01/24/2025

Texas House Democrats lose top committee posts but keep some power in a move that rankles far right

Houston Chronicle | Edward McKinley | Jan. 23, 2025

Texas House Democrats lose top committee posts but keep some power in a move that rankles far right

The Republican-led Texas House voted Thursday to bar Democrats from holding powerful committee chair posts, ending a longstanding tradition that members credited with fostering a bipartisan spirit that stood in contrast to Congress.

The change was pushed by some of the chamber's most hardline Republicans, who quickly said it didn’t go far enough. Although Democrats will be prohibited from leading the main legislative committees, the chamber voted to expand the powers they can have as vice chairs. 

The split signals that infighting within the Republican Party will continue throughout the session.

“To be clear, this rules package is ‘Dem Chair Removal In Name Only.’ This set of rules empowers Democrats more than they’ve ever been,” Rep. Shelley Luther, a freshman Dallas Republican, wrote on social media on Thursday. “I voted to reform the Texas House to reflect the will of Texans and this ain’t it.” 

The decision came as the chamber adopted its operating rules for the freshly started legislative session. The rules – written by Rep. Todd Hunter, a Corpus Christi Republican – grant more power to committee vice chairs, allowing them to designate bills for consideration, invite witnesses to testify and request research on bills from legislative staff. House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, will pick who will hold top committee posts and has yet to publicly announce the assignments.

The vast majority of House Democrats voted in favor of the rules package. It was only opposed by about two dozen of the most conservative Republicans in the chamber, who made abolishing Democratic committee chairs a major campaign issue, but decried the outcome as an end-run around their goal of minimizing Democrats’ power.

In an unusual move, the House cut off debate before many Republicans could voice their objections. 

Rep. Mike Schofield, a Katy Republican, described the move as “the nuclear option,” and said it foreshadowed conflict to come this session. 

“I want you to understand that members on our side are going to see that you've decided that in the 89th session, that's how we're going to do it,” he said. “I promise you that if you do this to us, we will do it to you.” 

The Republican Party of Texas, along with the state’s conservative political activists and donors, have long called for an end to Democratic committee chairs, which they argued allowed the minority party to kill GOP priority bills. Former House Speaker Dade Phelan faced blowback for his refusal to change the practice before he decided not to seek re-election as the chamber’s leader late last year. 

Burrows was elected speaker earlier this month with more support from Democrats than Republicans, which was decried by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the chair of the state party and many in the chamber. 

In a press conference after the vote, House Democrats alluded to the sensitive negotiations that led them to support Burrows. 

“This has been really a yeoman’s effort to negotiate all of these different changes and to make sure that Democrats have some role in this process,” said Rep. Gene Wu, the Democratic floor leader. “It has hurt Democrats and reduced our power, but it at least gives us some ability to interact in the process.”