March 5, 2021 | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott today held a press conference in Tyler with Senator Bryan Hughes in support of Senate Bill 12 (SB 12). Authored by Senator Hughes, SB 12 prohibits social media companies from censoring Texans based on the viewpoints they express. It would also allow Texans who are wrongfully de-platformed or restricted to file suit to allow them back on the site. 

"Social media sites have become our modern day public squares where information should be able to flow freely, but social media companies are now acting as judge and jury on determining what viewpoints are valid,” said Governor Abbott. “America was built on freedom of speech and healthy public debate, and efforts to silence conservative viewpoints on social media are wrong and weaken public discourse. I thank Senator Hughes for offering SB 12 to help protect Texans from being wrongfully censored on social media for voicing their political or religious viewpoints. With SB 12, Senator Hughes is taking a stand against Big Tech’s political censorship and protecting Texans’ right to freedom of expression. I look forward to working with Senator Hughes to sign this bill into law and protect free speech in Texas."