2021 TX Legislative Scorecard
The following scorecard lists several key votes in the Texas Legislature in 2021 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.
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SB1, as passed by the Texas Legislature, appropriates approximately $248.6 billion for the FY 2022-23. After the Governor’s line-item veto proclamation, roughly $248.1 billion of those appropriations became law as part of the biennial state budget.
The Senate passed SB1 on May 26, 2021, by a vote of 31 to 0. We have assigned minuses to the yeas because Texas’ spending plan for 2022-23 includes $84.8 billion of mostly unconstitutional federal funding, representing 34.2% of the state’s entire budget. It not only continues participation in a number of the state’s Medicaid programs, which have expanded to more than 5 million recipients, but relies on $13.8 billion in funds available through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). States should oppose the use of federal taxpayer money for purposes not authorized under Article 1, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution.
HB492 limits the issuance of ‘no-knock’ arrest and search warrants to only situations in which it is “necessary to avoid the risk of death or serious bodily injury to peace officers and others.” It also requires their approval at the highest level of a law enforcement agency and the authorization of a district court or statutory county court judge.
The Senate passed HB492 on May 25, 2021, by a vote of 30 to 1. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because 'no-knock' warrants undermine the rights of Americans protected specifically by the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. 'No-knock' warrants, by definition, violate the basic principle that law enforcement should not forcibly enter a premises without first providing notice of their authority and purpose of executing a warrant.
HB3 would create the Texas Pandemic Response Act, allowing the governor to issue “pandemic disaster” declarations. It also establishes the 10-member Pandemic Disaster Legislative Oversight Committee, which includes the lieutenant governor, to oversee pandemic disaster declarations when the legislature is not convened in regular or special session.
The Senate passed HB3 on May 25, 2021, by a vote of 30 to 1. We have assigned pluses to the nays because oversight of executive emergency powers belongs to the legislative branch of government. HB3 relegates the Legislature as less than a co-equal, granting too much authority to the Governor, who should not be able to renew a disaster declaration beyond 30 days. Under Article IV, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution, each state is guaranteed a republican form of government, which requires a limitation and separation of powers.
HB1927 allows permitless carry of a handgun for persons 21 years of age or older. It also makes a person who has been convicted of an offense involving the unlawful carrying of a handgun on another's property before September 1, 2021, eligible to have all records and files relating to the arrest expunged.
The Senate passed HB1927 on May 5, 2021, by a vote of 18 to 13. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the fundamental right of the American people to keep and bear arms should not be infringed, as guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
SB7 seeks to prevent election fraud by both creating criminal offenses and increasing criminal penalties. Among other provisions, it would: ban after-hours voting; prohibit mobile, outdoor, and drive-thru voting and drop boxes; provide an online system for voters to track mail-in ballots; and make “voting harvesting” a felony.
The Senate passed SB7 on April 1, 2021, by a vote of 18 to 13. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because states should exercise their authority, under Article 1, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution, to implement free, fair, and secure elections, guaranteeing equal protection of the right of citizens of the United States to vote.
SB8 prohibits an abortion after a fetal heartbeat has been detected, except for when a woman has a “medical emergency,” which places the woman in danger of death or a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function.
The Senate passed SB8 on March 30, 2021, by a vote of 19 to 12. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because states should act to ban abortion and guarantee the right to life for all persons. The right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the 5th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
