrorism Registry adopted in budget.

Senate District 11

read my top picks

SB 15: Save Women’s Sports Act

SB 15, Save Women’s Sports Act

The Save Women’s Sports Act, which was signed into law, helps ensure that hard-earned victories, athletic records, spots on teams, scholarships, and name, image, likeness sponsorship for women athletes in college are protected by requiring that athletes in Texas public institutions of higher education do not compete on the team that is designated for the biological sex opposite of the student athlete’s biological sex.

SB 175: Ban Taxpayer Funded Lobbying Act

The Ban Taxpayer Funded Lobbying Act, will ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying in Texas. Taxpayer-funded lobbying is the use of public funds by political subdivisions for registered Austin lobbyists. The bill passed the senate but stalled out in the House.

Senate District 12

read my top picks

America’s Border Security Compact

Requires the governor of Texas to create an interstate border security compact, which allows participating states to collaborate, sharing vital resources and information to enhance their capacity to address the crisis and finish constructing the southern border wall. Texas is committed to leading the charge and offering the necessary backing to secure our border.

Centennial Parks Investment

The Centennial Parks Investment Fund is a $1 billion commitment to generations of Texans to come, who hunt, fish, and enjoy the great Texas outdoors that they, too, will have beautiful spaces to explore, appreciate and protect. With new state parks closer to major metro areas, this fund serves as an investment, not just in Texas land, but in the quality of life for Texans- families, enthusiasts, children, and sportsmen alike.

Texas 1836 Project: Preservation of Texas History

The 1836 Project places the highest of priorities on the history of Texas so that new Texans arriving here each day can learn our incredible heritage. Each new Texan receiving a driver's license will also soon receive the incredible story of valor, bravery, and sacrifice that happened before, during, and after 1836 to secure and protect individual rights and freedoms through a storyline called Texas. This project also supports the deployment of Texas history exhibits annually across all 254 Texas counties.

Senate District 17

read my top picks

Conservative Budget

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Huffman led the Senate’s efforts to pass a conservative budget that meets the needs of our growing state, while keeping an eye on the future.

• $17.6 billion to combat skyrocketing property taxes – the largest property tax cut in Texas history.

• $5.1 billion for border security – the most in Texas history – including funds for a new border force.

• $3.4 billion for a cost-of-living adjustment for Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) retirees and $1.6 billion for one-time supplemental payments for certain TRS retirees.

• $1.4 billion for school safety measures – the most in Texas history.

HB 6 – Combatting Fentanyl

• House Bill 6 increases the penalty for manufacturing or delivery of less than 1 gram of fentanyl from a state jail felony to a third-degree felony to close the “one-pill scenario”.

• The bill includes an additional prosecutorial tool by adding that a person commits the offense of murder if the person knowingly manufactures or delivers fentanyl, and as a result, an individual dies from the consumption of that substance.

• Fentanyl is flooding over the border and killing our unsuspecting citizens at a horrifying rate. We must act now.

HB 17 – Removing Rogue DA’s

• holds elected prosecutors accountable and prohibits the refusal to prosecute offenses. The bill clarifies that the policy or practice of refusing to prosecute a class or type of offence constitutes official misconduct for the purposes of removal from office.

SB 379 – Feminine Hygiene Tax Exemption

• Senate Bill 379 provides a sale and use tax exemption for wound care dressings, adult and children’s diapers, baby wipes and bottles, feminine hygiene products, maternity clothing, and breast milk pumping products.

• It will help Texans by alleviating part of the financial burden they have when purchasing some of the essential products they need to take care of their families.

Senate District 18

read my top picks

1. Senator Kolkhorst is taking action against illegal immigration by requiring the use of E-Verify by all employers in Texas. This will protect jobs for legal workers and prevent the hiring of illegal aliens. Republican voters overwhelmingly approved this as Proposition 3 in the March primary election. Previously, this bill was filed last session as SB 1621 and now with a positive response by voters, fellow lawmakers must see the importance of passing this law.

2. Senator Kolkhorst is leading the charge to see that Texas bans the sale of Texas land and natural resources to citizens, governments, and entities from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Last session, she made national news as she fought for sweeping state and national security protections with the Senate’s passage of SB 147, a bill that ultimately died in the Texas House. Next session, she will be back again to protect our farmland, oil and gas, timber and rare earth materials, as these should not be owned by a foreign nation classified as hostile by the US Director of National Intelligence. On the Republican Primary ballot earlier this year, wording similar to SB 147 was presented as Proposition 13 and received an overwhelming 94% approval from voters.

3. Senator Kolkhorst is promoting a culture of life with pro-family legislation in the wake of the historic Dobbs Decision. With the passage last session of SB 24, our state will provide more resources for mothers during their pregnancy and postpartum, and coordinate services promoting a healthy pregnancy, childbirth, and family formation. The Thriving Texas Families Act will build stronger family support under one umbrella, reaching more Texas women and children!

4. Senator Kolkhorst has delivered major election reform with SB 545 - a new law passed last session to update voter rolls and remove dead voters. This ensures election integrity by making it much harder for ballot harvesters and protects the dignity of deceased Texans.

5. Senator Kolkhorst put families ahead of government and school administrators by writing SB 595, to make sure schools get permission from parents before they do any psychological or mental health testing.

6. Senator Kolkhorst has demanded that the Texas Legislature officially declare an Invasion at the Border. She wrote SCR 23 last session to see that Texas steps up when our federal government stands down. Our collapsing border is seeing record inflows of illegal immigrants, encouraged and enabled by the Biden Administration. That’s why we must declare foreign drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and clearly declare that Texas citizens are in danger of irreparable harm. While SCR 23 passed the Texas Senate 30-1, it failed in the Texas House.

7. Senator Kolkhorst passed SB 944 to empower parents and guardians of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This means that parents of our most fragile children will be able to secure admission to our state’s SSLC facilities.

Senate District 22

read my top picks

SB 29 - Ban on Local COVID Restrictions

Senate Bill 29 prohibits any state entity, state agency, or local governmental entity from implementing, ordering, or otherwise imposing a mandate to prevent the spread of COVID-19 that would require an individual to wear a mask or other face covering, require a person to be vaccinated against COVID-19, or require the closure of a private business, public or private school, or open-enrollment charter school. At the beginning of the legislative session, the Lieutenant Governor announced his legislative priorities which consisted of senate bill numbers 1-30. I am honored to have been trusted with stewarding this piece of important legislation through the legislative process.

SB 602 – Border Patrol Law Enforcement Authority (Signed 5/24, Effective 9/1)

SB 602 grants a U.S. Border Patrol Agent the powers of a Texas peace officer to arrest and conduct search and seizure for felony offenses under Texas law at ports of entry or border patrol traffic checkpoints incident to federal detainment. In addition, this bill requires DPS to develop and provide a training program to border patrol agents, which will provide knowledge on law enforcement policies and procedures for state criminal laws. During the 2021 – 2022 interim, senior leadership within the Border Patrol stationed in Texas requested this authority and worked with me to pass this legislation. Prior to this legislation passing, 15 other federal agencies were authorized to carry out the power to arrest, detain, or search individuals suspected of felony offenses.

SB 784 - Greenhouse Emission Preemption (Effective 9/1/2023)

SB 784 provides that, to the extent not preempted by federal law, the State has exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in Texas. Greenhouse gas regulation cannot be piecemeal in the state of Texas. Texas businesses and individuals need regulatory certainty from the State and the appropriate regulator, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

SB 1017 – Fuel Choice (Signed by the Governor 5/13/23; Takes effect 9/1/23)

SB 1017 prevents political subdivisions in Texas from adopting or enforcing any regulation that prohibits or restricts the use, sale, or lease of an engine based on its fuel source. The bill ensures that a political subdivision can still adopt or enforce regulations relating to an engine that does not effectively prohibit or restrict the engine and is not preempted by state or federal law. There has been a growing number of cities across the nation, including several in Texas, looking to ban gas powered lawn equipment being used by private citizens and/or businesses. Texans deserve the right to make choices for what is right for their homes and businesses. Policies that mandate a single energy source for their homes and businesses take away choices and raises prices for all customers.

SB 1893 – TikTok (Signed by the Governor Effective Sept. 1st.)

The mobile application TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance who employs members of the Chinese Communist Party and has a subsidiary partially owned by the Chinese Communist Party. Currently, there are more than 85 million TikTok users in the United States. TikTok harvests vast amounts of data from its users’ devices—including when, where, and how they conduct internet activity—and offers this plethora of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government. While TikTok has said that it stores U.S. data within the U.S., the company admitted in a letter to Congress that China-based employees can have access to U.S. data. SB 1893 requires Texas governmental entities to adopt a policy prohibiting the installation or use of prohibited applications – specifically TikTok or any other application owned or developed by ByteDance Limited - on any device owned or leased by the governmental entity.

SB 1900 – Foreign Terrorist Organizations (Signed 6/9, Effective 9/1)

SB 1900 adds foreign terrorist organizations to the organized crime designation and creates new criminal offenses relating to their operations. In addition, law enforcement agencies will be able to build stronger cases against them with access to more resources and the addition of foreign terrorist organizations to intelligence databases. The House added two amendments to the bill that addresses the dangers posed by criminal organizations by establishing a punishment enhancement for using or exhibiting a deadly weapon during organized criminal activity and expands current law relating to the prosecution of the offenses of sedition to increase the punishment for conspiracy to commit an offense to the same as committing the offense.

SJR 35 – Non-Citizen Voting (Failed to pass 3rd reading in the House)

SJR 35 proposes a constitutional amendment clarifying that non citizens of the United States may not vote in any election within the State of Texas. Should this bill affirmatively pass the legislature, the proposed constitutional amendment shall be submitted to Texas voters as a ballot proposition.

Senate District 24

read my top picks

HB 4635: Texas Racketeering Act (Texas RICO)

• This bill, is a nod to the Federal RICO statute.

• Creates new civil and criminal penalties relating to organized crime, racketeering activities, and collection of unlawful debts.

• Sets out to strengthen the legal tools in gathering evidence and enhances sanctions for those engaged in organized crime.

• By targeting their financial assets, Texas can aggressively prosecute criminals and safeguard Texas communities.

SB 4 (88RS3): Enhanced Penalties for Smuggling and Stash Houses

• SB 4 amends the Penal Code to increase punishment for smuggling, continuous smuggling, and stash house operations.

• Standard penalties for smuggling and continuous smuggling are now a minimum of 10 years imprisonment, with minor exceptions.

• Escalates and provides consecutive sentencing for certain offenses committed while smuggling persons.

• This is a crucial step in safeguarding innocent lives, dismantling smuggling operations, and ensuring that those profiting from such activities face appropriate punishment.

SB 1852: ALERRT

• ALERRT, based at Texas State in San Marcos, is the FBI-endorsed national standard for active shooter response training.

• Even though ALERRT is considered the Gold Standard it is not currently required in the Basic Peace Officer Training Course.

• SB 1852 adds 16 hours of active shooter training to the basic training course and requires all officers in Texas to get this training once every two years as part of their continuing education requirement.

• This will enhance our law enforcement officers’ abilities to serve and protect our State.

Senate District 25

read my top picks

Senate Bill 14:

Senate Bill 14 prohibits a licensed physician or other applicable health care provider from knowingly performing procedures and providing treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria for children younger than 18 years of age in Texas.

Senate District 28

read my top picks

Senate Bill 4

Senate Bill 4 was authored by Senator Charles Perry in the Senate and Rep. David Spiller in the House,and passed during the fourth special session in November.

It allows Texas law enforcement officers to arrest and deport migrants suspected of crossing the Mexico border illegally.

It is not an immigration bill, it is about the ability of the states to defend themselves. It does not challenge the supremacy clause, on the contrary, it acknowledges the constitutional remedy allowing states to defend themselves when the federal government fails its obligation under the supremacy clause to protect this nation.

It is very clear the states have the right to defend themselves, and that is the heart of Senate Bill 4.

Senate Bill 28

Senate Joint Resolutions SJR 75/Proposition 6 passed in November 2023

Senate Bill 28 created the Texas Water Fund and a New Water Supply Fund that will target water supply projects for the future of Texas over the next 10 years.

It created $1billion in funding to invest in the future water supply of our great state and provide funding for aging infrastructure and supply.

The fund allows for desalination projects including marine, brackish, and produced water; water from other regions of the country; and new technologies with the potential to create large volumes of water.

It has been and will always be my passion to find new water supply for our growing state and existing industry. Senate Bill 28 is the beginning of the solution to solve one of Texas’s biggest challenges.

Senate District 30

read my top picks

SB 22 "Rural Law Enforcement":

This bill establishes a salary assistance grant program to support professional law enforcement throughout the state. It specifically benefits sheriff and constable offices, as well as prosecutor's offices in qualified rural counties, by providing financial assistance.

SB 129 "Caleb's Law":

This legislation updates the criminal code regarding child pornography, which has not been revised since 1989. It introduces penalty enhancements based on the number of visual depictions possessed and for offenses committed by employees at specific child-care, residential, or youth-related facilities, and for those receiving state funds for the care of the depicted child.

SB 923 "Fund Undocumented K-12":

The bill requires the federal government to reimburse the state for the education of any undocumented child attending a Texas public school.

Senate District 31

read my top picks

SB 593: Requires a third party assessment of child welfare regulations in order to streamline them to promote child safety and remove barriers to entry for both high quality providers and foster or adoptive families.

HB 63: Eliminated anonymous CPS reporting and instead took all reports to a privileged confidential status.

HB 1038: Increases transparency in state lending and credit report programs by requiring a detailed biennial report to be posted publicly on the Bond Review Board website.