Promoting Equality & Social Justice for All

SB 3 by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, is a substantial rewrite of HB 3979, which passed at the end of the regular legislative session in May. The bill maintains many of the same problems in HB 3979, including a ban on schools requiring instruction on current events and topics some politicians think are too controversial. Revisions in SB 3 include:…… Read More

For Immediate Release July 12, 2021 AUSTIN, TX — More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have left the state denying a quorum and halting the progression of a draconian voter suppression bill. This is the second time Democratic lawmakers use this tactic as Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick have tried repeatedly to restrict access to the ballot even further, largely for political gain. Measures under consideration would dramatically reduce early voting hours, ban drive-thru voting, impose new restrictions on naturalized citizens and grant special protections for partisan poll watchers. Read More

A special session of the Texas Legislature got underway on July 8. Why Gov. Abbott felt the need to call for a special session has a lot to do with what did and didn’t happen during the regular session that ended in May.

Even though the state faced critical issues like fixing the power grid that failed during February’s winter storm, the Republican-led legislature instead focused a lot of its time on:

Voter suppression legislation Banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth and barring transgender kids from school sports Making abortion care even more difficult, or practically impossible, to obtain Censoring history in our classrooms

Despite those challenges, the Texas Freedom Network and our partners could point to some important victories. Below is TFN’s report on the regular session, what legislation passed and what didn’t, and how it will impact the 30-day special session.

TFN – 2021 Lege Report by txfredomnetwork on Scribd… Read More

State Board of Education Gives Approval to Standards That Beef Up Coverage of Climate Change in Selected High School Science Classes FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 25, 2021 AUSTIN, Texas –The State Board of Education today voted to approve new curriculum standards for selected high school courses, marking a limited but important step forward in teaching Texas students about climate change. Read More

Appalling Priorities Demonstrate Texas Republicans’ Contempt for Compassion, Decency, Democracy FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 31, 2021 AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Freedom Network President Val Benavidez has the following statement on the end of the regular session of the 87th Texas Legislature:…… Read More