District 30 Capitol Update
Friend,
The month of May marks the beginning of many important deadlines in the Legislature and as the 17th week of session wraps up, many of the top priority bills are moving through the legislative process. As I head back to Senate District 30, I wanted to give you an update on what we’re working on for Senate District 30 and the State of Texas.
Constitutional Carry Pass out of the Texas Senate
The Second Amendment is clear about the right to bear arms but for far too long we’ve seen this Constitutionally guaranteed right suffer excessive government regulation. After hours of debate on the Senate Floor and amendments were made to House Bill 1927, I proudly voted to make Texas the 21st state to have Constitutional Carry. HB 1927 would allow law-abiding Texans who are currently able to legally purchase a firearm and are at least 21 years old to carry a handgun, either openly or concealed, without a state-issued License To Carry (LTC) permit. We know that those who are intent on committing a crime will use any means necessary and will violate the law no matter what. I voted for HB 1927 to level the playing field between everyday Texans and criminals which reaffirms our Second Amendment right.
Bills for Senate District 30 & the Lone Star State
With 3 weeks left in session, we are still considering a number of bills in Committees and many of these bills have come to the Senate from the House. This week, I laid out a number of bills before different Committees that will support SD 30 and I proud to work with my House colleagues from SD 30 on them.
• House Bill 1677: This bill would create the Texas Police Service Animals Memorial Monument on the Capitol Complex to recognize the heroic efforts of Police K-9s.
• House Bill 1680: This bill would allow for sewage systems in Grayson County that are on federal lands around Lake Texoma that need to be brought up-to-date are able to be replaced. I filed this same bill in the Senate and have been working with Rep. Reggie Smith on this.
• House Bill 374: This is bill is identical to my Senate Bill 676 which extends the Red River Boundary Commission until December 31, 2023 to continue working on the Texas-Oklahoma river boundary.
• Senate Bill 585: This bill would allow for the sale of beer and wine at 10 A.M. on Sundays.
Many of the bills I have passed out of the Senate are being considered in the House and as we get to the final deadlines for this session, we will be seeing more bills move to the Governor’s desk for his signature. In fact, my first bill as a Senator, Senate Bill 669, is on its way to be considered by Governor Abbott.
Senate Approval
Constitutional Carry passed out of the Senate this week which is one of the top priority bills I’ve been working on this session but there were many others that also moved out of the Senate. There are two bills that I want to highlight from this week that crack down on human trafficking and ensure history curriculum taught in public schools emphasizes the founding of this great nation.
Hotels and motels often serve as a safe space for criminals seeking to abuse victims of human trafficking. House Bill 390 amends current law to ensure that hotel employees are educated on how to identify likely human trafficking and when to notify law enforcement. Last session, we did quite a bit of work to help crack down on human trafficking and this bill is a continuation of those efforts. Standing up for the victims of human trafficking and putting an end to the horrific practice is paramount for public safety.
In his farewell address to the nation in 1989, President Ronald Reagan called for an “informed patriotism” stating that “if we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are.” Senate Bill 2026, by Senator Taylor, passed unanimously out of the Senate. This bill ensures that Texas public school students receive an education based on “informed patriotism” through our nation’s founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. SB 2026 ensures that Texas schoolchildren have the opportunity to learn about our heroic forefathers who risked everything to establish this great nation and I was proud to support this bill.
As always, my door is open to help and answer any questions for Senate District 30. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or want to share your thoughts on anything happening in the Texas Legislature.
It’s an honor and a privilege to represent North Texas in the Senate.
God Bless,
Drew Springer
Senate District 30