SB 2 - ERCOT Reform
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement April 14th following the passage of Senate Bill 2, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Reform Act, by Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills:
"Immediately following Winter Storm Uri, I pledged that I would get to the bottom of the power outages that caused so much suffering and death across Texas and do whatever needed to be done to fix it. The need for ERCOT reform was an obvious first step. Senate Bill 2 mandates that all ERCOT board members reside in Texas and that the CEO of ERCOT and the five unaffiliated members of the board be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. I congratulate Sen. Hancock and the Texas Senate for their passage of this bill and for their continued work in investigating the causes of the February outages and the changes that need to be made to prevent similar problems going forward."
SB 4 - Star Spangled Banner Protection Act
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement April 9th following the passage of Senate Bill 4, the Star Spangled Banner Protection Act, by Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway:
"Sports bring us together at a time when too many things divide us. Congratulations to Sen. Buckingham and the Texas Senate for their support of this important piece of legislation. Texans are tired of sports teams that pander, insulting our national anthem and the men and women who died fighting for our flag. The passage of SB 4 will ensure Texans can count on hearing the Star Spangled Banner at major sports events throughout the state that are played in venues that taxpayers support. We must always remember that America is the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
SB 10 - Stop Taxpayer Funded Lobbying
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement April 15th following the passage of Senate Bill 10, the Stop Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Act, by Senator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston:
"The vast majority of Texans in both political parties have long-supported ending taxpayer-funded lobbying and it is a top priority for me. Texas voters simply do not want the local officials they have elected to represent them spending their tax dollars on hired-gun lobbyists who often have no connection to their community and may be working against their interests. This principled conservative reform is long overdue and I look forward to it becoming law. I congratulate Sen. Bettencourt and the Texas Senate on the passage of SB 10 and for taking a principled stand on behalf of Texas taxpayers."
Senate Bill 10 is authored by Senators Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, Charles Perry, R-Lubbock and Drew Springer, R-Muenster.
SB 13 - Oil & Gas Investment Protection
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement April 15th following the passage of Senate Bill 13, the Oil & Gas Investment Protection Act, by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury:
"The oil and gas industry is one of the cornerstones of the Texas economy, providing millions of jobs for hardworking Texans. In passing Senate Bill 13 today, the Texas Senate made it clear that we stand by both our oil and gas industry workers and these job creating companies. If Wall Street turns their back on Texas and our thriving oil and gas industry, then Texas will not do business with Wall Street. I congratulate Sen. Birdwell for passing this important legislation."
Senate Bill 13 is authored by Sens. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, and Drew Springer, R-Muenster.