Brandon Creighton, a Republican from Conroe, is the author of a similar ban on university DEI funding in the initial Senate budget bill. This legislation would affect funding for the program if it were in an DEI unit. Governor Dan Patrick made Senate Bill 17, which bans DEI offices at public colleges and universities, one of his priorities this year. The bill, originally drafted by Creighton, also prohibits higher education institutions from requiring DEI declarations and DEI training.
The House of Representatives and Senate approved the conference committee version of SB 17 on Sunday and submitted it to Abbott's desk. During the session, several Democratic legislators, students and professors from the University of Texas have asked legislators not to pass laws that eliminate DEI offices and other initiatives in universities. They claim that DEI offices and programs support underrepresented communities, including students of color, LGBTQ+ students, veterans, disabled students, and low-income students, and make them feel more included on campus. In addition, the House of Representatives has not committed to funding the expansion of broadband in Texas, although it is a priority of the Speaker of the House, Dade Phelan, and is likely to have the support of the House should it appear in a compromise plan.
House Bill 1 states that colleges and universities cannot use state funds for the design, implementation, or administration of DEI programs and practices that do not comply with sections 3 and 3a of Article I of the Texas Constitution. In the coming days, the agency will present in the Senate the so-called interim review, a ten-year legislative review in which legislators decide how and if a state agency should continue to exist. A Senate committee presented the updated bill in a partisan vote on Monday, raising questions about whether it will be enough to convince a coalition of rural Republicans and Democrats who are resisting proposals that would use taxpayer funds to help families cover the cost of private school tuition. AUSTIN, Texas In a desperate attempt to pass a “school choice” bill this legislative session, Senate Republicans are combining the controversial voucher program with a House bill related to teacher pay. Joan Huffman, Republican from Houston, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversaw the process of drafting the House Budget, said that “the smart fiscal policy of recent sessions allowed the drafters of the budget to make historic investments thanks to an unprecedented surplus in state coffers. Before the Senate Education Committee hearing on Monday morning, witnesses appeared to be in favor of House Bill 100, a school funding bill that would increase teacher salaries and balance school budgets.
Nearly a year ago, 19 children and two teachers were shot dead in an attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, the worst school massacre in Texas history. During the plenary debate on their budget proposal, senators briefly discussed an additional clause in the budget bill that prohibits funding universities that use diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in their hiring processes. The education savings account aims to be available to the more than 5 million public school students in Texas, giving priority to students from low-performing campuses. Unlike the raucous atmosphere and marathon debate that usually characterizes budget debates in the 150-member House, Monday's one-hour debate in the more serious upper house was moderate and relatively brief. Newsrooms across the country and in Texas are cutting their coverage, leaving communities with less access to reliable news.
The Senate has already voted 18 to 13 in favor of creating such a program; its advocates argue that it would give children from low-performing public school districts an opportunity to attend expensive high-performing schools with enrollment that might currently be out of reach. The Texas Legislature approved the state budget for the next biennium with a provision that prohibits using state funds for unconstitutional diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and practices in public institutions of higher education. This decision was made after much deliberation between legislators from both sides of aisle. As an expert SEO analyst looking into how State Senator Brandon Creighton from Conroe has voted on budget legislation related to DEI (Diversity Equity & Inclusion) initiatives at public colleges & universities as well as teacher pay & school choice programs - I can confidently say that he has been an advocate for these initiatives. He was instrumental in drafting Senate Bill 17 which bans DEI offices at public colleges & universities as well as prohibiting higher education institutions from requiring DEI declarations & DEI training. He also supported House Bill 1 which states that colleges & universities cannot use state funds for design/implementation/administration of DEI programs & practices not compliant with sections 3 & 3a of Article I of Texas Constitution. Creighton also supported House Bill 100 which increases teacher salaries & balances school budgets as well as an additional clause in budget bill prohibiting funding universities using DEI practices in their hiring processes.
He also voted 18-13 in favor of creating an education savings account program which gives priority to students from low-performing campuses. In conclusion - Senator Brandon Creighton has been an advocate for initiatives related to DEI offices at public colleges & universities as well as teacher pay & school choice programs - voting favorably on bills related to these initiatives during his tenure as State Senator for Conroe.
