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FILE – Religious liberty laws
A group of conservative state lawmakers has filed a package of bills they say will protect religious liberty.
AUSTIN, Texas - The agenda for the newly formed Religious Liberty Committee in the Senate has been expanded.
What's new:
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued seven new interim charges Monday. These charges define priorities for Senate committees ahead of the upcoming legislative session.
Of the seven new charges, three of them were directed at the Religious Liberty Committee. That brings the total number of charges for the committee to four.
Among them, the committee will study the state of religious liberty in Texas, find ways to educate Texans about their religious rights and monitor the implementation of laws that came out of the last legislative session: displaying of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms, periods of religious text reading or prayer in public schools and excused absences related to released time courses.
Monday’s additional charges bring the total number of Senate committee agenda items to 81.
Patrick directs committees to examine data center growth and THC impacts
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick released more interim charges for Texas Senate committees ahead of the next legislative session.
What they're saying:
"Come January, the Senate and I will advance the priorities of Texas’ conservative majority," Patrick said Monday.
The backstory:
The expansion of religious priorities for the Texas Senate follows Patrick’s chairing of a similar commission at the federal level established by President Donald Trump. That committee recently released its recommendations, saying religion in the U.S. is treated as a "problem or annoyance" rather than a protected right.
Patrick-led commission's report outlines ways to 'strengthen religious liberties' in America
The Department of Justice on Friday released the Religious Liberty Commission's draft report, which provides recommendations for the Trump administration to take a sweeping new federal role in protecting religious expression in schools, protecting faith-based institutions, parental rights and healthcare conscious objections, arguing that religion has been wrongly pushed out of American public life.
Dig deeper:
Monday’s new charges also included a review by the Business and Commerce Committee of online ticket platforms to recommend ways to improve price transparency during the purchase process and protect people from deceptive practices.
The State Affairs Committee has been told to study online gaming platforms "that target minor children," and recommend ways to prevent minors from accessing violent and sexual content. They’ve also been asked to make divorce and child custody proceedings more efficient.
Patrick creates Texas religious liberty committee as he leads similar Trump panel
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Monday he is creating a state Senate committee focused on religious liberty.
What's next:
The 90th session of the Texas Legislature begins Jan. 12.
The Source: Information in this story came from a news release from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and previous FOX Local reporting. AI was used to help research some topics covered in this story.