BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick released the first round of priority bills on Wednesday that the Senate will take up this legislative session.
These priority bills cover the issues Lt. Gov. Patrick has identified as the most important issues facing the state that requires the most urgent action.
The smaller the number of the bill, typically the higher of a priority it is.
First on the list, SB 1, is always the budget bill. This is the only piece of legislation state lawmakers are required to pass.
The first 25 of the lieutenant governor’s 40 priority bills for the Texas Senate are listed below:
SB1: Senate’s Budget for TexasSB2: Providing School ChoiceSB3: Banning THC in TexasSB4: Increasing the Homestead Exemption to $140,000 ($150,000 for seniors)SB5: Combatting Alzheimer’s – Establishing DPRIT (Dementia Prevention & Research Institute of Texas)SB6: Increasing Texas’ Electric Grid ReliabilitySB7: Increasing Investments in Texas’ Water SupplySB8: Requiring Local Law Enforcement to Assist the Federal Government’s Deportation EffortsSB9: Reforming Bail – Keeping Violent Criminals Off Our StreetsSB10: Placing the Ten Commandments in SchoolSB11: Protecting the Freedom to Pray in SchoolSB12: Establishing a Parental Bill of Rights in Public EducationSB13: Guarding Against Inappropriate Books in Public SchoolsSB14: Texas DOGE – Improving Government EfficiencySB15: Removing Barriers to Affordable HousingSB16: Stopping Non-Citizens from VotingSB17: Stopping Foreign Adversaries’ Land GrabsSB18: Stopping Drag Time Story HourSB19: Stopping Taxpayer Dollars for LobbyistsSB20: Stopping AI Child PornographySB21: Establishing the Texas Bitcoin ReserveSB22: Establishing Texas as America’s Film CapitalSB23: Removing the Cap on the Rainy Day Fund to Secure Texas’ Long-term Financial FutureSB24: Educating Texas Students on the Horrors of CommunismSB25: Making Texas Healthy Again
As a result of SB1 being reserved for the budget, SB2 is usually reserved for the highest priority issue. In the 2025 biennium, it’s school vouchers.
Over the years, SB2 has been reserved for tax reform, addressing illegal voting, and strengthening the power grid.
Senate Bill 2 issues over the five most recent regular legislative sessions.(KBTX)
However, just because a bill is designated as a top priority does not mean it is guaranteed to pass.
School vouchers may be at the top of the list for the 89th Texas Legislature, but the lieutenant governor’s next highest priority was one many were not expecting.
Senate Bill 3 looks to ban all THC products in the state.
KBTX spoke with Alex Aguilar, the owner of Elevated CBD + Smoke Shop, who said it’s a worrying sign for their business. This shop sells Delta-8 THC products, which would be subject to the ban.
“I hope, for our sake and our customers’ sake, that this is just something that’s another bump in the road and we push on through and they actually sit back and say, ‘you know what? Let’s listen to what the public wants,’“ Aguilar said.
The commercial sale of hemp products was legalized in Texas in 2019 as an agricultural measure. The law also allows for the sale of consumable hemp products as long as the THC concentration is less than 0.3%.
Lt. Gov. Patrick has said those products are hazardous and ‘unregulated,’ and banning them is a matter of health and safety.
Aguilar disagreed, saying, “We’ve seen the complete opposite. We’ve been in business for seven years. We’ve seen the complete opposite of what our industry is. We’ve seen the beautiful side of it. We’ve seen what it does, who it helps.”
Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller stood in support of keeping commercial hemp legal, as well as expanding access to medical marijuana for those in need.
Despite this, Commissioner Miller said he’s not going to come out against SB3 because of his stance against what he called ‘recreational retail marijuana.’
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These priority bills cover the issues Lt. Gov. Patrick has identified as the most important issues facing the state that require the most urgent action. Read More
