Texas State Senator, District 18

Lois W. Kolkhorst is a Republican from Brenham who has served in the Texas Senate since winning a December 2014 special election, after seven terms in the Texas House²⁴. She chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and was named chair of the Sunset Advisory Commission in March 2026². Her campaign highlights her work on health policy, property rights, water and public safety³, including her 2025 bills on foreign land purchases and food labeling².

Where they stand 19 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• Property taxesKeep cutting them and cap how fast they can risehigh

  Said · high confidence

  • Said she was proud to help deliver what she called the largest property tax cut in state history, which raised the school homestead exemption to 100,000 dollars and lowered school tax rates. (2023-08-09) source
  • Voted yes on SB 10, which lowered the voter-approval tax rate limit for certain local taxing units; it passed the Senate 18 to 12. (2025-08-19) source
  • Voted yes on the final version of SB 2 (2019), which limited how fast local property tax revenue can grow without voter approval; the Senate adopted it 21 to 9. (2019-05-25) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionshigh

  Said · high confidence

  • Praised a June 2026 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that states may limit women's sports to biological females, calling it a victory for women and girls. (2026-06-30) source
  • Voted yes on the final version of SB 15, which requires college athletes to compete based on biological sex; the Senate concurred 19 to 12. (2023-05-26) source
  • Voted yes on HB 25, which requires K-12 athletes to compete based on sex assigned at birth; it passed the Senate 19 to 12. (2021-10-15) source
• China policyGet tougher: broad tariffs, state bans on land purchases, and forced app saleshigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • Authored SB 17, which bars governments, companies and people from countries named in federal threat assessments, including China, from buying Texas land; it passed the Senate 24 to 7 and was signed into law. (2025-06-20) source
  • Said it is a matter of national security that hostile nations not control Texas land, food, water and natural resources. (2025-03-20) source
  • Voted yes on her SB 17 on final Senate passage. (2025-03-19) source
  • Authored and voted yes on SB 147, an earlier land purchase restriction bill that passed the Senate 19 to 12 but not the House. (2023-04-26) source
• School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 2, which created a state education savings account program that can pay for private school; it passed the Senate 19 to 12. (2025-02-05) source
  • Voted yes on SB 8, an earlier education savings account bill; it passed the Senate 18 to 13. (2023-04-06) source
• AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on the final version of SB 8, the Texas Heartbeat Act; the Senate concurred 18 to 12. (2021-05-13) source
  • Voted yes on HB 1280, the law banning abortion if Roe v. Wade was overturned, which allows an exception for a medical emergency; it passed the Senate 19 to 12. (2021-05-25) source
  • Voted yes on SB 33, which bars local governments from funding travel or logistical support for abortions; it passed the Senate 22 to 9. (2025-04-16) source
  • Voted yes on HB 7, which restricts the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs; it passed the Senate 17 to 8. (2025-09-03) source
• GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 1927, which allows adults to carry a handgun without a license; it passed the Senate 18 to 13. (2021-05-05) source
• ImmigrationSecure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadymedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Her campaign says it will keep fighting to secure the border. (2026-07) source
  • Voted yes on SB 4, which made illegal entry into Texas a state crime; it passed the Senate 17 to 11. (2023-11-09) source
  • Voted yes on SB 8, which requires certain sheriffs to seek agreements with ICE to enforce federal immigration law; the Senate adopted the final version 20 to 11. (2025-05-31) source
• Texas power gridPay for more backup natural gas plantsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 2627, which created state loans for new or upgraded dispatchable power plants; it passed the Senate 27 to 4. (2023-05-04) source
  • Voted yes on SB 6, which set up a Texas Energy Insurance Program to support building backup power plants; it passed the Senate 22 to 9. (2023-04-05) source
• Housing and growthAllow townhomes and apartments in more places to bring prices downmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 840, which limits city rules that block mixed-use and multifamily housing in commercial areas; it passed the Senate 23 to 7. (2025-03-24) source
• Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 16, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote; it passed the Senate 20 to 11. (2025-04-01) source
  • Voted yes on SB 1 (2021), the election law overhaul that added mail ballot ID rules and limited some voting options; it passed the Senate 18 to 11. (2021-08-11) source
• RedistrictingState legislatures draw maps and may redraw any time, including for partisan advantagemedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 4, which redrew Texas U.S. House districts in 2025, four years after the 2021 maps; it passed the Senate 18 to 11. (2025-08-22) source
  • Voted yes on SB 6, the 2021 congressional map; it passed the Senate 18 to 13. (2021-10-08) source
• Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on the final version of SB 14, which bans gender transition procedures and treatments for minors; the Senate approved it 19 to 12. (2023-05-17) source
• Religion in schoolsSupport laws requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms and optional prayer periodsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 10, which requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms; the Senate approved the final version 21 to 10. (2025-05-28) source
  • Voted yes on SB 11, which lets school boards set a period for prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts; it passed the Senate 23 to 7. (2025-03-18) source
• Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tomedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 13, which creates local school library advisory councils and expands parental rights over school library materials; it passed the Senate 23 to 8. (2025-03-19) source
  • Voted yes on HB 900, which regulates library materials sold to or kept in public school libraries; it passed the Senate 19 to 12. (2023-05-23) source
• DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 17 (2023), which bars public colleges from keeping diversity, equity and inclusion offices, with some exceptions; it passed the Senate 19 to 12. (2023-04-19) source
  • Voted yes on SB 12, which bars DEI duties in public K-12 schools and expands parental rights; the Senate adopted the final version 20 to 11. (2025-05-31) source
• Nuclear powerBack new reactors with public funds, tax credits, and streamlined approvalsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 14, which created the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and a fund with grant programs to support new nuclear development; it passed the Senate 26 to 5. (2025-05-27) source
• School vaccinesKeep requirements with simple personal-belief exemptionsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Carried HB 1586 in the Senate, which requires the state to post the school vaccine exemption affidavit form online; it passed the Senate 23 to 8. (2025-05-25) source
  • Filed a 2023 bill to freeze the current school vaccine schedule so that only the Legislature could add new required shots, keeping COVID-19 vaccines off the school list. (2023-02-22) source
• Energy and climateNo single answer fitsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Authored SB 819, which added permit rules and fees for renewable energy generation facilities such as wind and solar; it passed the Senate 22 to 9 but did not pass the House. (2025-04-15) source
  • Voted yes on SB 819 on final Senate passage. (2025-04-15) source
  • Voted yes on SB 388, which set goals for new electric generation capacity to come from dispatchable sources such as natural gas; it passed the Senate 18 to 13. (2025-03-19) source
• MarijuanaNo single answer fitsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on the final version of SB 3, which would have banned most consumable hemp products containing THC; the Senate approved it 25 to 6 and the governor later vetoed it. (2025-05-25) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, AI data centers, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, E-Verify mandate.