From Sabrina T Brown Consulting
Status Report on Governor Abbott's, Lt. Governor Patrick's and Speaker Phelan's Priority Bills
May 10, 2021
Governor Greg Abbott’s Legislative Priorities:
Emergency Items:
- Expanding Rural Broadband Access – HB 5 by Chris Paddie (R-Marshall) and Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) - has passed House and Senate and is in conference committee
- Preventing Local Defunding of Police – SB 23 by Joan Huffman and HB 1900 by Craig Goldman – SB 23 has passed the Senate and been voted favorably (sub) from the House State Affairs Committee; HB 1900 has passed the House and been referred to the Senate Jurisprudence Committee
- Bail Reform – SB 21 by Joan Huffman (R-Houston); HB 20 by Andrew Murr (R-Junction); and HJR 4 by Kyle Kacal (R-College Station) – SB 21 has passed the Senate and been referred to the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee; HB 20 has passed the House and been referred to the Senate Jurisprudence Committee; HJR 4 is set on the House Calendar on May 11, 2021
- Election Integrity – SB 7 by Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) and Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) – Passed the Senate and House; is expected to go to conference committee
- Liability Protection from COVID-Related Lawsuits – SB 6 by Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) - Passed Senate; voted favorably (sub) from the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s Legislative Priorities:
A Safe & Secure Texas Future:
- SB 2 by Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) - ERCOT Reform – Passed Senate; pending in House State Affairs Committee
- SB 3 by Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown) - Power Grid Stability - Passed Senate; pending in House State Affairs Committee
- SB 5 by Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) - Statewide Broadband Access - Passed Senate; referred to the House State Affairs Committee; however, a similar bill, HB 5, is in a conference committee
- SB 7 by Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) - Election & Ballot Security - Passed Senate; passed House; will likely go to conference committee
- SB 15 by Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) - Ban Sale of Personal Data from Certain State Agencies - Passed Senate; set for hearing in House Transportation Committee on May 11, 2021
- SB 16 by Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) - Protect State-held Personal Data – referred to Senate Finance Committee; however, a similar bill SB 475 has passed the Senate and was heard and left pending in the House State Affairs Committee on May 10, 2021
- SB 21 by Joan Huffman (R-Houston) - Bail Reform - Passed Senate; referred to the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee
- SB 22 by Drew Springer (R-Muenster) - First Responders Pandemic Care Act - Passed Senate; voted favorably (sub) from the House Business & Industry Committee
- SB 23 by Joan Huffman (R-Houston) - Stop Local Police Defunding - Passed Senate; voted favorably (sub) from the House State Affairs Committee
- SB 24 by Joan Huffman (R-Houston) - Law Enforcement Transparency Act - Passed Senate; voted favorably (sub) from the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee
- SB 27 by Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) - Expand Virtual Learning Options – reported from (sub) the Senate Education Committee
- SB 28 by Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) - Charter School Equity Act - Passed Senate; pending in House Public Education Committee
Life, Liberty and Conservative Texas Values:
- SB 4 by Dawn Buckingham (R-Lakeway) - Star Spangled Banner Protection Act - Passed Senate; referred to the House State Affairs Committee
- SB 8 by Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) - The Heartbeat Bill - Passed Senate; passed the House
- SB 9 by Angela Paxton - Abortion Ban Trigger - Passed Senate; referred to House State Affairs Committee; the companion, HB 1280 has passed the House but has not been referred to committee in the Senate
- SB 12 by Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) - Protect Free Speech on Social Media - Passed Senate; referred to the House State Affairs Committee; the companion, HB 2587, was heard and left pending in the House State Affairs Committee
- SB 18 by Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) - Protect Second Amendment Businesses - Passed Senate; referred to the House State Affairs Committee; the companion, HB 1500, has passed the House but has not been referred to committee in the Senate
- SB 19 by Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown) - Stop Corporate Gun Boycotts - Passed Senate; reported favorably (sub) from the House State Affairs Committee
- SB 20 by Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) - Second Amendment Protections for Travelers - Passed Senate; reported favorably from the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee
- SB 25 by Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) - Family Nursing Home Visitation Rights - Passed Senate; reported favorably (sub) from the House Human Services Committee
- SB 26 by Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) - Protect Our Freedom to Worship - Passed Senate; referred to the House State Affairs Committee; the companion, HB 1239, was reported favorably (sub) from the Senate State Affairs Committee and recommended for the Local & Uncontested Calendar
- SB 29 by Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) - Fair Sports for Women & Girls - Passed Senate; voted favorably (sub) from the House Public Education Committee
- SB 30 by Royce West (D-Dallas) - Removing Racist Restrictions from Real Estate Deeds - Passed Senate; reported favorably (sub) from the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee
Protecting Taxpayers & the Texas Economy:
- SB 1 by Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) - State Budget – Passed Senate; passed House; in conference committee
- SB 6 by Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) - Pandemic Liability Protection Act - Passed Senate; voted favorably (sub) from the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee
- SB 10 by Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) - Stop Taxpayer Funded Lobbying - Passed Senate; referred to the House State Affairs Committee
- SB 13 by Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) - Oil and Gas Investment Protection – Passed Senate; passed House; on Senate Items Eligible Calendar
- SB 14 by Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) - Business Freedom & Uniformity Act - Passed Senate; voted favorably from the House State Affairs Committee
- SB 17 by Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) - Protect Texas Trucking – referred to Senate Transportation Committee; the companion, HB 19, has passed the House and is set for a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee on May 12, 2021
House Speaker Dade Phelan’s Legislative Priorities:
Strengthen the State's Electric Grid:
- HB 10 by Chris Paddie (R-Marshall) - Reforming ERCOT Leadership – Passed House; pending in the Senate Jurisprudence Committee
- HB 11 by Chris Paddie (R-Marshall) - Protecting Consumers and Hardening Facilities for Extreme Weather - Passed House; pending in the Senate Jurisprudence Committee
- HB 12 by Richard Raymond (D-Laredo) - Alerting Texans During Emergencies - Passed House; pending in the Senate Jurisprudence Committee
- HB 13 by Chris Paddie (R-Marshall) - Improving Coordination During Disasters - Passed House; pending in the Senate Jurisprudence Committee
- HB 14 by Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth) - Weatherizing Natural Gas Infrastructure - Passed House; set for a hearing in the Senate Jurisprudence Committee on May 13, 2021
- HB 16 by Ana Hernandez (D-Houston) - Defending Ratepayers - Passed House; passed Senate
- HB 17 by Joe Deshotel (D-Beaumont) - Protecting Homeowner Rights – Passed Senate; passed House; sent to the governor
Healthy Families, Healthy Texas:
Increasing Access to Care:
- HB 4 by Four Price (R-Amarillo) - Increasing Access to Telehealth and Telemedicine - Passed House; set for a hearing in the Senate Health & Human Services Committee on May 12, 2021
- HB 5 by Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) - Establishing Framework for Broadband Internet Expansion – Passed House; passed Senate; in conference committee
- HB 290 by Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio) - Reducing Red Tape for Children's Healthcare - Passed House; not referred to committee in the Senate
- HB 797 by Donna Howard (D-Austin) - Increasing Flexibility in Vaccine Delivery – Passed House; passed Senate; sent to the governor
Improving Health Outcomes:
- HB 15 by Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) - Establishing a Brain Institute of Texas - Passed House; referred to the Senate Health & Human Services Committee
- HB 18 by Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) - Lowering Drug Costs for the Uninsured - Passed House; referred to the Senate Health & Human Services Committee
- HB 133 by Toni Rose (D-Dallas) - Providing Greater Care for New Mothers - Passed House; referred to the Senate Health & Human Services Committee
- HB 4139 by Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) - Advancing Health Equity - Passed House; not referred to committee in the Senate
Increasing Affordability of Health Care:
- HB 2487 by Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) - Promoting Transparency in Hospital Pricing – left pending in the House Public Health Committee; the companion, SB 1137 has passed the Senate and been voted favorably (sub) from the House Public Health Committee
- HB 3752 by James Frank (R-Wichita Falls) - Increasing Health Coverage Options – Passed House; not referred to committee in the Senate
- HB 3923 and HB 3924 by Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) - Increasing Health Coverage Options – They have passed the House; not referred to committee in the Senate
Smarter Justice, Safer Texas:
Keeping Texans Safe:
- HB 20 by Andrew Murr (R-Junction) - Reforming Texas Bail System - Passed House; referred the Senate Jurisprudence Committee
- HJR 4 by Kyle Kacal (R-College Station) - Denying Bail for Violent Predators – Set on House Calendar on May 11, 2021
Restoring Public Trust:
- HB 8 by Leo Pacheco (D-San Antonio) - Requiring Electronic HR Records for Law Enforcement Agencies - Passed House; referred to the Senate Jurisprudence Committee
- HB 830 by Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) - Ending Arrest
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