---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to the prohibited suspension of laws protecting religious freedom and prohibited closure of places of worship."
description: "Relating to the prohibited suspension of laws protecting religious freedom and prohibited closure of places of worship."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "87"
identifier: "HB 1239"
citation: "Texas HB 1239 (87)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Civil Remedies & Liabilities (I0065)", "Religion (I0646)", "State Agencies", "Boards & Commissions (I0749)", "State Officers (I0761)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Metcalf", "Noble", "Paxton", "Raymond", "Sanford", "Slawson"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 68
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2021-01-21"
last_action: "2021-06-16"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e8b5a502-cbd4-406d-93e0-c11136b122d8"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/87R/billhistory/house_bills/HB01200_HB01299/HB 1239.xml"
source_hash: "6a0e60ddbab3273823850f6fbf48f34b67113799f2b54b949c34c0e2ed21a2da"
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 HB 1239 (87) — Relating to the prohibited suspension of laws protecting religious freedom and prohibited closure of places of worship.

## 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/HB01239I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01239E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01239H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01239S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01239F.HTM)

## Votes

- other — **113–30** (fail) · upper
- passage — **117–29** (pass) · lower
- passage — **113–30** (pass) · lower
- passage — **122–22** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Metcalf — primary (person)
- Noble — primary (person)
- Paxton — primary (person)
- Raymond — primary (person)
- Sanford — primary (person)
- Slawson — primary (person)
- Allison — cosponsor (person)
- Anderson — cosponsor (person)
- Ashby — cosponsor (person)
- Bell, Cecil — cosponsor (person)
- Bell, Keith — cosponsor (person)
- Bettencourt — cosponsor (person)
- Biedermann — cosponsor (person)
- Bonnen — cosponsor (person)
- Buckley — cosponsor (person)
- Burns — cosponsor (person)
- Burrows — cosponsor (person)
- Cain — cosponsor (person)
- Capriglione — cosponsor (person)
- Cason — cosponsor (person)
- Cook — cosponsor (person)
- Cyrier — cosponsor (person)
- Dean — cosponsor (person)
- Ellzey — cosponsor (person)
- Frank — cosponsor (person)
- Frullo — cosponsor (person)
- Guillen — cosponsor (person)
- Hall — cosponsor (person)
- Harless — cosponsor (person)
- Harris — cosponsor (person)
- Hefner — cosponsor (person)
- Holland — cosponsor (person)
- Hull — cosponsor (person)
- Hunter — cosponsor (person)
- Jetton — cosponsor (person)
- Kacal — cosponsor (person)
- King, Phil — cosponsor (person)
- King, Tracy O. — cosponsor (person)
- Krause — cosponsor (person)
- Lambert — cosponsor (person)
- Landgraf — cosponsor (person)
- Leach — cosponsor (person)
- Leman — cosponsor (person)
- Lucio — cosponsor (person)
- Middleton — cosponsor (person)
- Murphy — cosponsor (person)
- Murr — cosponsor (person)
- Muñoz, Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Oliverson — cosponsor (person)
- Paddie — cosponsor (person)
- Parker — cosponsor (person)
- Patterson — cosponsor (person)
- Paul — cosponsor (person)
- Price — cosponsor (person)
- Rogers — cosponsor (person)
- Schaefer — cosponsor (person)
- Shaheen — cosponsor (person)
- Shine — cosponsor (person)
- Slaton — cosponsor (person)
- Smith — cosponsor (person)
- Spiller — cosponsor (person)
- Stephenson — cosponsor (person)
- Swanson — cosponsor (person)
- Thompson, Ed — cosponsor (person)
- Tinderholt — cosponsor (person)
- Toth — cosponsor (person)
- VanDeaver — cosponsor (person)
- Vasut — cosponsor (person)
- White — cosponsor (person)
- Wilson — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-21** Filed `filing`
- **2021-03-04** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-03-04** Referred to State Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-25** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-03-25** Committee substitute considered in committee
- **2021-03-25** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- **2021-03-25** Left pending in committee
- **2021-04-01** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-04-01** Committee substitute considered in committee
- **2021-04-01** Reported favorably as substituted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-06** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
- **2021-04-06** Committee report distributed
- **2021-04-06** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2021-04-06** Considered in Calendars
- **2021-04-08** Placed on Major State Calendar
- **2021-04-08** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-04-08** Statement of Leg. Intent Recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-08** Amendment fails of adoption
- **2021-04-08** Record vote
- **2021-04-08** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2021-04-08** Amendment fails of adoption
- **2021-04-08** Record vote
- **2021-04-08** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-08** Passed to engrossment as amended
- **2021-04-08** Record vote
- **2021-04-08** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-09** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-09** Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-09** Record vote
- **2021-04-09** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-09** Reason for vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-09** Reported engrossed
- **2021-04-12** Received from the House `introduction`
- **2021-05-04** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-05-04** Referred to State Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-10** Co-sponsor authorized
- **2021-05-10** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2021-05-10** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-05-10** Testimony taken in committee
- **2021-05-10** Reported favorably as substituted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-05-10** Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
- **2021-05-10** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2021-05-21** Co-sponsor authorized
- **2021-05-21** Placed on intent calendar
- **2021-05-21** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2021-05-21** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-21** Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading
- **2021-05-21** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-21** Three day rule suspended
- **2021-05-21** Record vote
- **2021-05-21** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-05-21** Passed `passage`
- **2021-05-21** Record vote
- **2021-05-23** Senate passage as amended reported
- **2021-05-23** Senate Amendments distributed
- **2021-05-23** Senate Amendments Analysis distributed
- **2021-05-28** House concurs in Senate amendment(s)
- **2021-05-28** Record vote
- **2021-05-28** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-28** Reason for vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-28** Text of Senate Amendment(s)
- **2021-05-28** House concurs in Senate amendment(s)-reported
- **2021-05-29** Reported enrolled
- **2021-05-30** Signed in the House
- **2021-05-31** Signed in the Senate
- **2021-05-31** 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/e8b5a502-cbd4-406d-93e0-c11136b122d8`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).