As the 84th Legislature’s regular session began we all heard the klaxon-call ring out: “there are over 20 anti-LGBT bills filed this session!” By the end of session, none of the proposals had succeeded in passing. So what happened? For starters, the LGBT community has some amazing allies in the Texas Legislature who worked tirelessly to stop bad bills. Secondly, people like you never stopped contacting your elected representatives, even the ones who filed the legislation, to tell them that hate is not a Texas value – and it worked! Some of the bills never left the launch pad, failing to receive hearings in committee. Some of them were withdrawn from consideration by their authors. Others came back time and time again as zombie amendments, attempting to attach themselves to other bills and live on only to be defeated again and again. So what happened to the 20+ anti-LGBT bills in Texas? Here’s a post mortem:
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constitutional License to Discriminate | HJR 55 | Rep. Jason Villalba | Removed from consideration by author |
| refiled as | |||
| HJR 125 | Rep. Matt Krause | Failed to receive hearing | |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constitutional License to Discriminate | SJR 10 | Sen. Donna Campbell | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory License to Discriminate | HB 2553 | Rep. Molly White | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory License to Discriminate | HB 3602 | Rep. Cecil Bell | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child Welfare RFRA | HB 3864 | Rep. Scott Sanford | Set for House consideration, but failed to make it to House floor before deadline |
| filed as 2nd reading amendment to | |||
| HB 2433 | Rep. Scott Sanford | Senate companion to HB 2433, SB 206 considered instead, amendment not brought up | |
| filed as a 3rd reading amendment to |
|||
| SB 206 | Rep. Scott Sanford | Entire bill sent back to committee on point of order from Rep. Moody, amendment not adopted | |
| filed as amendment to the amendment to |
|||
| SB 200 | Rep. Scott Sanford | Amendment pulled from consideration by author (Rep. Cindy Burkett), amendment to the amendment not considered | |
| filed as 2nd reading amendment to | |||
| SB 206 | Rep. Scott Sanford | Removed from consideration by author due to point 0f order on the amendment | |
| filed as Senate amendment to |
|||
| HB 2655 | Sen. Donna Campbell | Removed from consideration due to point of order by Sen. Kirk Watson | |
| filed as 3rd reading amendment to |
|||
| SB 206 | Rep. Scott Sanford | Pulled from consideration by author (likely due to not having sufficient votes to pass on 3rd reading) | |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack of Local Control Over Non-Discrimination Ordinances | HB 1556 | Rep. Rick Miller | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack of Local Control Over Non-Discrimination Ordinances | HB 1911 | Rep. Jeff Leach | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack of Local Control Over Non-Discrimination Ordinances | SB 343 | Sen. Don Huffines | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack of Local Control Over Non-Discrimination Ordinances | SJR 10 | Sen. Charles Perry | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Marriage Legislation | HB 623 | Rep. Cecil Bell | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Marriage Legislation | HB 1745 | Rep. Cecil Bell | Not voted out of committee |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Marriage Legislation | SB 673 | Sen. Charles Perry | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Marriage Legislation | HB 2555 | Rep. Molly White | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Marriage Legislation | HB 4105 | Rep. Cecil Bell | Scheduled for consideration on House floor, did not reach floor before deadline |
| feared would be filed as amendment to |
|||
| SB 2065 | Rep. Cecil Bell | Author declined to offer amendment for fear of killing SB 2065 | |
| refiled as Senate Committee Amendment to |
|||
| HB 2977 | Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. | Removed from consideration after bill author, Rep. Garnet Coleman, said he’d rather see the bill die than pass with anti-LGBT amendment | |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom Criminalization | HB 1747 | Rep. Debbie Riddle | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom Criminalization | HB 1748 | Rep. Debbie Riddle | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom Criminalization | HB 2801 | Rep. Gilbert Peña | Removed from consideration in committee by author |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom Criminalization | HB 2802 | Rep. Gilbert Peña | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withholding ERISA benefits from same-gender spouses | HB 3890 | Rep. Phil Stephenson | Failed to receive hearing |
| Topic | Bill | Author | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pastor Protection Bill | HB 3567 | Rep. Scott Sanford | Some anti-LGBT language removed in committee, scheduled for consideration on House floor, did not reach floor before deadline |
| replaced with Senate companion |
|||
| SB 2065 | Sen. Craig Estes | Intent of bill narrowed in House Journal, now stripped of anti-LGBT language bill passed, awaits Governor’s signature | |