GOP chair blocks ‘Celebration of Life Day’ as panel weighs Islamic, Hindu holiday proposals
An effort to memorialize the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the state of Texas has stalled due to Republican leadership who say giving workers a day off isn’t “how we honor that victory.”
House Bill 911, introduced by Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, would designate June 24 — the date the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision — as “Celebration of Life Day,” a state holiday celebrating Texas’ pro-life stance.
If passed, the bill would add “Celebration of Life Day” to other existing state holidays in Texas, including Confederate Heroes Day, Texas Independence Day and Emancipation Day, among others.
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While HB 911 was referred to the House Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency, chaired by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, it’s unlikely to receive a hearing after Capriglione signaled an unwillingness to support the bill.
According to Capriglione, proposals such as HB 911 “would increase paid holidays, expand leave policies, and add new entitlements for state employees.”
“As the author of Texas’ abortion ban, I am deeply thankful for the Supreme Court’s decision — but adding another day off for state employees isn’t how we honor that victory,” the lawmaker said in an April 25 social media post. “State workers already receive 22 holidays, 12 vacation days, and 12 sick days each year. We should be focused on delivering better services, not more days off.”
Modeled after the Elon Musk-led federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Texas version, Capriglione said, is focused on cutting “waste and abuse” in Medicaid and pushing back on the “costly ‘work-from-home’ trend” in Austin.
“Texans expect accountability and results, not more paid leave for government staff,” he wrote. “I’m proud to support our state workforce, but I’m even more proud to defend the taxpayers who fund it. We must keep our focus on productivity, efficiency and fiscal responsibility.”
Kimberlyn Schwartz, director of media and communication with Texas Right to Life, says while they support the intent behind the holiday, with time running out, lawmakers should focus on honoring “preborn children” by passing bills that “directly stop abortions.” Those, Schwartz said, include the Woman and Child Protection Act (SB 2880 and HB 5510) and the Stop Tax-Funded Abortion Travel Act (SB 33 and HB 1806), which are aimed at protecting mothers and babies from abortion pills and protecting citizens from paying for abortion travel through their tax dollars.
“Celebratory pro-life bills like these do point the public’s attention to the evil of abortion, but with only about 30 days left to pass new laws, Christians must prioritize pro-life bills that will stop abortions from happening in the first place,” said Schwartz.
In addition to HB 911, the Texas DOGE committee is also considering House Bill 1047, proposed by the committee’s vice-chair, Rep. Salman Bhojani, D-Euless. Bhojani’s bill would add Islamic holidays like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, as well as the Hindu holiday Diwali and other religious observances, to the list of optional holidays for state employees.
Bhojani, who in 2023 became one of the first Muslims ever elected to the Texas Legislature, has also proposed several bills aimed at Texas’ growing non-Christian population, including HB 4444, which would “provide multilingual resources” for Urdu- and Arabic-speaking residents and other “emerging communities.” He also introduced HR 401, which would have recognized April 15 as the Shia Muslim holiday Ismaili Day at the state capitol.
