Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday vowed to pass legislation punishing public schools that do not remove graphic books from their shelves by knocking them down a notch in the state’s annual school performance ratings, which the state uses to seize control of underperforming districts.
Flanked by easels displaying printed covers of books he found obscene, the lieutenant governor said school boards and administrators have not been following a 2025 law aimed at weeding out lewd books from the shelves in Texas’ more than 9,000 campuses attended by some 5.5 million schoolchildren.
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“It’s the law and we expect you to follow the law. So we’re coming for the books,” Patrick said during a news conference at the Texas Capitol. “We ask that you do it on your own and remove these books.”
The law from last year, Senate Bill 13, granted school boards the authority to approve and remove books based on complaints they receive, such as those from parents and activist groups. Before, those powers largely belonged to school librarians. But Patrick said an overwhelming majority of school boards have not taken any action, as the law nears one year in effect.
Patrick said the books on display at his news conference — which he said are on the shelves of some Texas schools despite being prohibited in state prisons — were “so filthy, so dirty, so vulgar, so pornographic” that he refused to open them out of respect for the women in the room.
He insisted the state was not banning books.
“There are no books banned in America. You can buy any book you want to buy if you want it,” he said. “But we do not take taxpayer money and buy these books for our schools. “
As lieutenant governor, Patrick presides over the Texas Senate, a position that gives him immense power to set the chamber’s agenda and ensure the passage of his preferred bills. He confirmed that, under his proposal, schools could be docked an entire letter grade — going from an “A” to a “B” rating, for example — if they were found to have a single book on their library shelves that should not be there.
Such a law, which could streamline state takeovers, would be the newest frontier in a yearslong battle wielded by Texas Republicans against books that often explore LGBTQ+ and race issues.
Librarians and childhood literacy advocates have contended, throughout fights at the Capitol and in school board rooms across the state, that some of those books are important for students who may not see their lived experience reflected in other literature — and can’t afford to buy them.
Patrick noted at his press conference, however, that more than 90% of parents and grandparents would not want their kids seeing the books he was highlighting, some of which depicted masturbation and graphic images of genitalia.
Patrick is up for reelection and will face state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, in November.