Bills List: Parental Rights and Educational Freedom
The Montgomery County Republican Party’s Legislative Committee monitors Legislative Priority bills and sends emails to keep you informed when action is needed. Subscribe today by clicking below!
Priority Bills Passed:
SB 17 - Signed into law, becomes effective Jan. 1. Prohibits universities from using tax dollars to push Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices which have resulted in increased polarization and racism. Montgomery County Legislators - Authors: Senators Creighton and Kolkhorst. Coauthor: Senator Bettencourt.
SB 29 - Signed into law, becomes effective Sept. 1. Relating to prohibited governmental entity implementation or enforcement of a vaccine mandate, mask requirement, or private business or school closure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Montgomery County Legislators - Coauthors: Senators Bettencourt, Creighton, and Kolkhorst.
HB 2012 - Signed into law, becomes effective immediately. Relating to the display of the national motto in public school and institution of higher education classrooms. Montgomery County Legislators - Author: Representative Metcalf. Cosponsor: Senator Kolkhorst.
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Bills that passed both the House & Senate.
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Update: Passed the Senate, postponed during House floor vote on May 19, passed House on May 22, sent to the Governor on May 29, signed into law, becomes effective Jan. 1, 2024.
SB 17 - Relating to the purpose of public institutions of higher education and the powers and duties of the governing boards of those institutions. (Seeks to prohibit universities from using tax dollars to push Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices which have resulted in increased polarization and racism.)
Authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton & Sen. Kolkhorst.
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SB 29 - by Sen. Birdwell. Prohibits public schools and other government entities from enforcing a vaccine or mask mandate to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
This is a Republican Party of Texas Priority Bill.
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Updates:
HB 2012 - Passed the House, passed Senate Education Committee, recommended for Local & Uncontested Calendar on 05/12, passed the Senate on 05/17. Sent to Governor on 05/22, signed into law, becomes effective immediately.
HB 2012 (Oliverson) - Would extend the Display of National Motto law to ensure a teacher is permitted to hang our national motto in his/her classroom.
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Update: Sent to House Calendars on 05/02.
Why would our public schools be surreptitiously surveying your children about their thoughts, feelings, beliefs and opinions? Why would they do that without your knowledge or consent?
Maybe you should ask your child, if they have been subjected to such an experience. Testimony on this topic indicated that some of the questions were quite shocking. HB 1149 by Representative Valoree Swanson of District 150 is intended to put a stop to that practice absent parental approval and it was just received by the Calendars Committee to schedule a floor vote.
If you care about this practice, let your state representative know. -
Update: Let pending in House Public Education Committee on 04/20/23.
When did our schools stop being about reading, writing, arithmetic, history and science and start being about what our kids should think and what they should feel? Schools were once a reflection of our local communities and their needs. When did we lose that control?
HB 1804 leaves something to be desired, but it moves some of that control back to our State Board of Education from a woke federal bureaucracy. Of course, that has been problematic, too. But we have a better chance of pushing back on state officials than federal ones and this legislation proposes standards for how that may be done.
It will require materials are to be FREE FROM:
1. factual errors
2. blatantly offensive language or illustrations and encouraging lifestyles that deviate from the generally accepted standards of society.
It will:
1. distinguish theory from fact
2. be suitable for the subject and grade level
2. be reviewed by experts
3. represent scientific theory in an objective manner
4. include evidence for both scientific strengths and weaknesses
5. if violence appears, be in context and not for unwholesome sensationalismIt is a shame it has come to the point that we must legislate what is appropriate to teach our children, but here we are. It is a start.
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Update: Passed the Senate, scheduled for public hearing in House Public Education Committee on 05/15/23, left pending in committee on 05/15.
SB 8 - Texas Parental Bill of Rights: Relating to public education, including parental rights and public school responsibilities regarding instructional materials and the establishment of an education savings account program.
Authored by Senator Brandon Creighton (SD 4), Senator Paul Bettencourt (SD 7) is a co-author.
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Update: Left pending in Senate Education Committee on 03/22/23.
SB 176 - This is the Republican Party of Texas’s approved bill for School Choice.
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Update: Passed the Senate, referred to House Public Education Committee on 05/04/23, passed out of committee without amendments on 05/18, sent to Calendars on 05/20, placed on House General State Calendar for 05/23.
What would you think if you learned, after the fact, that your child had been subjected to psychological or psychiatric testing or treatment at their school? What thoughts would go through your head? Why did they find it necessary? What exactly did they test for? What did the treatment consist of? And the big one…. Why did no discuss it with me?
These are only some of the questions encompassed by a bill SB 595 by Senator Lois Kolkhorst. When we look at the indoctrination of our children in schools, we find there are many methods and many moving parts that must be addressed.
This bill would require parental consent for testing designed to elicit information regarding ‘an attitude, habit, trait, opinion, belief, feeling or mental disorder, regardless of the manner in which it is gathered, even if it is characterized as a survey, check-in, screening or embedded in an academic less. -
Update: Passed the Senate, referred to House Public Education Committee on 05/10.
What would you do if your child had been the target of abuse by a school employee? And what if you could not afford the expense of pulling your child from the school to sent them to a private school?
This bill would allow the student to transfer to another school district campus or receive funds for private or home school, if the student was enrolled in the school district and the employee is either convicted or placed on deferred adjudication community supervision or if the employee is a subject of a report based on evidence of misconduct.
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Update: Passed the Senate, referred to House Public Education Committee on 04/28/23.
SJR 29 - Authored by Senator Paxton, coauthored by Senators Bettencourt, Creighton, and Middleton.
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Update: Passed the Senate, referred to House State Affairs Committee on 04/28/23.
Who would have ever thought it would come to this? And yet, here we are in need of a constitutional amendment protecting our fundamental right to raise our own children.
SJR 70 is submitted by Senator Bryan Hughes of District 1.
It proposes to amend the Texas Constitution to add:
“(a) fundamental right of parents to raise children. The liberty of a parent to direct the upbringing of the parent's child is a fundamental right. This includes: direct care, custody, control, education, moral and religious training and medical care.
(b) the state or political subdivision of this state shall not interfere with the rights of a parent described by subsection unless the interference is:
(1) essential to further a compelling governmental interest; and
(2) narrowly tailored to accomplish that compelling governmental interest.
If passed, it will be on the ballot on November 7, 2023.
Click here to view bills filed by your state legislators during the 88th Texas Legislative Session, and to look up how your legislators voted on issues important to you.
Senator Brandon Creighton (SD 4)
(512) 463-0104 (Austin Office)
(281) 292-4128 (District Office)
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Senator Paul Bettencourt (SD 7)
(512) 463-0107 (Austin Office)
(713) 464-0282 (District Office)
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Senator Lois Kolkhorst (SD 18)
(512) 463-0118 (Austin Office)
(979) 251-7888 (District Office)
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Rep. Cecil Bell (HD 3)
(512) 463-0650 (Austin office)
(281) 259-3700 (District office)
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Rep. Steve Toth (HD 15)
(512) 463-0797 (Austin office)
(346) 220-0300 (District office)
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Rep. Will Metcalf (HD 16)
(512) 463-0726 (Austin office)
(936) 539-0068 (District office)
Send an email
Rep. Ernest Bailes (HD 18)
(512) 463-0570 (Austin office)
(936) 628-6687 (District office)
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