Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Texas Policy Summit in Austin on April 8, 2026. Credit: Texas Tribune / Joel Angel Juarez Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday asked state lawmakers to study ways to further infuse religion into public life as part of a new crop of interim charges unveiled by the Texas Senate leader.

One of the lieutenant governor's directives tells senators to compare state and federal laws surrounding religious liberty, with specific instructions to look at whether state laws line up with the "establishment" and "free exercise" clauses of the First Amendment and determine if "additional protections are needed." Another charge instructs lawmakers to examine ways to educate Texans about their right to practice their religion "in all settings, including, but not limited to: education, workplace, government, and healthcare." Sign up A third calls for a pulse check on a law passed by the Legislature in 2025 that lets public schools excuse student absences for off-campus religious instruction.

All three charges are assigned to Patrick's newly formed Religious Liberty Committee, chaired by state Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, that was announced in March.