Senate education committee adopts substitute for bill on teaching communism; leaves SB24 pending

At a meeting of the Senate Committee on Education (K-16), members adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 24, which would require Texas schools to provide instruction on the history, tactics and consequences of communist regimes. The committee later left SB24 pending, subject to the call of the chair, and closed public testimony.

Senator Lystra Campbell, the bill’s author, told the committee that "Senate Bill 24 requires that Texas schools provide comprehensive instruction on the history, the tactics, and the consequences of communist regimes, including specific historical events and victim testimonies." Campbell said the substitute changes the grade-level requirement; in committee she stated, "It was K through 12. I changed it from fourth to twelfth." The substitute was moved by Senator Paul Bettencourt and, after no objection was raised, "the substitute is adopted," the chair announced.

The committee heard invited testimony from Pastor Rafael Cruz, who described his experiences under Cuba’s communist government and urged the panel to teach students about communism’s harms. Cruz said, "You must destroy the concept of God to make government your God," and urged schools to teach history that, in his view, preserves American foundational beliefs.

Several members and public witnesses spoke in favor of the bill. Brady Gray, identifying himself as president of Texas Family Project, said the curriculum should teach "the contrast" between communism and the American republic and cited historical examples he said show harm under communist regimes. Melinda Preston, who said she homeschooled children adopted from Russia, described witnessing what she called indoctrination and said that reading works such as Animal Farm and 1984 helped her family understand communism’s effects. Jennifer Drabot, a high school math teacher who said she also has children in public schools, told the committee, "More history and history class shouldn't be controversial. It's pretty straightforward."

During questioning and remarks, members referenced other recent education bills. Senator Hinojosa noted committee action on related measures, saying, "We passed SB 10 so that it requires the 10 Commandments to be posted in our schools and we passed SB 11 to ensure that prayer is allowed for those who want to continue to do that."

With public testimony concluded, the committee closed the hearing and left Senate Bill 24 pending, "subject to the call of the chair," meaning the measure remains under committee consideration rather than advancing immediately to the full Senate.

The committee also recessed subject to the call of the chair at the end of the meeting. No formal roll-call vote totals were recorded in the transcript for the substitute’s adoption; the record shows adoption by unanimous voice without objection and later that the bill was left pending.