Texas House kills drag story time bill again
Senate Bill 18 missed a key deadline this week to be fully considered on the House floor, effectively ending its chances of becoming state law. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick identified the legislation as a priority this session after a similar measure died in the House in 2023.
Before stalling in Texas Senate, 'homosexual conduct' bill made legislative history
The bill called for stripping public funding for any library that hosted a children's reading event led by a drag performer. Supporters argued it was needed to protect kids from the confusion of seeing someone dressed in drag and concerns about them being exposed to inappropriate content. However, opponents accused lawmakers of using this to crack down further on the LGBTQ+ community and said it would do nothing to actually protect Texas children.
The legislation passed the Texas Senate in February along a party line vote, and a House committee then took up the legislation in May and recommended it for consideration in the full chamber. Even though SB 18 made it onto the intent calendar Tuesday, the House took no action on it in the rush of the final few days of the session.
Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, reintroduced the bill this year after the previous iteration of it met a similar fate in the lower chamber two years ago. The legislation advanced further than it did then because a House committee actually debated the bill, which never happened in 2023.
KXAN reached out Thursday to Hughes' office for comment about SB 18 dying this session and asked whether he would file it again when lawmakers reconvene in 2027. This story will be updated whenever Hughes shares a response.
Reporting about his previous proposal, Senate Bill 1601, was featured in a KXAN investigative project called 'OutLaw: A Half-Century Criminalizing LGBTQ+ Texans.' It looked in-depth at the historic number of bills filed in the 2023 session impacting the state's LGBTQ+ community.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
25 minutes ago
- New York Post
Mikie Sherrill dodges again on Mamdani, drawing fire from Ciattarelli and GOP
Democrat New Jersey gubernatorial hopeful Mikie Sherrill once again sidestepped questions about whether she will go across the Hudson River to endorse socialist Zohran Mamdani's mayoral candidacy, despite previously expressing interest in him. 'Look, I haven't weighed in, I haven't made endorsements in New York because I'm running in New Jersey,' Sherrill told PIX11 News on Friday. Two days after the New York City mayoral primary, Sherrill had a different tune, telling NBC 10 Philadelphia that she assumed she would back him and voiced interest in his plans to 'deliver efficient government.' Democrats in New York and the tri-state area have scrambled over how to navigate Mamdani's shock win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) last month, given his far-left agenda. Top leaders such as Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have refrained from endorsing Mamdani — for now. 3 Mikie Sherrill has echoed the strategy of top New York Democrats in evading questions about Zohran Mamdani. REUTERS 3 Zohran Mamdani has struggled to win support from establishment Democrats. Andrew Schwartz / Republicans have seized their silence and sought to use Mamdani's victory to help boost their otherwise dim prospects in the off-year elections. New Jersey Republican gubernatorial contender Jack Ciattarelli quickly ripped into Sherrill for sidestepping on Mamdani and highlighted how she expressed interest in him shortly after he won the Democratic primary during a June 26 interview. 'First Mikie Sherrill endorses Zohran Mamdani and calls his radical policies 'interesting'… now she's pretending she never heard of him? Come on, Mikie — NJ voters aren't stupid,' Ciattarelli chided on X. 'Roll the tape. You said it. You own it,' he added with a compilation of Sherrill's responses to questions about Mamdani. The Republican Governors Association also blasted Sherrill. 'New York's failures become New Jersey's problems,' the RGA swiped. '[Mikie Sherrill] said she'd support Mamdani saying, 'If he's the Democratic candidate, which it sounds like he is, I assume I will.' Now, she's acting like she doesn't know him,' the GOP group said on X. Mamdani is the favorite to win the Big Apple mayoral primary, though he still faces general election competition from Mayor Adams, Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Sherrill, a former Navy pilot who rode the blue wave to Congress in 2018, has sought to portray herself as a moderate Democrat. She first arrived in the House in 2019 with fellow national security buffs Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who is the favorite in the Virginia gubernatorial primary. All three women had fashioned themselves as centrists and touted their national security backgrounds. 'I will tell you here, people are deeply concerned about the affordability that I've laid out,' she added to PIX11 News, after evading a question on Mamdani. 'They want to see the plans and policies that are going to make a difference and [have] a sense that what Trenton is doing in the entrenched interests there and the regulations and the red tape and the bureaucracy are not delivering for them.' 3 Republican Jack Ciattarelli is facing an uphill battle against Mikie Sherrill, though polls underestimated him during the last gubernatorial contest. AP Ciattarelli lost to outgoing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) by a measly three points in 2021, and President Trump lost the Garden State by about six points in 2024, indicating that Republicans can be competitive in the Democratic stronghold state. The off-year election in New Jersey, alongside the elections in New York City and Virginia, are widely seen as bellwethers that could be harbingers of what's to come in the 2026 midterm cycles.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Biden's top aides lived in ‘fog of denial' over president's cognitive decline: insider
As lawmakers continue their investigation into what former President Joe Biden's inner circle knew about his alleged cognitive decline, one insider who's written about the issue says he continues to be stunned by the 'fog of denial' that surrounded the aging president. 'They [just] convinced themselves, in effect, they believed what they wanted to believe instead of their lying eyes, even during the debate when everything went south,' said Chris Whipple, author of the book 'Uncharted,' which chronicled the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. Advertisement Whipple interviewed several members of Biden's inner circle in the aftermath of his widely criticized debate performance, which ultimately led to the suspension of his re-election campaign. Former chief of staff Ron Klain, who reportedly told House lawmakers this week that Biden had grown 'more forgetful' in office, was among sources who opened up for Whipple's book. 'Despite that devastating debate, which was lights out, game over, everybody knew it, Klain was still all in on Joe Biden's nomination and re-election and somehow thought he could beat Trump,' Whipple told 'America's Newsroom' Friday. 'He's been in the doghouse with Joe Biden and his inner circle ever since he was devastatingly candid to me about Joe Biden's condition in that pre-debate prep at Camp David.' Advertisement Author Chris Whipple said he was stunned by the denial he saw after interviewing former President Biden's top aides about his alleged cognitive decline. AP House Republicans have launched a probe into the former president's cognitive health and have called on former Biden administration officials to testify about what they witnessed. Most of those called have pleaded the Fifth and refused to answer lawmakers' questions, including the former president's physician. But based on his conversations, Whipple does not believe there was a secretive scheme to control the presidency. Advertisement Former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain leaving an interview with the House Oversight Committee Chairman on July 24, 2025. Getty Images 'The notion that this was somehow, you know, Biden's last year was 'Weekend at Bernie's' and that there he was non compos mentis and there was a cabal running the country with an autopen is just silly,' he said. 'The notion that they're [Republicans are] going to be able to prove that there was this dastardly cover-up on the part of Biden's inner circle is just crazy to me. I think the answer is that this thing goes nowhere.'
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Calif., Illinois may fight new Texas congressional maps with their own
1 of 2 | California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he may seek to change his state's congressional maps if Texas redraws its borders. File photo by Jonathan Alcorn/UPI | License Photo July 26 (UPI) -- As the Texas Legislature plans to redraw congressional maps in an effort to increase Republican members in the U.S. House, the governors of California and Illinois may devise their own new borders. Traditionally, the boundaries are changed every 10 years with the latest U.S. Census data but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called a special legislative session after pressure from the White House to preserve the GOP majority in the U.S. House. President Donald Trump believes an additional five seats could be created by changing the borders. Of the state's 38 districts, 25 are held by Republicans. Democrats hold seats in big cities of Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, McAllen, San Antonio. Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Republicans hold a 219-212 advantage in the House with four vacancies -- three Democrats who died and one Republican who resigned this week. More than a dozen Texas House members flew to Illinois and California -- two blue states -- on Friday for a meeting with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzkeper, during which they revealed their intentions. "Donald Trump called up Governor Abbott for one simple reason: to rig the 2026 elections. California's moral high ground means nothing if we're powerless because of it," Newsom said after meeting with Democrats from the Texas House. "This moment requires us to be prepared to fight fire with fire. Whether that's a special election, a ballot initiative, a bill, a fight in court. If they proceed in Texas, we will be ready." "This is not a bluff. This is real, and trust me, it's more real after listening to these leaders today, how existential this is," Newsom said. As the most populous state in the nation, California has 43 Democratic members of the house and nine Republican members, while Illinois is represented by 14 Democrats and three Republicans. "Everything is on the table," Pritzer said. The Illinois governor said he doesn't want to redraw the maps but "if they're going to take this drastic action, then we might also take drastic action to respond." "We want the country to understand [that] what's going on in Texas is a national battle," State Rep. Richard Pena Raymond, a Democrat from Laredo, said. Raymond told Pritzner that redistricting is "clearly aimed at affecting the entire country." Responsibility for determining Congressional district maps differs from state to state. In California, an independent commission approved by voters in 2010 works on the maps. Illinois maps, on the other hand, are put together by the state lawmakers have been drawn strongly to favor the Democrat Party in the state. Newsom said he is considering having a referendum to change the rules before the 2026 election, unless the Legislature comes up with another solution, which would take two-thirds of legislators voting in favor of. "We have to fight fire with fire," Newsom said. Other states Two other Democratic governors are considering new maps -- Phil Murphy in New Jersey and Kathy Hochul in New York. "There's other states that are violating the rules," Hochul said during a news conference on Thursday. "I'm going to look at it closely with Hakeem Jeffries," a New York member of the House, as well has House minority leader. In New York, Democrats have a 19-7 advantage as a result of their districting maps. "It's deplorable," Murphy said during an interview at the summer meeting of the bipartisan National Governors Association in Colorado Springs. "If they're going to play these games, we're going to have to be just as aggressive. We can't bring a knife to a gunfight." Democrats hold nine of the 12 seats in New Jersey. In Florida, the state Supreme Court on July 17 upheld its newest congressional map. He said he believes the state had been "malappropriated" and redistricting "would be appropriate" in a few years. Florida's congressional delegation is controlled by Republicans, 20-8. In Ohio, legislators are required to redraw maps before 2026. The GOP has 10 of the 15 seats. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is against redistricting more frequently. The state's maps are overseen by an independent commission and it's eight U.S. House seats are evenly split 4-4. Texas situation Texas last redrew its borders in mid-cycle in 2003 after the GOP gained control of both chambers for the first time since Reconstruction. In Texas, Abbott noted a July 7 letter from the Justice Department that said majority Black and Hispanic districts in Dallas need to be redrawn based on a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit last year. The DOJ said those districts are "unconstitutional racial gerrymanders," but Abbott argued the opposite in 2021. In federal court in El Paso, he argued race had not been taken into account there. "We are no longer compelled to have coalition districts," Abbott said in an interview with KDFW in Dallas. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat, appeared at a state House hearing. "That's what's at stake here, whether you all are going to work for the people of Texas, as we used to do, to try to do, or whether you take your commandments from Donald Trump and the White House," Castro said. "I hope that you all will choose to do the business of the people of Texas, as this body has a history of being independent from the federal government."
