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62-642: The Colony Ridge subdivisions have been developed by Colony Ridge, LLC, led by brothers John Harris and William Trey Harris. They advertise mainly in Spanish to the Hispanic market through using the names Terrenos Houston ( Houston Terrains ), Terrenos Santa Fe ( Santa Fe Terrains ), Santa Fe , Terrenos Parkway 99 ( Parkway 99 Terrains ), and Lotes y Ranchos ( Lots and Ranches ) among others. Colony Ridge has been accused of using predatory lending practices to entice Hispanic immigrants to buy land in their developments by

124-432: A conservative talk radio host in the 1990s. He began by buying a four-hour timeslot at AM 700 KSEV (then called KTBT) in the summer of 1987. He originally was a sports radio host, operating out of his remaining sports bar. However, he was able to take over the radio station in 1988, and he switched to politics shortly afterward. He hosted a conservative radio talk show. The program, Dan Patrick & Friends ,

186-476: A sonogram of the fetus taken at least twenty-four hours before the abortion is performed. Patrick purported that the bill might stop more than 15,000 abortions annually with an estimated goal of eliminating one in five abortions. Regarding his estimation, Patrick stated the following: "There's no other piece of legislation anywhere else in the country that has that kind of impact... I don't take credit for it. It's God's hands." Patrick's Mandatory Ultrasound Bill

248-426: A bill allowing pastors to refuse marrying couples if it violates their beliefs, and expanded border security and enforcement measures. Patrick made legislation prohibiting state or local governments from issuing subpoenas on pastors' sermons a priority in the 2017 session. Governor Abbott signed the bill into law on May 21, 2017. Patrick made legislation requiring the U.S. national anthem at state-funded events

310-550: A boycott of that newspaper in April 2004. He owned a blog called Chronically Biased , which criticized the newspaper. Patrick first considered running for the United States House of Representatives in 2004. Patrick was first elected to Texas State Senate 's seventh district in 2006, winning the primary election with 68.8% of the vote and the general election with 69.2% of the vote. His term began on January 9, 2007, with

372-467: A conservative commentator. From 2007 to 2015, Patrick was a Republican member of the Texas Senate for the 7th District , which included a small portion of the city of Houston and several Houston-area suburbs located mostly in northwest Harris County . Patrick defeated three-term incumbent David Dewhurst in the primary runoff for lieutenant governor on May 27, 2014. He then won the position in

434-508: A deal to purchase radio station KMGS AM 1160 in Highland Park , Texas (now KBDT ). By 2013, Patrick was the majority owner of two radio stations, in Houston and Dallas radio markets. Patrick continued broadcasting after his election as a State Senator, and he continued to own KSEV after his election as lieutenant governor. In November 2008, Patrick began work to produce The Heart of Texas ,

496-492: A large cowboy hat . He became the second most popular TV personality in Houston by 1983, as well as one of the most well-known, though surveys also found that he was one of the most disliked. Patrick's public speaking skills caused him to be nicknamed "the Silver-tongued Devil." Patrick left his job at KHOU in the mid-1980s after failing to reach an agreement with Belo Corporation (which bought KHOU-TV in 1984) for

558-633: A legislator, Patrick introduced legislation to make abortion in Texas illegal should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade . In May 2012, acrimony between Patrick and fellow Republican state senator John Carona was widely reported throughout Texas. In an email exchange, Patrick accused Carona of spreading false rumors about Patrick's marriage. Carona denied that, and additionally denied having commented on Patrick's sexuality. Carona further said to Patrick: "I've never been shy about sharing my dislike and distrust of you. Put bluntly, I believe you are

620-514: A lieutenant governor. He reportedly had an influential role in former president Donald Trump's endorsements in Texas elections. Following a March 7, 2023, guest lecture by Texas A&M professor Dr. Joy Alonzo at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) that suggested that the Patrick administration's policies on the opioid crisis had led to more opioid deaths, Patrick's office contacted Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp about Alonzo. Alonzo

682-504: A long-term contract. In November 1983, Patrick and several investors opened one of the first sports bars in the U.S., which they named Dan and Nick's Sportsmarket. The bar did well for a time, due to "the strength of Patrick's personality" and an oil boom in Houston at the time, and they eventually took ownership of five sports bars in the city. When the oil boom of the mid 1980s ended, Houston's economy went into decline and fiscally damaged Patrick's sports bar chain. In 1986, after

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744-510: A movie based on a real-life story of two families in Simonton , a small Houston-area city. The movie was released the next year on DVD. Patrick proposed a boycott of Bill Maher 's television show Politically Incorrect over controversial statements made by the comedian following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Patrick is also frequently at odds with the Houston Chronicle and announced

806-594: A newspaper vendor, before he retired in 1984. Patrick graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County . He is the first member of his family to graduate from college. After graduating and embarking on a broadcasting career, he changed his name from "Dannie Scott Goeb" to "Dan Goeb Patrick" – informally in 1977 and legally in 2004 – to honor his wife's family and brother-in-law . Patrick started his first radio job in 1968 at

868-412: A priority for the 2021 session, along with legislation to protect "election integrity" in Texas. Otherwise, Patrick assumed a low-key profile at the beginning of the legislative session. Following the regular 2021 session, The New York Times described Patrick and Governor Abbott as "the driving force behind one of the hardest right turns in recent state history," with Patrick the more conservative of

930-557: A snake oil salesman, a narcissist that would say anything to draw attention to himself." News reports suggested the feud was motivated by positioning to succeed David Dewhurst as lieutenant governor should Dewhurst have won a seat as U.S. senator in 2012. On June 26, 2013, Patrick announced he would challenge incumbent David Dewhurst in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in 2014. This challenge came despite Patrick's enthusiastic endorsement of Dewhurst in his failed 2012 bid for

992-669: A sprawling community northeast of Houston on a foundation of false, misleading, and deceptive sales, marketing, and lending practices. Colony Ridge’s business model is predicated on churning land purchasers through a foreclosure mill." Colony Ridge began operations in 2011 and uses several company names to market to the Hispanic community. Terrenos Houston (Houston Terrains) & Terrenos Santa Fe (Santa Fe Terrains) are its most popular brand names; however, they also advertise in social media with names such as Lotes y Ranchos (Lots and Ranches) among others. Brothers John and Trey Harris, and Kevin Harris,

1054-477: A talk radio host, Patrick advocated for fiscal conservatism , evangelical Christian values on social issues , and he became a vocal opponent of illegal immigration . He was also known as a populist . Patrick's talk radio career was instrumental to his political rise, including his election and influence in the State Senate and his eventual election as lieutenant governor. One notable decision Patrick made as

1116-432: A talk radio host, he reserved some of his "most hard-edged oratory for illegal immigrants." Patrick expressed support for Arizona's SB 1070 immigration enforcement law , and supports passing a similar law in Texas that would allow local law enforcement to ask lawfully-stopped individuals about their immigration status and would make it a state misdemeanor to be present in Texas as an illegal immigrant. Questions arose during

1178-413: Is an American radio talk show host, television broadcaster, and politician. He has been serving as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Texas since January 2015, under Governor Greg Abbott . Originally from Baltimore, Maryland , Patrick began his career as a radio and television broadcaster. After forming a chain of sports bars and subsequently going bankrupt, he became a radio host again, this time becoming

1240-654: Is in the Cleveland Independent School District . Cleveland ISD schools in Colony Ridge include Pine Burr Elementary School, Cottonwood Elementary School, Santa Fe Elementary School, and Santa Fe Middle School. In 2023, the Associated Press reported that as Colony Ridge expanded, the district faced capacity issues and that it "has struggled to create enough space." It has plans to build a new high school in Colony Ridge. As of 2023 Cleveland High School

1302-401: Is no evidence to support the claims, and residents, local officials and the developer dispute the portrayals." Wilder argued that the anti-Colony Ridge statements were a "Fact-Challenged Freak-out". Prior to the controversy, Trey Harris had given a campaign for governor by Abbott $ 1,000,000. J. David Goodman of The New York Times wrote that the controversy over Colony Ridge caused divisions in

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1364-652: Is rarely a concern in [Colony Ridge] [...] and that they had no idea their community had become the target of such anti-immigrant theories." In regards to some Republicans calling Colony Ridge a " colonia ", Wilder stated that the area was characterized by mobile homes common in rural areas throughout East Texas and not by actual characteristics of colonias, which are on the Mexico-United States border . Wilder also stated that many houses that appeared in poor condition were actively being improved and that "Casual visitors can easily misinterpret Colony Ridge". Colony Ridge

1426-585: Is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Texas . The current officeholder, Republican Ken Paxton , has served in the position since January 5, 2015. The Office of the Attorney General was first established by executive ordinance of the Republic of Texas government in 1836. The attorneys general of the Republic of Texas and the first four attorneys general under the 1845 state constitution were appointed by

1488-675: Is the sole comprehensive public high school of Cleveland ISD. There is a charter K-8 school , International Leadership of Texas BG Ramirez School. In 2023, the school and one other charter school in Colony Ridge had a combined enrollment of 2,300. It is operated by the charter school organization ILTexas. The other charter school is MSG Ramirez K-8 campus, with ILTexas Liberty High School scheduled to begin operations in 2025. Residents of Cleveland ISD are zoned to Lone Star College . 30°09′01″N 95°12′08″W  /  30.1502°N 95.2023°W  / 30.1502; -95.2023 Texas Attorney General The Texas attorney general

1550-698: The United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the companies that are developing it, stating that they used techniques that had buyers take out loans, then lose their houses due to lack of payment, as a scheme of selling the property multiple times. According to local law enforcement and the developers, a majority of residents are undocumented immigrants, with most of the other residents being United States-born persons of Latin American origins. The Liberty County Sheriff's Department has jurisdiction over Colony Ridge. In October 2023, TXDPS assisted

1612-517: The fall general election . He was re-elected in 2018 and 2022, defeating Democratic nominee Mike Collier. Patrick was born Dannie Scott Goeb in Baltimore on April 4, 1950. He was raised in a blue-collar neighborhood in East Baltimore. He is the only child of the former Vilma Jean Marshall (1926–2016) and Charles Anthony Goeb (1926–2002), who worked at The Baltimore Sun for thirty-one years as

1674-425: The 2014 lieutenant governor's race about the immigration status of one of Patrick's employees, Miguel "Mike" Andrade. Patrick and Andrade offered different recollections about Andrade's employment. The matter was raised by one of Patrick's opponents, Jerry Patterson, who questioned Patrick's declared commitment to halt illegal immigration. As Lieutenant Governor, Patrick moved to keep National Guard troops sent to

1736-601: The Attorney General also operates the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit which investigates criminal fraud by Medicaid providers, abuse and neglect of patients in health care facilities operated by the Medicaid program, and helps local and federal authorities with prosecutions. Its child support division is responsible for the establishment and enforcement of child support. Many leading political figures in Texas history have served as attorney general, several of them using

1798-725: The Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stating "bait-and-switch sales and predatory financing." U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas said, “As alleged in the complaint, Colony Ridge’s exploitative practice began with misleading advertising on platforms like TikTok and often ended with families facing economic ruin, no home and shattered dreams." On March 14, 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Colony Ridge and its owner, John Harris, for "have built

1860-578: The Senate, Patrick actively advocated for a "fiercely conservative agenda." At the time, few of his proposals passed. W. Gardner Selby, editor of the Austin American-Statesman ' s "PolitiFact Texas", listed Patrick as third among the top 10 Republican political influencers in Texas. Patrick is also listed in Texas Monthly as one of the state's most powerful players. During his first month as

1922-582: The Texas GOP, stating there were internal differences between "those who focus on business freedom, and others determined to control the border." Dan Patrick , the Lieutenant Governor of Texas , stated that he would start an investigation into Colony Ridge. In October of that year, Abbott stated that the Texas Legislature should open an investigation into Colony Ridge. In October 2023 Steven P. Mach,

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1984-542: The Texas-Mexico border during the illegal immigration surge of 2014 indefinitely, rather than until March 2015, as originally planned. Patrick's 2015 budget in the Texas Senate called for spending $ 815 million on border security, which he said was more than the previous seven years combined. Governor Greg Abbott signed the measure—for about $ 800 million—into law. In a June 2018 interview on Fox Business Network , Patrick estimated that 30 million illegal immigrants lived in

2046-571: The U.S. Senate. Patrick stated that while he had been planning on retiring from politics after his Senate term ended, he decided to run for lieutenant governor after Dewhurst failed to end fellow State Senator Wendy Davis 's filibuster of Texas Senate Bill 5 and after Senator Jane Nelson refused to run herself. Patrick led the four-candidate field in the primary with 550,769 votes (41.5%). Dewhurst followed with 376,196 (28.3%); Staples, with 235,981 (17.8%), and Patterson, 165,787 (12.5%). Election watchers did not expect Patrick to get first place. In

2108-688: The United States to acquire property. In the State of Texas, and under federal law, people without United States citizenship may legally purchase land. Forrest Wilder of Texas Monthly stated that those attributes caused it to be "one of the fastest-growing parts of Texas". In 2015, residents of Plum Grove addressed the Liberty County Commissioners Court stating concerns with the expansion of Colony Ridge. In 2023, about 40,000 people lived there. In October 2023, Hennessy-Fiske characterized

2170-558: The age of 18. After college, in 1977, he became a television broadcaster at WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania . Patrick later held a similar position at WTTG in Washington, D.C. , before he became the lead sportscaster with KHOU-TV in Houston. As a broadcaster, Patrick got attention through various stunts, such as painting himself blue in support for the Houston Oilers and wearing

2232-698: The attorney general's authority in criminal cases to that dictated by statute. The Texas Legislature has not given the attorney general broad law-enforcement authority, but permits the attorney general to act in criminal cases at the request of prosecutors. The Office of the Attorney General, Law Enforcement Division conducts criminal investigations and apprehensions including cases involving cyber-crimes such as child pornography, online solicitation of minors, identity theft, election fraud, locating and apprehending convicted sex offenders who have failed to comply with mandated sex offender registration requirements, and conducting digital forensics investigations. The Office of

2294-659: The chairperson of the Texas Public Safety Commission, stated that Colony Ridge "doesn't look a whole lot different than any other rural community, except for the concentration of people. The notion that it’s this lawless, no-go zone is simply inaccurate." Benjamin Wermund of the Houston Chronicle stated that statements by Mach and several employees of the Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) contradicted Abbott's statements about Colony Ridge. In December 2023

2356-574: The civil rights movement in social studies classes. In 2022, Patrick pledged to end tenure for new hires at Texas public universities. He also said that he intended to revoke tenure for faculty who teach critical race theory . Patrick generally supports gun rights . In 2019, Patrick called for requiring background checks for gun sales between two strangers. Patrick later backed away from this position, instead throwing his support behind legislation to expand gun rights, including constitutional carry . Patrick opposes illegal immigration . As

2418-641: The coming consequences of an unfettered mass migration." Beginning in the summer of 2023, politicians of the Republican Party of Texas began criticizing the development. Media outlets related to the Republican Party accused the development of allowing drug cartels to establish control and deliberately trying to house people doing illegal immigration . The Associated Press stated that Governor of Texas Greg Abbott and Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis had "traction" with those accusations, and that "There

2480-517: The community as having politically conservative views. Various groups associated with the U.S. conservatism began criticizing Colony Ridge and circulating conspiracy theories as a result of an event, a murder of one male adult, one male child, and three female adults in San Jacinto County in May 2023. Center for Immigration Studies criticized the development, calling it "a warning to America about

2542-582: The convening of the Eightieth Texas Legislature . In the 2010 general election , Patrick was reelected with 86.4% of the vote. He also endorsed Rick Perry for re-election in the 2010 election . Soon after winning re-election, Patrick announced, and subsequently created, a Tea Party Caucus in the Texas state legislature , which at its creation had 48 legislative members. Patrick obtained passage of three Senate bills during his first session. In

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2604-553: The cousin of John and Trey, own the company. The regulatory oversight over construction was relatively small, as purchasers were not required to have Social Security numbers or credit scores , and according to Molly Hennessy-Fiske of the Washington Post , land was inexpensive; these factors caused the journalist to characterize the development as having "hallmarks of the oft-cited Texas Miracle ". The lack of requiring Social Security allowed people who did not legally immigrate to

2666-475: The general election against his state Senate colleague, Democrat Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio , to become the lieutenant governor-elect of Texas. He was swept into office in a Republican landslide that saw the party retain all statewide elected offices for the fifth consecutive election. On January 9, 2017, the day before the 85th Texas Legislature began its session, Patrick announced he would run for re-election in 2018. He stated his early announcement

2728-550: The governor, heads of state agencies and other officials and commissions, and defends challenges to state laws and suits against both state agencies and individual employees of the state. These duties include representing the Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in appeals from criminal convictions in federal courts. The Texas Constitution gives the attorney general no general law-enforcement powers; instead it limits

2790-414: The governor. The office was made elective in 1850 by constitutional amendment. The attorney general is elected to a four-year term. In 2013, former Attorney General Greg Abbott announced he would not seek reelection and would run for governor. In November 2014, he was elected as the governor of Texas. Ken Paxton defeated former House Representative Dan Branch in the Republican primary by a 26% margin and

2852-451: The life of the mother was truly in danger…but that is rare." Patrick supports increasing the number of charter schools in the state. In February 2011, Patrick, who at the time was vice chairman of the Texas senate's Committee on Education , spoke in favor of cutting an unspecified number of non-teaching positions from the state's public school districts, citing positions such as "math department supervisors" or "curriculum experts". At

2914-504: The office as a jumping-off place to other offices in the state and national government . Attorneys general James S. Hogg , Charles A. Culberson , Dan Moody , James V. Allred , Price Daniel , Mark White , and Greg Abbott were elected governor . Culberson, Daniel, and John Cornyn were later elected to the United States Senate . Dan Patrick (politician) Dan Goeb Patrick (born Dannie Scott Goeb ; April 4, 1950)

2976-509: The owner of a talk radio station was to sign relative unknown Rush Limbaugh for airing on KSEV in 1989 via radio syndication . Limbaugh's success as a national talk show host helped increase ratings of Patrick's radio station. In addition to radio, Patrick anchored The Patrick Report , a half-hour news program which aired on Houston television station KTBU during 2001. Patrick was also general manager of KTBU. By February 2006, Patrick already owned one radio station. In 2006, Patrick signed

3038-427: The races where Patrick made intraparty endorsements. Later in the year, Patrick donated nearly $ 175,000 to Texas Senate candidate Pete Flores in a special election; Flores won the election in an upset, increasing Patrick's chances of keeping a three-fifths GOP majority in the Senate after the 2018 elections. Patrick succeeded in maintaining a three-fifths majority in the Senate, though Republican Senator Kel Seliger

3100-477: The runoff election on May 27, Patrick won with 487,829 votes (65.1%), defeating Dewhurst, who had 262,086 votes (34.9%). Patrick's victory was one of several notable primary victories by Tea Party movement -aligned Republicans in the election runoff. According to Ross Ramsey of The Texas Tribune , Patrick did not shift to the political middle as the general election approached, contrary to what political candidates typically do. On November 4, 2014, Patrick won

3162-608: The sheriff's department due to the rapid population increase. Steve McCraw, the head of TXDPS, stated that the law enforcement issues in Colony Ridge are similar to those in other parts of Texas and are not unusually pronounced. Issues include people without driving licenses crashing cars and men in street gangs . According to McCraw, "The Mexican cartels aren't really operating command and control networks in Liberty County." In October 2023, Jeremy Wallace and Jhair Romero stated "Several who spoke to Hearst Newspapers this week said crime

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3224-465: The sports bars failed, Patrick filed for personal bankruptcy and in October 1992, discharged several hundred thousand dollars of debt obligation. Patrick, who stated it took him 10 years for he and his family "to regain financial equilibrium," has frequently and openly discussed the ordeal and stated how it shaped him as an individual and conservative . Following bankruptcy, Patrick reinvented himself as

3286-450: The swearing-in ceremony. The attorney general is charged by the state constitution to represent the state in civil litigation and approve public bond issues. There are nearly 2,000 references to the Office of the Attorney General in state laws. The Office of the Attorney General serves as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issues legal opinions when requested by

3348-914: The time, Patrick cited a statistic later determined to be misleading by PolitiFact that Texas's 1,200+ public school districts, considered as a group, are the fifth-largest employer in the world. Patrick has supported placing creationism within the public school curriculum in Texas, despite court rulings that such a policy would violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution . In 2019, Patrick pushed to increase Texas teachers' paychecks by $ 5,000. In 2021, Patrick supported legislation to prevent public schools from requiring that students read writings by prominent civil rights figures, such as Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez, and Martin Luther King Jr., when covering women’s suffrage and

3410-533: The two. According to the Houston Chronicle , Patrick "uniquely grasped and wielded the power of the growing right-wing movement in Texas," allowing him to become influential in the state. During his tenure as lieutenant governor, Patrick became influential in Texas Republican politics. He actively endorsed candidates in the 2022 Republican primaries for the Texas Senate, something described as "unusual" for

3472-495: Was broadcast in the Houston radio market on KSEV and in Dallas on AM 1160 KVCE . Initially he broadcast under the pseudonym Dan Scott as a radio host, later changing to the current name at the request of his employer to avoid confusion of Patrick with another anchor at a competing station with the last name of Scott. Patrick grew successful and influential through his talk radio career. He earned high name recognition . As

3534-580: Was considered a possible swing-vote. In the November 6 general election, Patrick won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic challenger Mike Collier. He won about 51% of the vote against Collier's 46%. In the 2022 general election, Patrick again defeated Democratic challenger Mike Collier, winning about 53.8% of the vote to Collier's 43.5%, with an over 826,000 margin. On January 25, 2023, Patrick told The Texan's reporter McKenzie DiLullo that he would be running for reelection in 2026. Patrick

3596-514: Was elected easily in the general election as the 50th attorney general of Texas, (there is a historical dispute whether he is the 50th or 51st attorney general). Paxton was sworn in on January 5, 2015, in the Senate Chamber in the Texas Capitol. Governor Rick Perry , Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, United States Senator Ted Cruz, and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Dan Patrick all participated in

3658-446: Was in order to dispel rumors that he would challenge Governor Greg Abbott or U.S. Senator Ted Cruz . Patrick easily won the Republican primary on March 6, 2018, defeating Rockwall City Council Member Scott Milder. In addition to his own campaign, Patrick was active in endorsing and assisting Republican primary candidates in the Texas Senate, including some challengers to GOP incumbents. Patrick's favored candidates won nearly all

3720-708: Was initially halted by an injunction issued in Zurawski v. State of Texas , a legal challenge headed by the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights. On January 10, 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in Texas' favor and the law was allowed to take effect. Patrick opposes abortion in cases of incest and rape. In January 2014, when he was asked about exceptions to outlawing abortion, Patrick said, "The only exception would be if

3782-470: Was placed on administrative leave immediately, and was formally censured by UTMB. The investigation by Texas A&M found no evidence of wrongdoing, and Dr. Alonzo's leave was ended two weeks later. Patrick defended his conduct in an August 2, 2023, op-ed in the Houston Chronicle . Patrick opposes abortion and authored Texas' "Mandatory Ultrasound Bill", a bill signed into law in May 2011 by Governor Perry, which requires women seeking abortion to have

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3844-440: Was sworn in on January 20, 2015. Soon after assuming office, the Texas Senate voted to drop the threshold needed to consider a bill from two-thirds to three-fifths, something that Patrick had long supported. Under Patrick, the Senate enforced procedural rules that had long been ignored. Major legislation that Patrick helped pass during his tenure as lieutenant governor include legalization of campus carry and open carry ,

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