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Democratic state Sen. José Menéndez of San Antonio blasted Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s new religious-liberty initiative. He said it could deepen divisions among Texans while distracting public schools from their educational mission.
"It's kind of weird to try to say to people, look, look, look, this is the time and place where you can practice your religion," Menéndez said during an interview on Texas Public Radio’s "The Source."
Menéndez said Patrick is "trying to embolden people to demand something that isn't a problem. "
Patrick created a seven-member Senate Select Committee on Religious Liberty in March, saying it would find ways to educate Texans about their religious rights and prevent those rights from being infringed. On July 27, he directed the committee to compare state and federal religious-liberty protections and determine whether Texas needs additional laws.
The committee must also develop ways to inform Texans about their right to practice religion in education, workplaces, government and health care. A third directive calls for reviewing the implementation of recent laws involving religion in public schools. The recommendations could become legislation when lawmakers return to Austin in January 2027.
“Today, I released an additional seven interim charges for Texas Senate committees to study in preparation for the 90th Texas Legislature, reflecting issues facing Texans for the Senate to study,” Patrick said in announcing the broader package.
Menéndez said Texans already have the right to practice their faith. He said the initiative will further divide Texans.
"It's already doing it. It's causing people to pick what team they feel like they're on. Or 'are you Christian enough?'" he said.
The debate follows several religion-related measures approved by Texas lawmakers in 2025, including laws requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms and allowing periods for prayer or reading religious texts. Patrick has also led President Donald Trump’s federal Religious Liberty Commission and argued that the phrase “separation of church and state” has no constitutional basis.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, told The Source that religious liberty should protect people of every faith and those who follow no religion.
“It’s about all of us, all of our children in public schools, all of our families having equal religious liberty to believe as they choose and live as themselves so long as they’re not harming others,” Laser said.
She argued that Patrick’s approach could favor particular religious beliefs rather than protect all Texans equally.
Patrick’s directives, however, explicitly instruct lawmakers to consider both the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which limits government promotion of religion, and its Free Exercise Clause, which protects religious practice.
Felicia Martin, president and executive director of the Texas Freedom Network, said Texas public schools have become a focal point in the dispute over religion and government.
“Parents should be the ones guiding their children’s religious instruction, not politicians,” Martin said. She added that Christians and members of minority faiths already possess the right to pray and express their beliefs.
“This liberty, quote unquote, only works if it protects everyone,” Martin said. “We have been coexisting alongside Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs for a long time.”
Menéndez predicted proposals resulting from the committee’s work would likely pass if Republicans maintained their large legislative majorities. But he said voters will ultimately determine whether Patrick’s religious-liberty agenda becomes state law.
