TX SB 965

enacted

Relating to the right of a public school employee to engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty.

Texas · 89th Legislature (2025 Regular Session) · upper

Quick answers

Did TX SB 965 pass?

Yes. TX SB 965 has been enacted into law as of 2025-06-20. Latest recorded action (2025-06-20): Effective on 9/1/25

What is TX SB 965 about?

TX SB 965 is a bill in the 89th Legislature (2025 Regular Session) titled “Relating to the right of a public school employee to engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty.”.

Who sponsors TX SB 965?

Bettencourt, Leach, Campbell and 7 others are the primary sponsors of TX SB 965, joined by 40 cosponsors.

Introduced: 2025-01-29
Latest action: 2025-06-20 — Effective on 9/1/25
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Subjects

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2025-01-29
Received by the Secretary of the Senate
filing,introduction
2025-01-29
Filed
filing
2025-02-13
Read first time
introduction,reading-1
2025-02-13
Referred to State Affairs
referral-committee
2025-03-03
Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
2025-03-03
Considered in public hearing
2025-03-03
Testimony taken in committee
2025-03-03
Left pending in committee
2025-03-13
Considered in public hearing
2025-03-13
Vote taken in committee
2025-03-17
Reported favorably w/o amendments
committee-passage-favorable
2025-03-17
Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
2025-03-17
Committee report printed and distributed
2025-03-24
Co-author authorized
2025-03-24
Placed on intent calendar
2025-04-01
Co-author authorized
2025-04-01
Rules suspended-Regular order of business
2025-04-01
Record vote
2025-04-01
Read 2nd time
reading-2
2025-04-01
Amendment(s) offered
amendment-introduction
2025-04-01
Amendment fails of adoption
amendment-failure
2025-04-01
Record vote
2025-04-01
Passed to engrossment
2025-04-01
Record vote
2025-04-01
Rules suspended-Regular order of business
2025-04-01
Record vote
2025-04-01
Read 3rd time
reading-3
2025-04-01
Passed
passage
2025-04-01
Record vote
2025-04-01
Reported engrossed
2025-04-02
Received from the Senate
introduction
2025-04-09
Read first time
introduction,reading-1
2025-04-09
Referred to State Affairs
referral-committee
2025-05-12
Considered in public hearing
2025-05-12
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
2025-05-12
Left pending in committee
2025-05-12
Considered in formal meeting
2025-05-12
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-14
Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
filing
2025-05-14
Committee report distributed
2025-05-15
Committee report sent to Calendars
2025-05-19
Considered in Calendars
2025-05-21
Placed on General State Calendar
2025-05-22
Read 2nd time
reading-2
2025-05-22
Point of order withdrawn
withdrawal
2025-05-22
Passed to 3rd reading
2025-05-22
Record vote
2025-05-22
Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
2025-05-23
Read 3rd time
reading-3
2025-05-23
Passed
passage
2025-05-23
Record vote
2025-05-23
Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
2025-05-23
House passage reported
passage
2025-05-23
Reported enrolled
enrolled
2025-05-26
Signed in the Senate
passage
2025-05-26
Signed in the House
passage
2025-05-27
Sent to the Governor
executive-receipt
2025-06-20
Signed by the Governor
executive-signature
2025-06-20
Effective on 9/1/25
became-law

Versions

IntroducedCompare
Senate Committee ReportCompare
EngrossedCompare
House Committee ReportCompare
EnrolledCompare
(document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

other
2025-04-01 · fail · 11-20
Member-level votes (31)
- Alvarado: yes
- Blanco: yes
- Cook: yes
- Eckhardt: yes
- Gutierrez: yes
- J. Hinojosa: yes
- Johnson: yes
- Menéndez: yes
- Miles: yes
- West: yes
- Zaffirini: yes
- Bettencourt: no
- Birdwell: no
- Campbell: no
- Creighton: no
- Flores: no
- Hagenbuch: no
- Hall: no
- Hancock: no
- A. Hinojosa: no
- Huffman: no
- Hughes: no
- King: no
- Kolkhorst: no
- Middleton: no
- Nichols: no
- Parker: no
- Paxton: no
- Perry: no
- Schwertner: no
- Sparks: no
passage
2025-04-01 · pass · 20-11
Member-level votes (31)
- Bettencourt: yes
- Birdwell: yes
- Campbell: yes
- Creighton: yes
- Flores: yes
- Hagenbuch: yes
- Hall: yes
- Hancock: yes
- A. Hinojosa: yes
- Huffman: yes
- Hughes: yes
- King: yes
- Kolkhorst: yes
- Middleton: yes
- Nichols: yes
- Parker: yes
- Paxton: yes
- Perry: yes
- Schwertner: yes
- Sparks: yes
- Alvarado: no
- Blanco: no
- Cook: no
- Eckhardt: no
- Gutierrez: no
- J. Hinojosa: no
- Johnson: no
- Menéndez: no
- Miles: no
- West: no
- Zaffirini: no
passage
2025-05-22 · pass · 84-52
Member-level votes (152)
- Alders: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Barry: yes
- Bell, C.: yes
- Bell, K.: yes
- Bonnen: yes
- Buckley: yes
- Bumgarner: yes
- Button: yes
- Cain: yes
- Capriglione: yes
- Cook: yes
- Craddick: yes
- Cunningham: yes
- Curry: yes
- Darby: yes
- Dean: yes
- DeAyala: yes
- Dorazio: yes
- Dyson: yes
- Fairly: yes
- Frank: yes
- Gates: yes
- Gerdes: yes
- Geren: yes
- Guillen: yes
- Harless: yes
- Harris Davila: yes
- Harrison: yes
- Hayes: yes
- Hefner: yes
- Hickland: yes
- Holt: yes
- Hopper: yes
- Hull: yes
- Hunter: yes
- Isaac: yes
- Kerwin: yes
- Kitzman: yes
- Lambert: yes
- Landgraf: yes
- Leach: yes
- Leo Wilson: yes
- Little: yes
- Lopez, J.: yes
- Louderback: yes
- Lowe: yes
- Lozano: yes
- Lujan: yes
- Luther: yes
- Martinez: yes
- McLaughlin: yes
- McQueeney: yes
- Metcalf: yes
- Meyer: yes
- Money: yes
- Morgan: yes
- Muñoz: yes
- Noble: yes
- Olcott: yes
- Oliverson: yes
- Orr: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Paul: yes
- Phelan: yes
- Pierson: yes
- Raymond: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Schatzline: yes
- Schofield: yes
- Schoolcraft: yes
- Shaheen: yes
- Shofner: yes
- Slawson: yes
- Swanson: yes
- Tinderholt: yes
- Toth: yes
- Troxclair: yes
- VanDeaver: yes
- Vasut: yes
- Villalobos: yes
- Virdell: yes
- Wharton: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Allen: no
- Anchía: no
- Bernal: no
- Bhojani: no
- Bowers: no
- Bryant: no
- Campos: no
- Cole: no
- Collier: no
- Cortez: no
- Davis, A.: no
- Davis, Y.: no
- Dutton: no
- Flores: no
- Gámez: no
- Garcia, J.: no
- Garcia, L.: no
- Garcia Hernandez: no
- González, M.: no
- Goodwin: no
- Guerra: no
- Hernandez: no
- Hinojosa: no
- Howard: no
- Johnson: no
- Jones, J.: no
- Jones, V.: no
- Longoria: no
- Lopez, R.: no
- Fischer: no
- Meza: no
- Moody: no
- Morales, C.: no
- Morales, E.: no
- Morales Shaw: no
- Ordaz: no
- Perez, V.: no
- Plesa: no
- Reynolds: no
- Rodríguez Ramos: no
- Romero: no
- Rose: no
- Rosenthal: no
- Simmons: no
- Talarico: no
- Thompson: no
- Turner: no
- Vo: no
- Walle: no
- Ward Johnson: no
- Wu: no
- Zwiener: no
- Present: not voting
- Speaker: not voting
- Harris(C: not voting
- Absent: absent
- Bucy: absent
- Gervin-Hawkins: absent
- King: absent
- LaHood: absent
- Smithe: absent
- Canales: absent
- González, J.: absent
- Lalani: absent
- Manuel: absent
- Perez, M.: absent
- Spiller: absent
- Tepper: absent
passage
2025-05-23 · pass · 86-48
Member-level votes (151)
- Alders: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Barry: yes
- Bell, C.: yes
- Bell, K.: yes
- Bonnen: yes
- Buckley: yes
- Bumgarner: yes
- Button: yes
- Cain: yes
- Capriglione: yes
- Cook: yes
- Craddick: yes
- Cunningham: yes
- Curry: yes
- Darby: yes
- Dean: yes
- DeAyala: yes
- Dorazio: yes
- Dutton: yes
- Dyson: yes
- Fairly: yes
- Frank: yes
- Gates: yes
- Gerdes: yes
- Geren: yes
- Guillen: yes
- Harless: yes
- Harris Davila: yes
- Harrison: yes
- Hayes: yes
- Hefner: yes
- Hickland: yes
- Hopper: yes
- Hull: yes
- Hunter: yes
- Isaac: yes
- Kerwin: yes
- King: yes
- Kitzman: yes
- LaHood: yes
- Lambert: yes
- Landgraf: yes
- Leach: yes
- Leo Wilson: yes
- Little: yes
- Lopez, J.: yes
- Louderback: yes
- Lowe: yes
- Lozano: yes
- Lujan: yes
- Luther: yes
- Martinez: yes
- McLaughlin: yes
- McQueeney: yes
- Metcalf: yes
- Meyer: yes
- Money: yes
- Morgan: yes
- Muñoz: yes
- Noble: yes
- Olcott: yes
- Orr: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Phelan: yes
- Pierson: yes
- Raymond: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Schatzline: yes
- Schofield: yes
- Schoolcraft: yes
- Shaheen: yes
- Shofner: yes
- Slawson: yes
- Spiller: yes
- Swanson: yes
- Tepper: yes
- Tinderholt: yes
- Toth: yes
- Troxclair: yes
- VanDeaver: yes
- Villalobos: yes
- Virdell: yes
- Ward Johnson: yes
- Wharton: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Allen: no
- Anchía: no
- Bernal: no
- Bhojani: no
- Bowers: no
- Bucy: no
- Canales: no
- Cole: no
- Collier: no
- Cortez: no
- Davis, A.: no
- Davis, Y.: no
- Flores: no
- Gámez: no
- Garcia, L.: no
- Garcia Hernandez: no
- Gervin-Hawkins: no
- González, J.: no
- González, M.: no
- Goodwin: no
- Guerra: no
- Hinojosa: no
- Howard: no
- Jones, J.: no
- Lalani: no
- Longoria: no
- Manuel: no
- Meza: no
- Moody: no
- Morales, C.: no
- Morales, E.: no
- Morales Shaw: no
- Ordaz: no
- Perez, M.: no
- Perez, V.: no
- Plesa: no
- Reynolds: no
- Rodríguez Ramos: no
- Romero: no
- Rose: no
- Rosenthal: no
- Simmons: no
- Talarico: no
- Thompson: no
- Turner: no
- Vo: no
- Walle: no
- Wu: no
- Present: not voting
- Speaker: not voting
- Vasut(C: not voting
- Bryant: absent
- Campos: absent
- Garcia, J.: absent
- Harris: absent
- Johnson: absent
- Paul: absent
- Smithee: absent
- Hernandez: absent
- Holt: absent
- Jones, V.: absent
- Lopez, R.: absent
- Fischer: absent
- Oliverson: absent
- Zwiener: absent

Related bills

Companion bill: HB 717

Official source

ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/89R/billhistory/senate_bills/SB00900_SB00999/SB 965.xml

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T05:33:51.767464Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Source and document changes Status and relationship changes

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