What your Denton County reps are up to at the Capitol

Here’s a quick rundown of what the county’s lawmakers have been up to at the Texas Capitol, and a few of their top priorities.

Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound

Committees: Administration, Committee on the Whole Senate, Education, Local Government, State Affairs, Transportation, Veteran Affairs (VC)

Sen. Tan Parker recently announced a bill package that aims to crack down on human trafficking in Texas. The bills increase privacy for victims, deny bail for repeat offenders and increase penalties in violent cases. Parker has also co-authored a bill that would increase property tax exemptions from a portion of $40,000 to $70,000 of a homeowner’s property.

Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster

Committees: Administration (VC), Committee of the Whole Senate, Education, Subcommittee on Higher Education, Local Government (VC), Nominations, Redistricting, Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Sen. Drew Springer said some of his priorities this session include property tax relief, increasing border security and school safety. Springer filed a bill allowing schools and districts in counties with populations under 150,000 to start a school security volunteer program. Eligible volunteers include qualified retired police officers and veterans who pass a criminal background check; volunteers may possess a handgun under the bill. The legislation is in the Senate Education Committee, of which Springer and Parker are members.

Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco

Committees: Calendars, Licensing and Administration, Transportation

Rep. Jared Patterson has filed several bills that aim to strengthen parental rights in education and eliminate materials that are sexually explicit from school libraries. Patterson also has sponsored a bill that would prevent transgender students from participating in a school sport not aligned with their biological sex.

Rep. Richard Hayes, R-Denton

Committees: International Relations and Economic Development, Urban Affairs

Rep. Richard Hayes is Denton’s representative for the county’s newest district. Among Hayes’ early actions is a bill filed that relates to the prohibition of short-barrel firearms and another he’s sponsored, along with 75 other House members, that would limit student-athletes to sports associated with their biological sex.

Rep. Kronda Thimesch, R-Lewisville

Committees: Agriculture and Livestock, Appropriations, Resolutions Calendars

Rep. Kronda Thimesch has prioritized Texas’ opioid and human-trafficking crises. The former Lewisville Independent School District trustee filed a bill that would make it a felony if a person knowingly delivers or manufactures a controlled substance that results in the death of the person who uses the drug. Thimesch has joined Parker and other North Texas legislators in cracking down on illicit massage parlors to address the state’s human trafficking numbers.

Rep. Benjamin Bumgarner, R-Flower Mound

Committees: Defense and Veteran Affairs, International Relations, Economic Development

Rep. Benjamin Bumgarner authored a bill that would require individuals to pass a psychological evaluation, performed by a Texas-licensed psychologist, before they undergo gender reassignment surgery or treatment. Flower Mound’s representative has also filed a measure that would make it a first-degree felony for a person to deliver a controlled substance to a child. The offense would turn into a capital felony if the child dies from taking the substance.

Rep. Lynn Stucky, R-Denton

Committees: Appropriations, Appropriations SC on Art. II, County Affairs, Resolutions Calendars

Rep. Lynn Stucky, along with Bumgarner, has filed a bill that would give parents the right to withdraw their children from school and transfer them if they suspect their children are being subjected to sexual grooming, which under the bill is defined as desensitizing children to sexual experiences or normalizing sexual relationships. The bill is not yet in committee.