A Late Night Of Bad Bills And Worse Ideas
When the Senate works overtime freedom suffers.
Sixty-five days in, and we’re near the halfway point of the legislative session. The House hasn’t started debating bills on the floor yet, but that’s coming soon. Next week, or maybe the week after. Because the Legislature only meets 140 days every two years, they try to cram two years’ worth of governing in that short time. We’ll see longer days as we cross the threshold to the second half of the 89th Legislative Session. Like yesterday, when the Senate Chamber passed bills until late in the night.
It was just before 10 pm when they gaveled out, an 11-hour day on the floor.
Of course, the bills were all about the far-right agenda and did nothing for the average Texan. Like SB3, which will ban THC gummies.
The bill’s author, Charles Perry (R-SD28), said he intended to ban kids from getting their hands on synthetic THC, which is much more potent than the “lids” he used to get as a kid.
We joke around about the depravity of Texas Republicans a lot because, sometimes, the absurdity of their policies makes humor the only coping mechanism left. But let’s be clear: this isn’t just about culture war nonsense or performative cruelty for their base. The modern Republican Party in Texas is a full-on authoritarian machine hell-bent on stripping away the rights and liberties of anyone who doesn’t subscribe to their narrow, regressive worldview.
They don’t just want to ban THC gummies. They want to control what books you can read, what healthcare you can access, what history your kids are allowed to learn, and who gets to vote. They want to criminalize abortion, censor teachers, dismantle public education, and ensure that only white conservatives have a say in how the state is run.
SB12 was up next because, of course, it was.
If banning THC wasn’t enough, the Senate spent the next few hours debating a bill that could’ve been written in the Jim Crow era.
SB12 is the latest Republican attempt to roll back civil rights under the guise of “parental rights” and “fairness.” It guts diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in public schools and gives the state more power to police what can be taught in classrooms. It also sets up a process for parents to file grievances if they believe a teacher is engaging in anything resembling a discussion of race, gender, or social inequality.
If you want to see any part of the debate over SB12, watch the exchange between Borris Miles (D-SD13) exposing Brandon Creighton’s (R-SD04) bill for the racist filth it is. Creighton lost his cool multiple times and struggled to understand its ramifications.
There’s a lot of discussion about a primary challenge against Miles if he even runs again (Google it if you don’t know). Still, no one else has masterfully exposed Republican racism as he does. Whether it’s Creighton or Bryan Hughes (R-SD01), Miles holds their toes to the fire each time they push a bill like this.
Creighton authored the most racist bill last session, banning diversity, equity, and inclusion on college campuses. It’s still too early in this session to say what the most racist bill is.
SB12 will also ban student LGBTQ+ clubs. Bandon Creighton believes that the only way to achieve true inclusivity is to ban inclusivity. 🤷🏻♀️
The Senate also passed SB17, which bans certain resident migrants and foreign entities from purchasing property. While this bill mainly targets China and Chinese people, it also includes Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
There are some Senate Democrats we need to discuss.
SB3 should have had every Democrat voting against it. It goes against the Democratic principles of liberty and the Texas Democratic Party platform. However, this bill got 24 votes. There are only 20 Republicans. That means that a few Democrats crossed the aisle to vote on this.
The Senate journal hasn’t been posted yet, so we don’t know who (we can guess).
However, this raises an important point, and I wanted to bring your attention to yesterday’s Senate Journal. On the final reading of SB11, the bill allowing teachers to pray in school openly, three Democrats voted for it.
Chuy Hinojosa (D-SD20)
Royce West (D-SD23)
Judith Zaffarini (D-SD21)
We must hold our side just as accountable as the other side. Religion has no place in our public schools. And this isn’t just my opinion. It’s written in the Texas Democratic Party platform:
So, which Dems voted for SB3 yesterday? I’ll have an update for you soon.
In the Texas House.
Republicans do everything back assward, and they want to make Daylight Savings Time permanent. Many of you think that’s good, but you’re thinking of Daylight Standard Time.
Texas would make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent, meaning the state would stay one hour ahead year-round. There would be no switching between Standard Time and DST. Texas would always be on DST. Texas would never “fall back” again.
Proponents of Standard Time argue that it aligns better with human biology because it keeps our internal clocks in sync with natural sunlight cycles. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and other experts recommend Standard Time, but Republicans want DST.
Federal law allows states to stay on Standard Time permanently (like Arizona and Hawaii). However, states cannot remain on Daylight Saving Time year-round without Congress approving it. Back assward.
Briscoe Cain (R-HD128) wants to steal Austin.
He wants to turn Austin into the “District of Texas,” like America’s Capitol is the District of Columbia.
Cain always brags about how much he loves the Constitution and constitutional history. He should read the Congressional Records in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. The history of Washington DC’s residents having taxation without representation is long, and it’s almost always been about race.
I don’t believe Cain’s plan to steal Austin is about race. Instead, it’s about ideology. Austin is liberal. Republicans hate liberals. As simple as that.
Democrats did good things again today!
Maybe I’ll try to find a good bill from Democrats daily so that we won’t be completely bogged down with Republican shenanigans.
Ana Hernandez’s HB1359 established an electric assistance program for low-income and critical care residents today.
Of course, Democrats had other bills, but a lot of bills are boring (on both sides of the aisle). Most would find them boring anyway. Don’t ask me. I read congressional records for fun.
One moment that wasn’t boring was Salmon Bhojani’s (D-HD92) statement at the beginning of Texas DOGE: Y’all need to be respectful and stop being mean to the witnesses (paraphrasing).
We don’t know who he was talking to or what brought that on. My guess is it’s because during the hearing last week when Tony Tinderholt (R-HD94) attacked that procurement guy over diversity. From last week:
Sometimes, it’s hard to always be the adult in the room.
The next few weeks will be brutal, with longer floor debates, late-night sessions, and a full-on sprint to pass as much legislation as possible before the clock runs out.
That means we’ll see even more culture war bills, more attacks on marginalized communities, and more Democrats who need to be called out when they cross the aisle.
Republicans push a little further, and every session, we have to push back harder. Because this isn’t just about THC gummies, DEI bans, or whether the sun rises at 7 AM or 8 AM. It’s about the fundamental rights of Texans, what kind of state we live in, and who gets to decide.
So, if you’re not already paying attention, now is the time. The second half of the session is where the worst bills start moving and where backroom deals are made. We can’t afford to look away.
June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.
June 3: The beginning of the 2026 election season.
Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.
LoneStarLeft is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Follow me on Facebook, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Instagram.