(Texas Scorecard) – Republicans in the Texas Senate approved two measures on Thursday that seek to combat woke ideology in state government.
Senate Bill 689 by State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) prohibits state agencies from establishing and staffing taxpayer-funded diversity, equity, and inclusion offices.
The bill also updates the Texas Labor Code by prohibiting the consideration of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, or disability when making a hiring decision.
“That’s what this is about, treating people the same and not treating them differently based on the color of their skin or based on their sex,” explained Hughes.
While the measure faced pushback from Democrat senators, Hughes emphasized that the goal of the measure is to move toward a color-blind society and ensure merit-based hiring practices.
Senate Bill 406 by State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) requires that birth certificates display individuals’ sex at-birth and prohibits an individual from changing their sex on birth certificates in most cases.
The bill closes loopholes created by courts to change sex designations on birth certificates for “gender identity.”
“Birth certificates are legal documents that serve as the foundation for sex-based protection in sports, medical care, and our privacy laws,” explained Middleton when laying out the bill.
It aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring there are only two sexes and Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive for state agencies to adhere to Trump’s order.
SB 406 will affect not only birth certificates but also any form of state identification that requires a birth certificate for approval, such as a driver’s license.
Both measures were approved along party lines in votes of 20-11. They will now move to the Texas House for consideration.