Updated: End of TX Legislative Session Highlights Press Release: Expert Analysis on 2025 Texas Legislative Session

What Passed?

Austin, TX – June 2, 2025: As the last day of the 2025 Texas Legislature (89^th Session) comes to an end today, the media, the general public and all Texas residents and business owners may have some questions about the status of new faith, family, & freedom laws in the state of Texas. Texas Values has been involved in and following the session closely, with members of the policy team at the Capitol daily, researching, speaking with legislators, and playing a vital role in bills being passed, many of which were passed with bipartisan support.

The Top Legislative stories and issues of this session are:

1. SB 10 by Sen. King/Rep. Noble: Ten Commandments in Public Schools – Requires all public elementary and secondary schools in the state to display a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments in each classroom, beginning with the 2025–2026 school year. The bill specifies the exact wording of the Ten Commandments to ensure uniformity across schools and allows for privately donated materials.This bill received bipartisan support and is headed to Gov. Abbott desk and Gov. Abbott has already posted on social media that he will sign this new law. The ACLU has already said they will sue but there legal grounds are based on an outdated Supreme Court case, Stone v. Graham (1980) is no longer the controlling case or precedent on this issue because the Kennedy v. Bremerton (2022) overturned the Lemon v. Kurtzman standard and returned to a more respectful and historical analysis on religious Establishment Clause cases.
2. SB 33 by Sen. Campbell/Rep. Noble: No Taxpayer Funds for Abortion Travel & Logistics – SB 33 explicitly bans governmental entities from spending or appropriating public money for the purpose of assisting in the procurement of abortions or providing logistical support for such services. The City of Austin has been providing money to “abortion assistance” organizations for years which fund transportation (out of state), lodging, childcare, and other expenses for women seeking abortions out of state, in an attempt to circumvent current pro-life laws.
3. HB 229 by Rep. Troxclair: Women’s Bill of Rights/What Is A Woman? Bill – This common sense bill establishes a legal definition of biological sex in Texas government code and mandates that all governmental entities collecting vital statistics or other data related to sex must classify individuals strictly as either “male” or “female” based on biological reproductive capacity, particularly in claims of discrimination. Save Women’s Sports leader Riley Gaines  and Brooke Slusser strongly supported this bill. This bill received bipartisan support and is headed to Gov. Abbott desk and Gov. Abbott has already posted on social media that he will sign this new law.
4. SB 11 by Sen. Middleton/Rep. Spiller: Coach Joe Kennedy/Prayer in Schools Bill – Establishes a period of prayer or reading of the Bible in public schools. The bill allows school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to adopt a policy, by board resolution, that requires every campus to provide students and employees with the opportunity to participate in such a period each school day. Participation is voluntary and the policy must include signed consent forms from employees and students. This legislation is on rock solid constitutional footing being based on the 2022 religious freedom victory from the U.S. Supreme Court in Kennedy v. Bremerton.
5. SB 12 by Sen. Creighton/Rep. Leach: Parents’ Bill of Rights – Focuses on strengthening parental rights in public education, including prohibiting public schools from infringing on parents’ rights to direct their child’s moral, religious, and educational upbringing, prohibiting DEI hiring and training, and banning instruction and guidance on harmful sexual orientation and gender identity concepts in K-12 public schools. This bill is headed to the Governor’s desk. 
6. SB 13 by Sen. Paxton/Rep. Buckley: No Harmful Books or Materials in School Libraries– Strengthens parental oversight in public school libraries, and requires school districts to establish local school library advisory councils—composed mainly of parents not employed by the district—to provide recommendations on library material standards and access policies. The bill mandates that school boards (or these advisory councils, if established by parent petition) have ultimate authority over library content, including the approval, removal, or retention of books based on complaints and community values. This bill is headed to the Governor’s desk. 
7. SB 2 by Chair Creighton/Chair Buckley: ESA/School Choice Bill – This bill establishes a statewide Education Savings Account (ESA) program, making Texas the home of the largest first-day launch of an ESA program in the country. The bill allows eligible students to receive public funding—up to $10,000 per student per year, with an additional $1,500 for students with disabilities—to use for approved educational expenses such as private school tuition, instructional materials, online courses, and educational therapies.  As a result, parents have greater control over their child’s education, choosing the best educational environment—public, private, charter, or home-based—for their needs.
8. The Texas Legislature approved a budget increase to protect life. The Texas Legislature approved funding of $210 million for the Thriving Texas Families Program which serves to give mothers a better alternative to abortion by funding pregnancy resource centers and other agencies that can provide helpful resources and guidance for successful family formation.
9. SB 1257 by Sen. Hughes/Rep. Leach: Ensuring Adequate Health Care Coverage for Detransitioners – often people who attempt to “transition” from one sex to the other decided later that they want to change back to their original sex (detransition). Often insurance companies will provide coverage for the transition, but not the detransition. SB 1257 makes it clear that if the insurance provides coverage for the transition, they also have to provide coverage for the detransition. Detransitioners like Chloe Cole have brought this issues into the spotlight.
10. SCR 19 by Sen. Parker/Rep. Harris Davila: This bill authorizes the State Preservation Board to approve the construction of a “Texas Life Monument” at the State Capitol Complex, specifically on a site outside of the historic Capitol grounds as a way of celebrating the miracle of life. This bill sends a statement that Texas is pro-life. 
11. HB 100 by Rep. Leo Wilson/Sen. Middleton: Will return the authority back the Texas State Board of Education to select instructional materials for all public schools in the state. Instructional materials submitting a bid for consideration by the state board must meet 100% of the Texas Essential Knowledge Skills teaching standards.  

Jonathan Saenz, President & Attorney for Texas Values released the following statement:

“Back to basics is the theme for the 2025 Texas Legislative Session by putting parents first, putting the Ten Commandments back in public school classrooms, and putting the one true definition of “male” and “female” in state law, and much more. Texas voters got what they asked for across the board, thanks to the leadership of Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, Speaker Burrows, and so many Texas House and Senate members.”

Members of Texas Values policy team are available for expert analysis regarding bills such as SB 10, Ten Commandments in Public Schools, SB 13, no harmful books or materials in school libraries, HB 229, Women’s Bill of Rights, and many others that involve pro-life, religious liberty and faith and family issues. Media may contact Ashley at media@txvalues.org or 737-314-2450 (m) to coordinate interviews.

Jonathan Saenz, President and Attorney, Texas Values – arguably the most widely recognized Texas figure and voice since 2005 on faith, family, freedom and pro-life law and policy issues.

• Founder of Texas Values in 2012, after serving as Legislative Director for First Liberty Institute from 2007-2012.
• Licensed Texas attorney for 20+ years; worked on court cases at every level including serving at the U. S. Supreme Court as a lawyer for Gianna Jessen, a famous pro-life advocate.
• Has worked in and around the Texas Capitol during every Texas Legislative Session since 2005. Testified in hundreds of Texas House and Senate Committee hearings.
• Most recently led the Texas Heartbeat law to passage, and three different religious freedom laws in 2021, and helped defeat gambling and Ban The Bible/LGBT Priority bills in 2023.
• Graduate of The University of Texas, B.A., and the University of Houston Law Center, J.D.
• Substantial experience in state election matters and has been a Republican Party of Texas state delegate in every cycle since 2012.
• Catholics for Ted Cruz for President Leadership Team, 2016
• Host of the weekly radio show and podcast “The Texas Values Report” for the past 9 years with notable guests such of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Franklin Graham, Michele Tafoya, Senator Ted Cruz, and NCAA swimming champion Riley Gaines, among many others.
• Featured in top TV, print, radio, and digital media with thousands of interviews to his credit, including Newsmax, Victory News, Fox News, CNN, USA Radio, Austin-American Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, and EWTN, among many others.
• While Jonathan is arguably the most widely recognized voice in the state of Texas for the past two decades on religious freedom and pro-life laws, due to his experience, he can speak beyond these issues as well, typically from a Christian Conservative, Texas-focused viewpoint.

Jonathan Covey, Director of Policy: 

• Worked as Texas Capitol staffer from 2015-2020
• Served as Texas Values Policy Director since 2020
• Widely known for his work on leading the effort on SB 14, a bill banning gender modification for kids. 
• Graduate of Thomas Edison State University, B.B.A; and Oak Brook College of Law, J.D.
• Featured in top media: CBS Austin, Austin American-Statesman, and Terry Lowry: The What’s Up Radio Program, among many others.

Mary Elizabeth Castle, Director of Government Relations:

• Led the efforts passing HB 25 the Save Girls’ Sports Act during the 87th Texas Legislature and SB 15, the Save Women’s Sports Act during the 88th Texas Legislature.
• Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas
• Texas Values Policy Team Member since 2018, Government Relations Director from 2022-current.
• Previously worked under Kelly Shackelford at First Liberty Institute.
• Graduate of SMU, B.A.; and Texas Tech Law School, J.D.
• Sought after to speak at venues across the state of Texas/United States including the Texas GOP Convention, the national Pro-life Women’s Conference (PLWC), and Women’s Declaration International USA’s National Convention
• Featured in top media such as Victory News, CBS Austin, The Daily Signal, and The Dallas Morning News, among many others.

###

About Texas Values

Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvalues.org.