Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is pushing to expand the footprint of religious liberty in Texas while simultaneously directing state lawmakers to find ways to prevent the implementation of Sharia law.
The directives are part of a newly released list of interim charges for the Texas Senate ahead of the 2027 legislative session.
Drawing inspiration from his work leading a national religious liberty panel under President Donald Trump, Patrick is instructing the Senate to study strategies to challenge the traditional interpretation that the First Amendment implies a strict separation of church and state.
Additionally, Patrick's charges direct lawmakers to develop methods for educating Texans about their religious rights across multiple sectors, including public schools, workplaces, government institutions, and healthcare settings.
The Senate will also monitor the implementation of existing state laws, including the requirement of displaying the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and provisions for school Bible studies.
Finally, the interim charges task the committee with identifying preventative measures to ensure Sharia law—traditional Islamic law—does not take hold within the state.
