This week we kept a close eye on movements in both the Texas Senate and House. As we mentioned in our last update, the Senate State Affairs committee, despite overwhelming opposition in the hearing, voted to move the transgender sports ban, SB 29 (R- Perry) to the next step in the legislative process. We’re now waiting to see when Senator Perry will put it on the Senate Intent Calendar. Once it’s on the Intent Calendar, it will be eligible for debate on the floor.

Ask your Senator to oppose SB 29 now and then record it as video testimony.

Meanwhile in the Texas House, Republican freshman Representative Bryan Slaton has made three separate attempts to add an amendment banning best practice, evidence-based transition care for transgender youth to completely unrelated bills. While explaining his amendment, Representative Slaton spread the same dangerous misinformation about transition care that is in HB 68 (R – Toth) and the five other bans on affirming healthcare filed this session. A big thank you to Representatives Senfronia Thompson, Victoria Neave, and Joe Moody for halting these insidious attacks.

In other issues, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick took aim at businesses who opposed harmful voter suppression bills in the Senate, calling them “corporations who don’t share our values.” He chastised them not only their opposition to SB 7, but also for their actions standing up for transgender Texans during the bathroom bill in 2017. According to the Public Religion Research Institute, 70% of Texans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Texans.

Week in Review

This week Equality Texas coordinated in-person and written testimony for the following hearings:

• HB 3940 (R – Cain) would permit attorneys to refuse service, without losing their license, to anyone including the LGBTQ+ community, if that individual violates a “sincerely held religious belief” of the licensee.
• HB 2045 (D – Lopez) would create of a task force of 10 people to evaluate the housing needs of senior citizens who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning and to develop potential housing solutions to address those needs and provide safe, affordable housing options to those senior citizens.
• HB 191 (D – Bernal) would prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression and updates language to enforce that prohibition.

Bill Movements and New Developments

These are some upcoming opportunities for action:

• HB 198 (D – Gonzalez. M) Romeo & Juliet Bill Update (click here to learn more about this issue)
• HB 832 & HB 833 (D – Thompson) George Floyd Act
• HB 1014 (D – Bucy) — suicide prevention in schools

There are fewer than 60 days of session remaining. Thank you for following along every step of the way.