AUSTIN, Texas — The 88th Texas legislative session starts in January.
Monday, Nov. 14, was the first day Texas lawmakers and legislators-elect could file bills ahead of the session. As of Thursday, more than 1,000 bills have already been filed.
KVUE is taking a look at some of the policies lawmakers want to pass. As U.S. senators consider a bill protecting same-sex marriage rights in federal law, we're taking a look at some of the filed Texas bills related to marriage equality.
State Sen. Nathan Johnson, a Democrat from Dallas, filed Senate Joint Resolution 15. It calls for an amendment to repeal language in the Texas Constitution that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. If the resolution were to pass, voters would make the final decision in the November 2023 election.
Johnson also filed Senate Bill 81, which would change the text of Texas laws related to marriage and parenting to make the terms neutral instead of gender-specific.
The bill would also repeal the section of the Texas Penal Code that makes same-sex intercourse a crime. While that law was ruled unconstitutional in 2003, it's still on the books. That means, as it stands right now, if that ruling were ever overturned – like with Roe v. Wade – there is some concern that the law could go back into effect.
It's a long road for a bill to become law, and that journey begins when the session convenes on Jan. 10. Read about some of the other bills that have already been filed.