Sharia Law, property taxes headline Texas Senate leader's priorities for next session

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the president of the state senate, has released his first round of interim changes for committees in the next legislative session. 

The list of committee priorities includes preventing Sharia Law in Texas, further reducing property taxes, and several other conservative hot-button items. 

Dan Patrick's interim changes

What we know:

Patrick's first round of interim changes, released Friday, include five areas the lieutenant governor intends to focus on in the 90th Texas Legislature, which is set to begin in January 2027. 

Patrick included the following statement with the release:

What they're saying:

"These first 5 interim charges, released today, reflect issues that I am particularly focused on, and Texans have asked the Texas Senate to study. The Texas senators have been asked to provide their interim charge recommendations by February 20th, and my staff and I will diligently review those hundreds of interim charge ideas. The full list of interim charges will be released later in March. As always, Texans can rest assured the Senate will hit the ground running on day one of the 90th Texas Legislature to ensure the priorities of the conservative majority of Texans are accomplished including, but not limited to, continued property tax relief via ‘Operation Double Nickel,’ eliminating fraud and abuse in state government, strengthening the power grid, and promoting a Texas-first agenda across the board."

2027 legislative priorities

The priorities are listed in tandem with senate committees. 

State Affairs Committee | Preventing Sharia Law in Texas

Patrick says Sharia Law, or any other "secondary judicial systems," have no place in Texas. The state ought to abide only by Texas and federal governance, Patrick says, and he intends for the senate to take steps with legislation to examine entities are attempting to impose other systems. 

The lieutenant governor mentioned the project formerly known as "EPIC City," now called The Meadow, and the related group Community Capital Partners. Both have faced scrutiny and litigation from Texas leaders, who fear the North Texas development would bend to Islam in favor of state or federal laws. 

Finance Committee | Further Property Tax Cuts

The Texas legislature already passed property tax breaks in the 2025 session in the form of Senate Bill 4  and Senate Bill 23, both of which dealt with homestead exemptions. Patrick wants the senate to focus on more cuts for homeowners in the coming session as well. 

Patrick has already floated the idea of Operation Double Nickel, in which he hopes to change the taxable definition of senior from the age of 65 to 55, thereby making senior tax breaks applicable to more property owners. He also wants homestead exemptions to increase by another $40,000.

Business and Commerce Committee | Securing Critical Infrastructure and Supply Chain Integrity

Patrick is calling for the senate to evaluate the integrity of the supply chain for critical infrastructure, including the Texas electric grid. Specifically, he's concerned over risks posed by "hostile foreign entities," referring to China, Russia and Iran. 

The senate is called to recommend improvements to the evaluation and maintenance of the state's grid. 

Health and Human Services Committee | Protecting Taxpayer Funds – Preventing Fraud and Abuse

Patrick is backing Gov. Greg Abbott's effort to prevent and eliminate fraud, particularly in Medicaid and Child Care Services programs.

The concern over human service program fraud comes after a scandal in Minnesota that made national news, in which a federal audit uncovered alarming deficiencies in the state's child care assistance program. Abbott, and now Patrick, are calling for Texas lawmakers to direct their attention toward preventing the same issues in the Lone Star State.

Education Committee | Promoting America & Texas First in Our Schools

Finally, Paxton aims to further prevent "hostile agents" from gaining ground in public schools, and tighten Texas education to focus more on "American and Texas exceptionalism."

Recently, the Texas Education Agency has been making preliminary steps in long-term changes to the learning standards for the state. Most recently, a Thursday vote pushed forward recommendations for changing the standardized social studies curriculum, which members of the public contested as ignoring world history and religions. A first-in-the-nation standardized reading list is also in the works, which currently includes Christian Bible excerpts as its sole mentions of religious texts. 

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