In December 2008, Flynn authored a bill requiring public documents to be in English only as a means of encouraging non-English speakers to learn English.[5]
In 2017 during the 85th legislative session, Flynn created controversy when he authored/ introduced HB 206, a bill that would have allowed members of the state guard (who had no military or combat experience) to access veteran benefits.[6] Flynn is a member of the Texas State Guard, as is his chief of staff.[7] When the bill reached the floor a bipartisan coalition of veterans, led by Tony Tinderholt (a double recipient of the Purple Heart), came together to oppose it. The bill ended up being killed by a vote of 112 to 14;[8] This was the largest margin by which a bill was killed during the 85th legislative session.
In his 2018 primary election, Flynn defeated Bryan Slaton, an intra-party rival from Hunt County, 11,803 (51.7 percent) to 11,013 (48.3 percent). After his reelection, Flynn called once again to permit public school teachers in the state the option of displaying the Ten Commandments in their classrooms. He has been unsuccessful in previous attempts to pass such legislation. Flynn said that he did not understand why his proposal is controversial — liberals viewed it as "unconstitutional" and certain to be challenged in federal court. Flynn said the proposal merely allowed teachers "to put something in their room that is about good values."[9]
On July 14, 2020, Flynn was defeated in his re-election attempt by Bryan Slaton by a 22-point margin in the Republican primary runoff.[10][11] Slaton ran to Flynn's right.[12]
Late in 2010, Representative Bryan Hughes of Mineola in Wood County, claimed that Larry Phillips, a lawmaker from Sherman, told Hughes that Dan Flynn and , the newly elected conservative representative from Sulphur Springs, would be adversely redistricted for the 2012 elections because they had declined to commit to the second-term reelection of SpeakerJoe Straus, a Moderate Republican from San Antonio. In a hearing before the House Ethics Committee, chaired by another East Texas representative, of Jacksonville, an ally of Speaker Straus, Phillips denied having made such a claim to Hughes. Neither Hughes nor Phillips taped the conversation. No judgment was made by the committee because of the lack of corroborating witnesses.[33]
Flynn survived the redistricting. On March 1, 2016, Flynn narrowly won re-nomination in the Republican primary. He polled 14,917 votes (51 percent) to intraparty rival Bryan Slaton's 14,336 (49 percent).[34]
Legislative committees[]
During the 86th Texas Legislature, Flynn chaired the Defense and Veterans' Affairs Committee, and also served on the House Administration Committee and the Pensions, Investments and Financial Services Committee.[35]
