---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to the display of the national motto in public schools and institutions of higher education."
description: "Relating to the display of the national motto in public schools and institutions of higher education."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "87"
identifier: "SB 797"
citation: "Texas SB 797 (87)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Education--Higher--General (I0231)", "Education--Primary & Secondary--General (I0230)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Anderson", "Hefner", "Huberty", "Hughes", "Noble", "Oliverson"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 52
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-02-24"
last_action: "2021-06-16"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/3b8acf6e-1e49-40b1-9194-84a6b2aadd6f"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/87R/billhistory/senate_bills/SB00700_SB00799/SB 797.xml"
source_hash: "403e1310c2e90a2b8245d0e7fa1e47a5605c62cbbadd420babfaa1d717718c8c"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tx"]
---

# Texas SB 797 (87) — Relating to the display of the national motto in public schools and institutions of higher education.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00797I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00797E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00797H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00797S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00797F.HTM)

## Votes

- passage — **106–35** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Anderson — primary (person)
- Hefner — primary (person)
- Huberty — primary (person)
- Hughes — primary (person)
- Noble — primary (person)
- Oliverson — primary (person)
- Ashby — cosponsor (person)
- Biedermann — cosponsor (person)
- Bonnen — cosponsor (person)
- Burns — cosponsor (person)
- Cain — cosponsor (person)
- Cook — cosponsor (person)
- Dean — cosponsor (person)
- Ellzey — cosponsor (person)
- King, Phil — cosponsor (person)
- Landgraf — cosponsor (person)
- Leman — cosponsor (person)
- Metcalf — cosponsor (person)
- Murr — cosponsor (person)
- Parker — cosponsor (person)
- Patterson — cosponsor (person)
- Paul — cosponsor (person)
- Sanford — cosponsor (person)
- Slaton — cosponsor (person)
- Swanson — cosponsor (person)
- Thompson, Ed — cosponsor (person)
- Tinderholt — cosponsor (person)
- VanDeaver — cosponsor (person)
- Vasut — cosponsor (person)
- White — cosponsor (person)
- Wilson — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-02-24** Received by the Secretary of the Senate `filing`
- **2021-02-24** Filed `filing`
- **2021-03-11** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-03-11** Referred to State Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-06** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2021-04-06** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-04-09** Reported favorably as substituted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-09** Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
- **2021-04-09** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2021-04-19** Placed on local & uncontested calendar
- **2021-04-19** Laid before the Senate
- **2021-04-19** Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
- **2021-04-19** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-19** Three day rule suspended
- **2021-04-19** Record vote
- **2021-04-19** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-19** Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-19** Record vote
- **2021-04-19** Reported engrossed
- **2021-04-20** Received from the Senate `introduction`
- **2021-04-21** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-04-21** Referred to Public Education `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-04** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-05-04** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- **2021-05-04** Left pending in committee
- **2021-05-11** Considered in formal meeting
- **2021-05-11** Failed to receive affirmative vote in comm.
- **2021-05-17** Considered in formal meeting
- **2021-05-17** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage`
- **2021-05-19** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
- **2021-05-19** Committee report distributed
- **2021-05-20** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2021-05-20** Considered in Calendars
- **2021-05-23** Placed on General State Calendar
- **2021-05-24** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-05-24** Amendment fails of adoption
- **2021-05-24** Passed to 3rd reading
- **2021-05-25** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-05-25** Amendment fails of adoption
- **2021-05-25** Record vote
- **2021-05-25** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-25** Amendment fails of adoption
- **2021-05-25** Passed `passage`
- **2021-05-25** Record vote
- **2021-05-25** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-25** House passage reported
- **2021-05-25** Reported enrolled
- **2021-05-27** Signed in the Senate
- **2021-05-27** Signed in the House
- **2021-05-27** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-06-16** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-06-16** Effective immediately `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/3b8acf6e-1e49-40b1-9194-84a6b2aadd6f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).