State representatives got their committee assignments Thursday, revealing who would hold key posts in the two years to come.
House Speaker Dade Phelan appointed 21 Republicans and 13 Democrats to chairmanships, retaining several key figures of the two-year Bonnen speakership, while reshuffling others.
Among the holdovers are Jeff Leach of Plano, who will get a second term at the helm of the Judiciary Committee; Dustin Burrows of Lubbock, who moves from the Ways and Means Committee to the procedurally critical Calendars Committee; and Chris Paddie of Marshall, who will take Phelan’s own former position as chair of the State Affairs Committee, while vacating Energy Affairs to Craig Goldman of Fort Worth.
Morgan Meyer, a Dallas lawmaker who chaired the Ethics Committee, will now oversee the more powerful Ways & Means Committee. Dennis Bonnen’s brother, Greg Bonnen, will head the Appropriations Committee, which approves the state budget.
Phelan opted for a Democrat chair of the Public Education Committee, Harold Dutto, replacing longtime Republican chair Dan Huberty. Other Democrat appointees include Garnet Coleman in County Affairs, Nicole Collier in Criminal Jurisprudence, and Victoria Neave for Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
Democrat Joe Moody of El Paso will serve as Speaker Pro Tempore, his second term in that role. Moody also will continue to serve as vice chair of the Calendars Committee, which controls the flow of bills to the House floor.
Democrats currently hold 67 of the 150 seats in the Texas House, while Republicans hold 82 seats. One seat is vacant, and is likely to be filled by a Republican after a special election February 23.
When he announced the appointments, Phelan said, “I have dedicated my speakership to creating a member-driven process that affords each of my colleagues a seat at the decision-making table, and have made these committee assignments to reflect their preferences, talents, and where I believe they will have the greatest impact….”
A press release from his office noted that 5 chairs and 14 vice chairs are women; 14 chairs and 21 vice chairs are Black, Hispanic, or Asian-American; 11 chairs and 7 vice chairs represent rural areas of the state; and 24 chairs and 27 vice chairs represent urban areas of the state.
Full List of Committee Chairs for the 87th Legislature
- Agriculture & Livestock: DeWayne Burns
- Appropriations: Greg Bonnen
- Business & Industry: Chris Turner
- Calendars: Dustin Burrows
- Corrections: Andrew Murr
- County Affairs: Garnet Coleman
- Criminal Jurisprudence: Nicole Collier
- Culture, Recreation & Tourism: Ken King
- Defense & Veterans’ Affairs: Richard Peña Raymond
- Elections: Briscoe Cain
- Energy Resources: Craig Goldman
- Environmental Regulations: Brooks Landgraf
- General Investigating: Matt Krause
- Higher Education: Jim Murphy
- Homeland Security & Public Safety: James White
- House Administration: Will Metcalf
- Human Services: James Frank
- Insurance: Tom Oliverson
- International Relations & Economic Development: Angie Chen Button
- Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence: Jeff Leach
- Juvenile Justice & Family Issues: Victoria Neave
- Land & Resources Management: Joe Deshotel
- Licensing & Administrative Procedures: Senfronia Thompson
- Local & Consent Calendars: Charlie Geren
- Natural Resources: Tracy King
- Pensions, Investments & Financial Services: Rafael Anchia
- Public Education: Harold Dutton
- Public Health: Stephanie Klick
- Redistricting: Todd Hunter
- Resolutions Calendars: Ryan Guille
- State Affairs: Chris Paddie
- Transportation: Terry Canales
- Urban Affairs: Philip Cortez
- Ways & Means: Morgan Meyer
All Committee Assignments
