It sparked a nationwide debate last fall when the city of Houston, embroiled in a lawsuit over its LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance, subpoenaed pastors for copies of their sermons.

It also sparked action by the Texas Senate, which voted 30-1 to pass a bill on April 28 that would make sermons privileged from discovery in lawsuits involving the government.

Senate Bill 2048 by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, would prohibit a governmental unit from compelling production or disclosure of written, audio or video copies of sermons. The bill would also ban the government from compelling a religious leader to testify about a sermon.