In the past few years LGBTQ+ people in Texas have faced increasing restrictions on private decisions, private actions, and private spaces. Defending the freedom to love, think, feel, and act according to our own conscience is a fight that is bigger than the queer community and requires people from all walks of life to step up. During the last legislative session Equality Texas stopped 96% of the 160 bills that would have restricted freedoms for LGBTQ+ Texans. With your help, we can continue to hold the line for freedom in the lone star state.

The life cycle of a bill: a bill is filed → referred to House/Senate committee → House/Senate hearing scheduled → pending in House/Senate committee → first House/Senate floor vote → second House/Senate floor vote → House/Senate passage → signed by the Governor. Bills have to go through both the House and the Senate to be enacted and if it is in the opposite chamber it originated in, it’s moved further along in the process. For example, if the bill originated in the House (ex HB 1), a status of “referred to Senate committee” is further along in the process than “House passage.”

If you would like to learn more about the bill process, keep an eye out for our next Regional Advocacy training on our events page.