The Texas House during consideration of Rep. Rafael Anchia’s point of order seeking to invalidate SB 1978. (Screen capture from the Texas House’s official video stream)

The Texas House of Representatives today voted 79-62 to pass to a third reading Senate Bill 1978, which would “prohibit a governmental entity from taking any adverse action against any person based wholly or partly on the person’s membership in, affiliation with, or contribution, donation, or other support provided to a religious organization.”

The vote came after vigorous efforts to derail the measure through procedural tactics and impassioned speeches by the five openly-LGBT members of the House

As originally written, SB 1978 would have protected individuals who discriminated against others based on “sincerely-held” religious beliefs. While the revised version, as approved today by the House, supposedly addresses issues with the original bill raised by opponents, state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, suggested that the phrase “other support provided to” a religious organization opened the door to exactly the kind of dangerous anti-LGBTQ bigotry that the bill’s opponents warned of.

After Anchia stressed that LGBTQ people are not protected by state or federal law and so could likely encounter discrimination made legal by SB 1978, Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, D-Dallas, one of the House’s five LGBT members, introduced an amendment that would add specific protections for LGBT people, but that amendment failed on a 65-76 vote.

WATCH DALLASVOICE.COM FOR A MORE COMPLETE STORY ON THE SB 1978 DEBATE.

Other anti-LGBT bills fail

Four bills filed by Senate Higher Education Committee Chairman Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, were not placed on the Tuesday House calendar, the last day the House could vote on Senate bills.

Senate Bill 2487 would have pre-empted various local ordinances passed by Austin, Dallas and San Antonio requiring that businesses provide mandatory paid sick leave. Three others — SBs 2485, 2486 and 2488 — would have pre-empted ordinances requiring that businesses offer certain benefits, adhere to certain scheduling practices and bar so-called “ban the box” ordinances preventing employers from asking about criminal history during the interview process.

The bills were filed initially filed as one bill.

Despite being top priorities of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, SB 15 languished in the Senate after Creighton removed language protecting local LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinances. 

He ultimately filed the four bills, which passed the Senate and were sent to the House State Affairs Committee. While Chairman Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, carried the bills, he added language protecting nondiscrimination ordinances back in.

— Tammye Nash and James Russell