The lieutenant governor of Texas, who serves as chairman of President Donald Trump’s federal Religious Liberty Commission, has appointed his own state version of the panel. He named as chair of the Texas committee a well-known Republican Zionist.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the Senate Select Committee on Religious Liberty March 23. He named six Republicans and one Democrat to the panel. That includes Chairman Phil King, a Republican from Weatherford, Texas.
Lieutenant Governor of Texas Dan Patrick (L) greets Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) before she speaks during the first hearing of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission in 2025. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
“For the past year, I have had the honor of serving as chairman of President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission in Washington, D.C. Through the commission’s important work, I have learned that many Americans, and Texans alike, do not fully understand their God-given religious liberty rights secured under the First Amendment,” Patrick said. “Today, I am appointing the Senate Select Committee on Religious Liberty to find ways to educate Texans on their religious liberty rights and to make sure Texans do not have those rights infringed upon.”
Patrick’s leadership of the federal commission has drawn intense scrutiny from both sides of the aisle because of its perceived fealty not only to the grievances of evangelical Christians but also for its pro-Israel stance. Carrie Prejean Boller recently was removed from the group by Patrick because she questioned Israel’s murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza as not being pro-life.
In addition to King, others named to Patrick’s committee are Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney; Sen. César Blanco, D-El Paso; Sen. Brent Hagenbuch, R-Denton; Sen. Adam Hinojosa, R-Corpus Christi; Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Tyler; and Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock.
Angela Paxton is the estranged wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is in a runoff for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat. Patrick named her vice chair of the group.
Patrick is seeking a fourth term as lieutenant governor. He will face either Democrat pick Vikki Goodwin or Marcos Vélez in the November general election. The Democratic contender will be determined in a May runoff election.
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