Lt. Governor Patrick Announces Interim Charge Focused on Religious Liberty

Today, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick released his final list of interim legislative charges he is asking the Texas Senate to study in advance of the 2019 legislative session. Included in the list for the Senate State Affairs Committee to consider is the issue of religious liberty. The charge on religious liberty states:

Religious Liberty: Monitor the implementation of legislation that protects citizens’ religious freedoms, including Senate Bill 24 (sermon safeguard) and House Bill 555 (religious liberty of county clerks), and make recommendations for any legislation needed to ensure that citizens’ religious freedoms are not eroded by local ordinances or state or federal law.

We are excited to see Lt. Gov. Patrick’s  interim charges place a spotlight on religious liberty, especially as citizens’ First Amendment freedoms continue to be eroded at the local level and from actions from the previous Obama Administration.

While Speaker Straus is focusing on fake committees that try to solve problems that don’t exist, we are thankful that Lt. Gov. Patrick is urging Senators to tackle real issues.

A full list of the second wave of Lt. Gov. Patrick’s interim charges can be found here.