Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Unveils 16-Bill Agenda for Texas Special Legislative Session

On Tuesday, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced the legislative agenda for the First Called Special Session of the 89th Texas Legislature. The agenda includes 16 Senate Bills (SB 1–16), each addressing a wide range of policy priorities from natural disaster recovery to education reform, taxation, and public safety. The legislation was filed by Republican and Democratic senators from across the state.

Among the top-priority items are SB 1, focused on natural disaster preparation and recovery, authored by Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock, and SB 2, a bill on flood emergency communications introduced by Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston. Additional proposals include SB 3 for Hill Country relief funding by Sen. Joan Huffman, and SB 4, a redistricting bill authored by Sen. Phil King of Weatherford.

The legislative package also includes measures on social and criminal issues. SB 5 would ban THC and was filed by Sen. Perry. SB 6 and SB 7, sponsored by Sens. Bryan Hughes and Mayes Middleton respectively, aim to strengthen restrictions for abortion access and designate sex-segregated private spaces . Other notable items include SB 8, which proposes eliminating the STAAR test, and SB 9, aimed at cutting property taxes, both filed by Sen. Paul Bettencourt.

Several bills also focus on governance and legal protections. These include SB 10 on protecting human trafficking victims, SB 11 concerning the Attorney General’s election powers, SB 12 to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, SB 13 to add water project incentives, SB 14 aimed to restrict police personnel records and SB 15, introduced by Sen. Royce West, to address title theft and deed fraud. The final bill, SB 16, a judicial omnibus package, is also sponsored by Sen. Hughes. With this agenda, Lt. Gov. Patrick has signaled a robust and varied legislative push during the special session.

This 16-bill agenda reflects an effort to address the broader set of 18 priority items recently outlined by Governor Greg Abbott for the Special Session. As the legislative process unfolds, close attention will be needed to track how lawmakers refine, advance, or expand these proposals in the days ahead, shaping outcomes that could significantly impact Texans across the state.