The Fight for Our Kids Isn’t Over

As a Christian, mother, and conservative, I believe parents should have the final say in what their kids are exposed to. That’s just common sense. 

But right now, in taxpayer-funded public libraries across Texas, sexually explicit books are being placed in the children’s section—often without parents ever knowing. 

This session, I co-authored House Bill 3225, a straightforward bill that would’ve required municipal libraries to move explicit materials out of children’s sections and prevent kids from checking out those books without a parent’s permission. It’s not a book ban—it’s about restoring parental rights and protecting kids.

The Texas House passed it 93 to 37 with strong support, but the clock ran out while it was in the Senate.

That’s why I joined Rep. Daniel Alders and other conservatives in a signed letter this week, urging Governor Abbott to add this bill to the July 21st special session. Parents deserve peace of mind when taking their kids to the library, and it’s time to finish the job.

This fight is still ongoing, but we’re not starting from scratch. Here in Texas, we’ve passed and signed strong legislation to defend parental rights—and now the U.S. Supreme Court is reinforcing what we’ve been fighting for all along.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently delivered two major wins for families—upholding a state ban on child gender transitions and allowing parents to challenge sexually explicit LGBTQ books in public school libraries. As a co-author of Texas’s child gender transition ban, I’m proud the Court affirmed our right to protect children from irreversible harm and reaffirmed that moms and dads have every right to speak up when public institutions cross the line.

We also made meaningful progress in the 89th Session, passing several of  top conservative priorities that will protect children—now signed into law by Governor Abbott.

We passed SB 13 to give parents access to school library catalogs and establish local Library Advisory Councils. SB 12 protects parental rights in education and bans schools from pushing social transitioning or DEI ideology. SB 20 and SB 412 crack down on obscene material involving minors and close dangerous legal loopholes. SB 2420 brings accountability to mobile platforms distributing harmful content to children. I also co-authored HB 100 to increase transparency in instructional materials and supported HB 4623 to hold schools and employees accountable for sexual misconduct. I am proud to have maintained a 100% Republican Party of Texas voting record this session in support of these efforts.

These were important victories—but we can’t stop here. 

Texas families deserve better than having to wait another two years to protect children in public libraries. Governor Abbott has been a strong ally in the fight to protect kids, and I’m urging him to add HB 3225 to the special session call.

I’ll keep you updated as we get closer. In the meantime, thank you for standing with me.

Make sure you stay connected and informed about the legislative process by calling our Capitol office at (512) 463-0600 or by following my social media page at www.facebook.com/AngeliaOrrForTX.

– Conservative State Representative Angelia Orr