The Regular Session of the 89th Texas Legislature has officially ended, and protecting children was a top priority for parents and grassroots activists. While a few long-overdue bills made it across the finish line, most legislation on this issue was ultimately killed.
Banning so-called “kid-friendly” drag queen events was a major priority for parents this session. Senate Bill 16 by Sen. Bryan Hughes aimed to address this by revoking state funding from public libraries that host such events. Drag story hours often expose children to sexually suggestive performances, and passing this bill would have been a commonsense step toward protecting children from harmful, inappropriate content. After passing the Senate, predictably, it died in the House Committee on State Affairs.
Another top priority for Texans this session was protecting children from sexually explicit material in public libraries. House Bill 3225 by Rep. Daniel Alders sought to do just that by establishing clear guidelines to keep obscene and age-inappropriate content out of the children’s sections. The bill passed the House but ran out of time in the Senate.
Banning explicit devices, such as sex toys, from being sold in family-oriented retail stores like Target and Walmart was another top priority for parents and grassroots activists. Hillary Hickland’s HB 1549 would have accomplished this, but it was killed in the House Committee on Trade, Workforce, and Economic Development without ever receiving a hearing due to fierce opposition from the committee chair, Angie Chen Button of Dallas.
Another notable loss was The Texas Women’s Privacy Act, or Senate Bill 240, authored by Sen. Mayes Middleton. SB 240 aimed to protect the safety and privacy of women and girls by requiring government facilities to designate restrooms and similar spaces based on actual, biological sex. Despite being voted out of the Senate early in the legislative session, the bill died in the House Committee on State Affairs.
Lawmakers also failed to pass House Bill 186 by Rep. Jared Patterson, which would have banned children from using social media platforms. Apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat expose kids to violent and explicit content and have become hotspots for grooming and exploitation. Although this bill was voted out of the House, it never received a vote in the Senate.
Each of these bills, along with many others, was a clear and targeted effort to protect children and reinforce basic standards of truth and decency. There was no justifiable reason for their failure. Throughout the session, grassroots activists and concerned parents showed up in force to testify and advocate, yet Republican leadership deliberately chose not to advance them.
Still, some victories were won. A handful of strong bills to protect kids made it across the finish line this session, thanks largely to the persistence of a few lawmakers and the tireless efforts of grassroots activists and concerned parents.
One of the biggest victories this session was the passage of a measure to protect Texas students from sexual predators in schools. House Bill 4623 by Rep. Mitch Little accomplishes this by removing the legal immunity currently granted to school districts and allowing families to sue if a district is reckless or negligent in its hiring practices. Hopefully, this reform will put an end to the infamous practice of “passing the trash”.
Another win for parents this session was the passage of legislation to strengthen protections against sexually explicit and age-inappropriate material in schools. Senate Bill 13 by Sen. Angela Paxton gives parents more transparency about what books are available in their child’s school library and allows them to block access to specific titles. House Bill 100 by Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson ensures that Texas schools cannot use books or instructional materials that were rejected by the State Board of Education for being inappropriate. These two laws mark an important step toward protecting kids from pornographic books in public school libraries.
While the victories that passed are important, they represent only a fraction of what was needed. The bills that died addressed serious threats to children, and their failure reflects a troubling lack of urgency and resolve from Republican leadership. Texans are watching closely, and they will remember exactly who stood up for families and who chose to stay silent.
Kelly Neidert is the executive director at the Texas Coalition for Kids