(The Center Square) – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued an initial list of interim charges for Texas Senate committees to pursue ahead of the next legislative session next year.
At the top of the list is “preventing Sharia law in Texas.” Anti-Sharia law and targeting Islamic political ideology affiliated with terrorism is a common theme among Texas Republicans in the last few months, led by Gov. Greg Abbott and other lawmakers, The Center Square reported.
The Texas legislature convenes every other year in odd years for roughly 140 days. Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, directs its agenda. Interim charges are issued when the legislature is out of session; legislative priorities are issued at the beginning of the legislative session. Last year, Patrick identified 40 legislative priorities, The Center Square reported. The majority passed and became law.
Patrick asked senators to provide him with interim charge recommendations by Feb. 20. Upon review, he plans to announce a full list of interim charges by March, he said.
“As always, Texans can rest assured the Senate will hit the ground running on day one of the 90th Texas Legislature to ensure the priorities of the conservative majority of Texans are accomplished including, but not limited to, continued property tax relief via ‘Operation Double Nickel,’ eliminating fraud and abuse in state government, strengthening the power grid, and promoting a Texas-first agenda across the board,” he said.
Patrick’s interim charges include:
Preventing Sharia Law
The State Affairs Committee has been tasked with evaluating Sharia Law in Texas, including examining entities like the proposed East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC City) development in Hunt and Collin counties to identify any violations of state or federal law; to evaluate large real estate acquisitions by entities like “Community Capital Partners,” among others. “Only state and federal laws apply in Texas and ‘Sharia law’ or other secondary judicial systems have no place in Texas,” Patrick says.
He did so after Abbott directed law enforcement to investigate a Sharia tribunal in north Texas, among other actions, The Center Square reported. State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, earlier this month called on House Speaker Dustin Burrow to hold interim legislative hearings “to combat Sharia law” in Texas.
Property tax cuts
Patrick is again pushing to reduce the Homestead Exemption to reduce property taxes, a move critics argue doesn’t work as home prices increase.
“Homestead Exemption has proven overwhelmingly popular with voters,” Patrick said. “It has eliminated school property taxes for the average senior and reduced school taxes in half for those under 65.” The charges direct the Finance Committee to study and report on the effect of increasing the exemption and dropping the eligible age to 55 from 65.
Patrick proposed a property tax relief plan that competes with the governor’s, The Center Square reported. Both are running for reelection and their property tax plans are key to their campaigns.
In the last several sessions, the state legislature has passed property tax reform bills that both Abbott and Patrick claimed were “historic” and homeowners would see the “largest property tax decrease ever.” Yet property taxes only increased every year.
Texas has the seventh-highest property taxes in the country, based on 2023 data, according to an analysis by the Tax Foundation.
Securing critical infrastructure and supply chain integrity
Patrick has tasked the Business and Commerce Committee with securing critical infrastructure, evaluating the supply chain and Texas electric grid for any foreign threats and make recommendations for improvements.
Protecting taxpayer funds, preventing fraud and abuse
After a national spotlight on Medicaid and other fraud in Minnesota, Patrick tasked the Health and Human Services Committee with identifying fraud and abuse in Texas human services programs. This includes Medicaid and childcare services, in line with executive orders Abbott issued this month addressing the same issue, The Center Square reported.
Promoting American and Texas first in public schools
Patrick tasked the Education Committee with evaluating public schools “promoting events, partnerships, or associations with federal or state-designated hostile agents or their surrogates.” He did so after Gov. Abbott lambasted two public schools for planning to host an Islamic event partially sponsored by an organization with alleged ties to terrorism in conflict with a foreign terrorist designation he issued last November.
Patrick tasked the committee with providing recommendations “to strengthen laws stopping hostile countries or related entities from infiltrating our classrooms.”
