Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is rolling out a new campaign-season spotlight in Austin, unveiling a Senate Select Committee on Religious Liberty that he says will school Texans on their First Amendment rights while national debates swirl around a similar commission he chairs in Washington.
Patrick announced Monday that the seven-member state panel will be led by state Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, with state Sen. Angela Paxton as vice chair and El Paso Democrat Cesar Blanco serving as the lone Democrat. In a written statement, Patrick said many Texans “do not fully understand” their religious-liberty rights and cast the committee as an education-focused body, according to FOX 7 Austin.
State Panel Tracks A Washington Power Play
Patrick also serves as chair of the federal Religious Liberty Commission created by President Donald Trump, per the White House. That national panel was sued in February by a coalition claiming it lacked religious diversity and violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and Patrick later removed a member after tense exchanges during a February hearing on antisemitism, according to AP.
Critics Question Balance And Political Ties
Critics say the federal commission’s membership - and the mirror effort now forming in Austin - could elevate a narrow view of religious liberty instead of reflecting Texas’ broad religious diversity, the Houston Chronicle reports. Observers also point out that Sen. Angela Paxton is married to Attorney General Ken Paxton, a dynamic some argue raises conflict-of-interest concerns in upcoming conservative policy battles, according to CNN.
Election Clock Is Ticking
Patrick is seeking a fourth term as lieutenant governor, and Democrats will pick his challenger in a May runoff between Vikki Goodwin and Marcos Vélez, according to the Dallas Morning News. The new committee gives him a high-profile venue to talk about defending religious rights, a message that tracks closely with the themes highlighted in his written statement reported by FOX 7 Austin.
Legal Note
The Interfaith Alliance-led lawsuit over the federal commission asks a court to order compliance with FACA and to make commission materials public, arguing advisory panels must be “fairly balanced” in viewpoints. The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and cites alleged failures to post agendas, transcripts, and witness lists in advance, according to AU.org.
What comes next in Texas: watch for the state committee’s hearing schedule, who gets invited to testify, and whether its work hugs the federal commission’s agenda or keeps it at arm’s length. For Texans following the legislative session, this new panel will be an early tell on how faith and government are going to mix this year.
