Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that he is prioritizing the recently passed Senate Bill 37, which reforms faculty senates at Texas colleges and universities by “defining their role as advisory only.”
According to Patrick, the bill “bolsters the authority of Boards of Regents and defines their obligations on matters such as hiring, academic policies, and curriculum.”
Note: The governing body for The University of Texas System is composed of nine members who are appointed by the Governor (Greg Abbott) and confirmed by the Senate, which is currently composed of 20 Republicans and 11 Democrats.
In a statement, Patrick said: “Faculty senates must have a clearly defined role at our universities. While the rogue faculty senate at the University of Texas foolishly questioned the Texas Legislature’s authority over higher education, faculty senates generally serve a purpose and help Boards of Regents make critical decisions impacting university students in Texas.”
The Texas Tribune reported that SB37, which was proposed by Republican State Senator Brandon Creighton, will “drastically limit how the state’s public universities teach their students about history, race and inequality.”
Democrats complained that Creighton reportedly added a 13-page amendment to the bill at the last minute (allowing Democrats just 10-minutes to read it before voting) that “would also create a way to file complaints about universities that could threaten their funding.” All 11 Democrats voted against the bill.
Last week Patrick celebrated the passing of the bill on X by writing: “In 2021, the faculty senate at the University of Texas at Austin arrogantly stated that they were not accountable to the Texas Legislature or UT Board of Regents…Tonight, with final passage of Senate Bill 37, the faculty senate at the University of Texas at Austin had their power stripped and found out the Legislature does have authority over faculty senates after all!”
In 2021, the faculty senate at the University of Texas at Austin arrogantly stated that they were not accountable to the Texas Legislature or UT Board of Regents. They passed a resolution stating they were going to teach Critical Race Theory to UT students no matter what the…
— Office of the Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (@LtGovTX) April 17, 2025
Patrick added: “these looney Marxist UT professors should find a friendly blue state to move to so we can fill their roles with quality conservative professors who will teach critical thinking. Yippie Ki Yay! Adios! Sayonara! Auf Wiedersehen! Au Revoir! In every language you can possibly think of: Goodbye!”
𝐈𝐂𝐘𝐌𝐈: I am pleased and honored my very first re-election endorsement came from my friend and ally, President @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/0IoIQmWT1D pic.twitter.com/C0Otb9x6de
— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) April 12, 2025
Note: All 20 Republican members of the Texas Senate have endorsed Patrick for re-election (he is running for his fourth term in the 2026 election). As seen above, Patrick secured his first re-election endorsement from President Trump.
No Democratic candidates have been announced yet. The last Democrat to serve as Lt. Governor of Texas was the late Bob Bullock, who served from 1991 to 1999.