Austin, Texas – The 86th Texas Legislative Session officially ended today.  Texas Values Action is proud to announce multiple victories in the realm of faith, family, and freedom.  Texas Values Action is available for comment on these items and others.

• Passed: SB1978, the Save Chick-fil-A religious freedom bill, is a response to the City of San Antonio banning Chick-fil-A from opening up a store at the airport because of donations they made to The Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. SB 1978 makes it clear that the government cannot punish you for your membership in, or donations made to, a religious organization. The bill received bipartisan support, and Gov. Abbott is expected to sign it.
• Passed: HB16, the Texas Born Alive Infant Protection Act which requires doctors to provide lifesaving care to an infant born after a failed abortion attempt. It also received bipartisan support.
• Passed: SB22 (Taxpayer Protection from Abortion Providers) prevents local governments from funding abortion providers or their affiliates and received bipartisan support.
• Defeated: Over a dozen “Ban the Bible” bills that would have given the government power to ban free expression of Biblical beliefs, specifically beliefs on marriage and sexuality. The bills would have created special protected classes by inserting the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” (SOGI) into state law. Penalties in the bills included fines, criminal penalties, and possible jail time. The bills died in committees.

Finally, Texas Values Action saw a record setting number of response and engagements from Texans on issues relating to faith, family, and freedom. Over 185,000 messages (phone calls, emails, and social media messages) were sent to Texas House and Senate members through the Texas Values Action system.

Jonathan Saenz President of Texas Values Action said “After a record number of Texans spoke out and showed up at the Texas Capitol, the Texas Legislature responded. With the passage of the Save Chick-fil-A religious freedom bill (SB 1978), the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (HB 16), and pro-life bill SB 22, Texas is more safe and free. While there is still work to do, we are thankful for the leadership of the Texas House, the Texas Senate, and Gov. Abbott for an important and successful session.”

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About Texas Values Action

Texas Values Action is the advocacy and legislative action arm of Texas Values. Texas Values is the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvaluesaction.org