My comments on a couple of bills that have passed the Texas House and are heading to the Senate. Bills have to be assigned to a Senate committee, have a hearing, pass out of committee and get to the Senate floor for passage. Only then can they get to Gov Abbott for signature to become law.
HB 4623:
relating to liability of public schools and professional school employees for certain acts or omissions involving students.
I’m shocked at how many times I’m reading about educators being arrested, put on paid or unpaid leave, or otherwise accused of sexually assaulting Texas children. Unfortunately, just like abuse of the elderly, too often these things go unreported or unaddressed. That means employees just move from district to district continuing the harm they’ve done in one place at another.
Y’all have the opportunity to stop this, to hold schools accountable for not handling these issues as soon as they come to the attention of school leadership.
Please get HB 4623 into the Senate process for approval ASAP so it can get to Gov Abbott’s desk for signature.
HB 3225:
relating to the restriction of access by minors to sexually explicit materials in municipal public library collections
Please affirmatively pass HB 3225 out of committee to a full vote of the Senate. Several of us went to the Bastrop Library a few months ago, pointing out to the library board sexually explicit books that were available in the teenage section. They were in a glass enclosed area, leading one to believe that parents could see what was there. But they were on the back shelves of a dual sided book shelf so unless one went into the room (as we did) there would be nothing leading one to believe these books were available to young teens. They would not let us read from the books at their meeting and have done nothing to remove them.
I was mayor of a town in NJ when computers first came into public libraries and successfully fought for controls on screens visible by the public. It was a tough battle, but we won and our children were safer for it. This is no different. Without parental consent (like actually buying such books for their children if they want them to have them) these types of materials should not be available for children.
SENATE BILLS IN THE HOUSE needing action:
SADLY, THE tEXAS HOUSE IS SITTING ON BILLS ALREADY PASSED BY THE SENATE.
The following bills have already passed the Texas Senate and are languishing in the Texas House. This is what happened in the last session. This is what many predicted would happen in this session as soon as Dustin Burrows was elected House Speaker. And, with the end of session looming and deadlines occurring, it is happening.
- SB 571 (Sen. Bettencourt) | Enhancing Transparency in Educator Misconduct Reporting
Status: Passed the Senate; scheduled for a House Public Education Committee hearing on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Details: This bill seeks to improve accountability by requiring schools to report educator misconduct (particularly related to student safety) in a transparent manner. Proposed amendments would mandate reporting suspected abuse to law enforcement within 48 hours and eliminate confidentiality clauses that could obscure incidents, addressing gaps in current reporting practices. - SB 13 (Sen. Paxton) – Enhancing Parental Oversight in School Libraries
Status: Passed the Senate; heard on May 6, 2025, and awaiting a vote out of the House Public Education Committee.
Details: This bill clarifies and strengthens current standards in public school libraries that will prohibit sexually explicit materials, indecent and profane content. It provides transparency and oversight measures that give parents a greater role in ensuring content is appropriate for their children. - SB 371 (Sen. Campbell) – Restoring Opt-In for Sex Education
Status: Passed the Senate; referred to the House Public Education Committee, awaiting a hearing.
Details: This bill requires parental consent (opt-in) for students to participate in sex education programs, ensuring parents have control over their children’s exposure to sensitive topics. It reverses opt-out systems that may assume participation unless parents object. A hearing is critical for this bill to progress before the session’s end. - SB 1224 (Sen. Sparks) – Mandatory Reporting of Educator Misconduct
Status: Passed the Senate; referred to the House Public Education Committee, awaiting a hearing.
Details: This bill mandates that school administrators report educator misconduct, such as abuse, to local law enforcement within 48 hours, with penalties (state jail felony) for non-compliance. - SB 240 (Sen. Middleton): Protecting Female-Only Spaces | Women’s Privacy Act
Status: Passed the Senate; referred to the House State Affairs Committee, where it has been awaiting a hearing since April 28!
Details: This bill aims to ensure the privacy and safety of female-only spaces, such as restrooms and locker rooms, by restricting access based on biological sex. - SB 12 (Sen. Creighton) – Strengthening Parental Rights (Needs Amendments)
Status: Passed the Senate; heard in the House Public Education Committee on May 13, 2025, awaiting a committee vote.
Details: SB 12 does so many great things, including banning public education DEI departments in grades Pre-K—12, restores parental opt-in for sex education, and prohibits discussions related to sexual orientation and gender. However, it has some flaws so several amendments have been proposed.
tracking priority bills
Here’s the list of priority bills and their status from the TexasGOP: https://texasgop.org/89th-lp-bill-list/
Other organizations have priority bill lists, so find an organization that reflects your priorities, and check the status of the bills they’re following. Be sure to comment NO to stop bills as well!