Texas Bill Prohibiting Certain Transactions Between the State and Abortion Providers (SB 22)

SB 22 prohibits a governmental entity from entering into a taxpayer resource transaction with an abortion provider or an affiliate of an abortion provider. The bill essentially prohibits taxpayer dollars at both the state and local level from being used to fund abortion facilities and affiliates.

The bill defines taxpayer resource transaction to mean:

[…]a sale, purchase, lease, donation of money, goods, services, or real property, or any other transaction between a governmental entity and a private entity that provides to the private entity something of value derived directly or indirectly from state or local tax revenue, regardless of whether the governmental entity receives something of value in return. The term includes advocacy or lobbying on behalf of the interests of an abortion provider or affiliate.

The bill grants the attorney general power to bring an action in the name of the state to enjoin a violation of this provision.

This would not apply to a licensed hospital, the office of a licensed physician that performs fewer than 50 abortions per year, a state hospital, a teaching hospital, or an accredited residency program.

Related Legislation

Similar to HB 1929 and SB 389.

Similar to HB 14, HB 163, SB 4, and SB 77, all of which failed to pass during the 2017 special legislative session.

Similar to HB 1936/SB 855, which failed to pass during the regular 2017 legislative session.

Latest Action

3/8/19 – Introduced.

3/20/19 – Passed senate committee in a 7-0 vote.

4/2/19 – Passed the Senate in a 20-11 vote.

4/17/19 – Passed house committee in a 7-4 vote.

5/17/19 – Amended; passed the House in a 81-65 vote.

5/24/19 – Concurred in the Senate.

6/7/19 – Signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

People