SB 762 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the display of flags in public schools; providing a civil penalty.

SB 762 would prohibit Texas public schools from displaying most flags on school property, allowing only specific exceptions like the U.S. flag, Texas state flag, historical flags (per Texas Historical Commission), military flags, tribal flags, and school-authorized flags. Schools violating this rule must remedy the issue within 10 business days of a parent's written notice, or face a $500 daily civil penalty. The bill directly affects public elementary and secondary schools, requiring them to comply with these display restrictions. It creates a process where parents can report violations and schools must address them within a strict timeframe to avoid fines.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 10, 2025 Last action Apr 22, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 4 edits · Apr 15, 2025
MODERATE
The bill text was reformatted from a draft version to an official engrossed version, with substantive changes to the enforcement mechanism. The original bill allowed parents to sue schools for injunctions if they violated flag display rules, but the new version removes this right and instead imposes a $500 per day civil penalty on schools that fail to provide remedies within the required timeframe.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding flag display restrictions in public schools remains unchanged, but the enforcement mechanism shifted from private lawsuits to state-imposed civil penalties.
ENFORCEMENT

Replaced parent right to sue for injunctions with a civil penalty system where schools face $500 daily fines for non-compliance.

Added new subsection (f) establishing civil penalties and authorizing the attorney general to collect fines.

Removed subsection (c) that allowed parents to bring legal actions against schools for violations.

REQUIREMENT

Added new subsection (c) clarifying that schools may not display flags with alterations in color, symbols, or appearance.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 14, 2025

How they voted

228
Passed
Total votes 30
Apr 14, 2025
D Democratic10
2 Yea 8 Nay
80% Nay
R Republican20
20 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
30
Key actions
9
Committee
7
Amendments
3
Apr 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Public Education
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Apr 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed to engrossment as amended
upper
Apr 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
Apr 14, 2025
Introduced
Amendment(s) offered
upper
Apr 14, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (22-8)
senate
Apr 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Apr 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Apr 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to Education K-16
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors