Slew of Conservative Bills Die Over Patrick Blunder

A late-night blunder by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday allowed Senate Democrats to kill a host of conservative bills on Thursday, including one bill that had been a top priority for the state Republican Party, according to the Quorum Report.

Patrick, who presides over the Legislature’s conservative upper chamber, concluded floor debate on Wednesday evening by adjourning the body, rather than recessing it. When he gaveled the Senate back in this morning, the only way to pass Wednesday night’s bills in a third and final reading was by suspending constitutional three-day rule, which requires a four-fifths vote of the chamber.

Consequently, Democrats today were able to block several legislative priorities for Patrick, who has repeatedly turned down opportunities to work together with the minority party to ram conservative bills through.

• House Bill 796, written by Rep. Cecil Bell Jr., R-Magnolia, would let the Legislature nullify federal actions if it determines that they violate the U.S. Constitution.
• House Bill 1523, written by Rep. Stan Gerdes, R-Smithville, would prohibit the state from authorizing a City of Austin plan to store water underground in Bastrop County.
• House Bill 5294, written by Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, and sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would prohibit medical schools from considering race or nationality for admission.
• House Concurrent Resolution 59, written by Rep. Carrie Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, would establish April as “Promise Month” for the next decade, during which Christians would pray and read the Bible.

The state Republican Party this session prioritized restrictions to prevent people under 18 from accessing municipal library material that contains sexual content. House Bill 3225, which would have accomplished just that, also died as a result of Patrick’s error, according to QR