Lieutenant Governor of Texas

Dan Patrick has been lieutenant governor of Texas since 2015 and presides over the Texas Senate². He served in the Texas Senate from 2007 to 2015 and earlier founded a Houston talk radio station². He is seeking a fourth term¹.

Where they stand 20 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a righthigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • After the Senate passed HB 1927, the constitutional carry bill, Patrick said 'the Constitution is our permit to carry.' (2021-05-05) source
  • HB 1927 allows people 21 and older who may legally possess a handgun to carry one without a license, and became law in 2021. (2021-06-16) source
• School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 2, 'Providing School Choice,' a top 2025 priority; it passed and created an education savings account program. (2025) source
  • SB 2 was signed into law on May 3, 2025. (2025-05-03) source
• MarijuanaMedical use onlymedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • At a June 24, 2025 news conference Patrick said, 'I will not sign a bill that legalizes marijuana in Texas,' and praised the expanded Texas Compassionate Use (medical) Program passed that session. (2025-06-24) source
  • HB 46, which expanded the medical use of low-THC cannabis under the Compassionate-Use Program, passed the Legislature and was signed on June 20, 2025. (2025-06-20) source
  • Patrick made SB 3, a ban on intoxicating hemp-derived THC products that left the Compassionate Use medical program unchanged, a major priority. (2025-03-19) source
  • After the governor vetoed SB 3, Patrick said a ban is the only way to truly protect kids and noted that recreational marijuana is still illegal in Texas. (2025-09-12) source
• Property taxesKeep cutting them and cap how fast they can risemedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick prioritized SB 4 and SB 23 in 2025, raising the school homestead exemption to 140,000 dollars and to 200,000 dollars for seniors. (2025) source
  • He has proposed raising the homestead exemption to 180,000 dollars and lowering the senior exemption age to 55, and pushed back on eliminating school property taxes outright, saying it could require doubling sales taxes. (2025-12-11) source
• ImmigrationDeport everyone here illegally, as quickly as possiblemedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 8, 'Requiring Local Law Enforcement to Assist the Federal Government's Deportation Efforts,' a top 2025 priority. (2025) source
  • At the 2023 signing of the border package including a state illegal entry crime, he said securing the southern border has been one of his biggest priorities. (2023-12-18) source
• RedistrictingState legislatures draw maps and may redraw any time, including for partisan advantagemedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • The Senate under Patrick passed HB 4, a mid-decade congressional map adding five Republican-majority districts, and he said it will 'more accurately reflect our state.' (2025-08-23) source
• Religion in schoolsSupport laws requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms and optional prayer periodsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 10, 'Placing the Ten Commandments in School,' and SB 11, 'Protecting the Freedom to Pray in School,' top 2025 priorities. (2025) source
  • SB 10, requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, was signed on June 20, 2025, along with SB 11. (2025-06-20) source
• Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tomedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick's 2025 priorities included SB 12, a parental bill of rights in public education, and SB 13, 'Guarding Against Inappropriate Books in Public Schools.' (2025) source
  • His 2023 priorities included SB 13, 'Protecting Children from Obscene Books in Libraries.' (2023-02-13) source
• DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 17, 'Banning Discriminatory Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policies in Higher Education,' a 2023 priority; it became law. (2023-02-13) source
  • SB 17 was signed on June 17, 2023. (2023-06-17) source
• Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 14, 'Ending Child Gender Modification,' a 2023 priority; it became law. (2023-02-13) source
  • SB 14 prohibits gender transition procedures and treatments for minors and was signed on June 2, 2023. (2023-06-02) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 15, 'Protecting Women's College Sports,' a 2023 priority; it requires college athletes to compete based on biological sex and became law. (2023-02-13) source
  • SB 15 was signed on June 18, 2023. (2023-06-18) source
• Texas power gridPay for more backup natural gas plantsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick's 2023 priorities included SB 6, 'Adding New Natural Gas Plants,' and SB 7, 'Continuing to Improve the Texas Grid.' (2023-02-13) source
  • The Senate passed SB 2627 in 2023, which set up funding to support building and operating power plants and became law. (2023-06-09) source
• AI data centersWelcome them, but make them pay their full share of grid and water costsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 6, 'Increasing Texas' Electric Grid Reliability,' a 2025 priority. (2025) source
  • SB 6 became law and sets planning, interconnection and cost rules for certain very large electric loads, such as data centers. (2025-06-20) source
  • In 2026 he directed senators to weigh data center growth against impacts on landowners and water and to study the cost of data center sales tax exemptions. (2026-03) source
• Policing and crimeTougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bailmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 9 and SB 40, both on bail reform, top 2025 priorities, describing SB 9 as keeping violent criminals off the streets. (2025) source
  • His 2023 priorities included more funding for rural law enforcement and a mandatory 10-year prison sentence for gun crimes. (2023-02-13) source
• Mandatory minimumsAdd or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl traffickingmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 23, 'Creating A Mandatory 10-Year Prison Sentence for Criminals Committing Gun Crime,' a 2023 priority. (2023-02-13) source
  • The Senate passed SB 23 on April 5, 2023; it was left pending in a House committee. (2023-04-05) source
• Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 16, 'Stopping Non-Citizens from Voting,' a 2025 priority. (2025) source
  • SB 16 would have required proof of citizenship to register to vote; it passed the Senate but did not pass the House. (2025-05-25) source
  • His 2023 priorities included SB 2, restoring illegal voting to a felony. (2023-02-13) source
• China policyGet tougher: broad tariffs, state bans on land purchases, and forced app salesmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 17, 'Stopping Foreign Adversaries' Land Grabs,' a 2025 priority; it restricts purchases of Texas real estate by certain foreign individuals and entities and became law. (2025) source
  • SB 17 was signed on June 20, 2025. (2025-06-20) source
• Housing and growthAllow townhomes and apartments in more places to bring prices downmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 15, 'Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing,' a 2025 priority; it limits lot size and density requirements for new homes in certain cities and became law. (2025) source
  • SB 15 was signed on June 20, 2025. (2025-06-20) source
• AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 31, the 'Life of the Mother Act,' and SB 33, 'Stopping Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Travel,' 2025 priorities. (2025) source
  • SB 31, which sets out when physicians may use medical judgment to perform an otherwise prohibited abortion, became law in 2025. (2025-06-20) source
• Business regulationCut red tape, but keep core safety and environmental rulesmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Patrick named SB 14, 'Texas DOGE, Improving Government Efficiency,' a 2025 priority; it reforms how state agencies adopt rules and impose regulatory requirements and became law. (2025) source
  • SB 14 was signed on April 23, 2025. (2025-04-23) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Healthcare, Energy and climate, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate.