Democrats in the Texas House will no longer be allowed to hold influential committee chair positions under new rules passed by the chamber on Thursday.
The change, which brings to an end the Texas House’s long-standing tradition of having members of the minority party hold these important leadership roles, comes after years of complaints from the Republican Party of Texas.
Specifically, the rule states that, “If, at the time the speaker announces the membership of standing committees, the members of the house of one political party constitute a majority of the membership of the house, the speaker shall designate a member of that party to serve as chair of each standing committee.”
In the Texas Legislature, committee chair positions are key because committees serve as the starting point for any legislation that one day hopes to land on the governor’s desk. Chairs play a pivotal role in influencing what proposals move forward each session.
By losing the ability to chair any committees, the state’s Democrats — who haven't been in power in Texas for 30 years — have lost even more clout at the state Capitol.
Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, said members who voted for the rules were “political cowards” who gave into pressure from Republican advocates who’d long been calling for the change. He also said Republican lawmakers were prioritizing scoring political points over acting in good faith.
Republican push to remove Democratic committee chairs
The move to get rid of Democratic chairs has been going for years, and gained prominence during the state’s last legislative session in 2023.
That year, former House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, received massive pushback from his own party after appointing Democrats to the important leadership roles. (It’s also a move that played a part in Phelan no longer holding the speaker job).
This year, on the first day of Texas’ legislative session, Republican activists filled the Capitol wearing red shirts emblazoned with “Ban Democratic Chairs!” in white block lettering.
Many left after day one upset that the House voted in Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, as the chamber’s speaker. Mary Carr of Harris County told The Texas Newsroom she believed Burrows would let the opposition party control too much of the lawmaking.
"It's not going to be good. It's not going to be a good outcome," she said.
This is a developing story and will be updated. The Texas Newsroom's Nina Banks contributed reporting to this story.
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