Despite DOGE Committee, Texas House Power Again Split Between GOP, Democrats

February 13th, 2025 Andy Hogue

Txlege UpdateIs the Texas House Republican-led now that committee assignments have dropped?

It may be that things are even-split, strictly and numerically speaking. While new Speaker Dustin Burrows said it is the first time in history that every standing committee will be chaired by a Republican during a regular session, Democrats have more leadership positions percentage-wise compared to the GOP caucus according to a conservative House member.

Burrows released House committee assignments for the ongoing 89th Legislature today. Among the assignments: Democratic Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso will be Speaker Pro Tem. He will often be the one to wield the gavel while Republican Burrows is taking care of other business.

Conservative activists and the Texas GOP have for months clamored for “No Democrat Chairs” and Republican leadership over key functions of the lower chamber. Recent House rule changes forbid standing committee membership by non-majority party members, while the power of vice chairmen was expanded (see analysis below).

Burrows said the number of GOP committee chairmen is tied for the highest amount in Texas history and that the number of committees was reduced to 30. All standing committees have a GOP majority, the Speaker said. Splitting committee chairmanships by party is a long-held tradition in the House

“Assigning members to committees is among the most significant and intricate responsibilities of the Speaker — one that demands thoughtful consideration and a delicate balance of many factors,” Burrows said. “This process is much more than filling seats; it’s about structuring the House in a way that allows each member to contribute their expertise where it truly makes a difference.”

From the Hip: Despite any speculation that Burrows is to the right of predecessors Reps. Dade Phelan, Dennis Bonnen, and former Rep. Joe Straus, today’s committee assignments indicate that not much will change.

Yes, there is a DOGE committee. But let’s take a look at strategy, first. The assignments came out around the same time predecessor Joe Straus released them — indicating that the “slow walk” tactic of the ongoing House regime may still be in play. In other words, we can expect priority legislation to be held up until the last minute as a means of bargaining as in sessions past.

In terms of getting along with the Democrats (which, in case we forgot, are the second-largest caucus in the Texas House), the appointment of Moody as Speaker Pro Tem and numerous other Democrats in key positions shows that Speaker Burrows is not interested in a race to see which chamber is the more conservative but is charting its own direction.

(In fairness to Burrows, if you box the chamber’s 62 [out of 150] Democrats in too closely they can shut things down — it takes 100 members to approve a constitutional amendment, for example. And there’s always the specter of a walkout.)

Now let’s talk about the new rules. While a rule-change (dubbed “the No Democrat Chairs Act”) gave chairmanships to the majority party and vice chairmanships to the secondary party, the powers of vice chairmen were greatly expanded. Democratic vice chairmen now have the unlimited power to call witnesses. Vice chairs, in absence of the chair, may determine the order of committee business and request fiscal notes. Previously, the chairman alone made those calls.

A list of legislative priorities will be the final test of how much conservative progress has been made in the Texas House since Phelan’s speakership. We can expect that list in the days ahead. See our coverage on legislative priorities here (Senate, Texas GOP, and Governor’s emergency items).

* * *

Below is the list of House committee assignments, with chairman followed by vice chairman. Since many have claimed there are functionally four parties in the chamber, we will note members who supported Burrows’ rival David Cook on the final tally for Speaker with an asterisk (*) and members of the Progressive caucus with a caret (^):

Agriculture & Livestock: Ryan Guillen (R-Rio Grande City)*, Bobby Guerra (D-Mission)

Appropriations: Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood), Mary González (D-Clint)

Calendars Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), Toni Rose (D-Dallas)

Corrections: Sam Harless (R-Spring), Venton Jones (D-Dallas)

Criminal Jurisprudence: John Smithee (R-Amarillo),* Gene Wu (D-Houston)^

Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice: David Cook (R-Mansfield),* Jolanda Jones (D-Houston)^

Culture, Recreation & Tourism: Will Metcalf (R-Conroe), Lulu Flores (D-Austin)^

Delivery of Government Efficiency: Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake), Salman Bhojani (D-Euless)

Elections: Matt Shaheen (R-Plano)*, John Bucy (D-Austin)

Energy Resources: Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), Eddie Morales Jr. (D-Eagle Pass)

Environmental Regulation: Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa), Claudia Ordaz (D-El Paso)

General Investigating: Keith Bell (R-Forney), Erin Gámez (D-Brownsville)

Higher Education: Terry Wilson (R-Georgetown), Donna Howard (D-Austin)

Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs: Cole Hefner (R-Mt. Pleasant), Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio)

Subcommittee on Defense & Veterans’ Affairs: Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio), Mark Dorazio (R-San Antonio)*

House Administration: Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) Sheryl Cole (D-Austin)

Human Services: Lacey Hull (R-Houston), Christian Manuel (D-Beaumont)

Insurance: Jay Dean (R-Longview), Hubert Vo (D-Houston)

Intergovernmental Affairs: Cecil Bell Jr. (R-Magnolia), Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood)

Subcommittee on County & Regional Government: David Spiller (R-Jacksboro),* Sheryl Cole (D-Austin)

Subcommittee on State-Federal Relations: Carl Tepper (R-Lubbock), Cassandra Hernandez (D-Farmers Branch)

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence: Jeff Leach (R-Plano), Ann Johnson (D-Houston)

Subcommittee on Family & Fiduciary Relationships: Harold Dutton Jr. (D-Houston), Richard Hayes (R-Hickory Creek)*

Land & Resource Management: Gary Gates (R-Richmond) , Suleman Lalani (D-Sugar Land)

Licensing & Administrative Procedures: Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston)

Local & Consent Calendars: Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), Rhetta Bowers (D-Rowlett)^

Natural Resources: Cody Harris (R-Palestine), Armando Martinez (D-Weslaco)

Pensions, Investments & Financial Services: Stan Lambert (R-Abilene), Mihaela Plesa (D-Dallas)

Public Education: Brad Buckley (R-Salado), Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio)

Subcommittee on Academic & Career-Oriented Education: Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin),* James Talarico (D-Austin)

Public Health: Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston), Elizabeth Campos (D-San Antonio)

Subcommittee on Disease Prevention & Women’s & Children’s Health: James Frank (R-Wichita Falls),* John Bucy (D-Austin)

Redistricting: Cody Vasut (R-Angleton),* Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston)

State Affairs: Ken King (R-Canadian), Cassandra Hernandez (D-Farmers Branch)

Subcommittee on Telecommunications & Broadband: Rafael Anchía (D-Dallas), Will Metcalf (R-Conroe)

Trade, Workforce & Economic Development: Angie Chen Button (R-Garland), James Talarico (D-Austin)

Subcommittee on International Relations: John Lujan (R-San Antonio),* Oscar Longoria (D-Mission)

Subcommittee on Workforce: Oscar Longoria (D-Mission), Caroline Harris Davila (R-Round Rock)*

Transportation: Tom Craddick (R-Midland), Mary Ann Perez (D-Houston)

Subcommittee on Transportation Funding: Terry Canales (D-Edinburg), Lacey Hull (R-Houston)

Ways & Means: Morgan Meyer (R-University Park), Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio)

Subcommittee on Property Tax Appraisals: Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie), Candy Noble (R-Lucas)*

Republican: 42
Democrats: 42
____

Republican Cook supporters: 13
Democrat Progressive Caucus members: 4

All committees are Republican-led
Six out of 12 subcommittees are Republican-led

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