February 16, 2025
NEWS DIGEST
by Brandon Waltens
Good morning,
New committee assignments released by Speaker Dustin Burrows reveal that Democrats continue to wield significant influence in the Texas House.
Under rules passed without debate or amendments last month, House committees are now required to have Republican chairs and Democrat vice-chairs. These same rules also expanded the power of vice-chairs, allowing them to compel bills to be presented in committee hearings.
The vice-chair position reportedly comes with an additional $4,000 in monthly office budget, though Capitol offices remain in the dark regarding the exact numbers. Burrows [[link removed]] did not allow a vote on the usual housekeeping resolution that dictates office budgets, leaving many legislators uncertain about their allocations.
As Texas Scorecard reported [[link removed]] last month, these restrictions did not apply to the newly created “permanent standing subcommittees,” which can have legislation directly referred to them by the speaker, much like any other committee.
Burrows placed six Democrats as chairs of these subcommittees, effectively preserving their ability to shape legislative outcomes despite rules changes.
Many of Burrows’ selections indicate a return to the status quo of previous sessions.
El Paso Democrat State Rep. Joe Moody [[link removed]] has once again been named speaker pro tempore, the second-highest position in the House. Moody—a liberal Democrat—previously held the position but was stripped [[link removed]] of it in 2021 by former Speaker Dade Phelan following the Democrats’ quorum-busting trip to Washington, D.C., to block election integrity legislation.
Corpus Christi Republican State Rep. Todd Hunter [[link removed]] has been tapped to lead the powerful Calendars Committee, which serves as a gatekeeper for legislation, determining which bills will—and won’t—reach the House floor for a vote. Hunter held this position in previous sessions under former Speaker Joe Straus.
In a 2017 floor exchange [[link removed]], Hunter openly admitted to killing legislation as chair of the Calendars Committee, sometimes at the behest of the bills’ authors, stating bluntly, “that’s what I do.”
Former Speaker Dade Phelan [[link removed]] remains in a leadership position, having been placed as chair of the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee. Meanwhile, State Rep. Brad Buckley [[link removed]] will continue as chair of the Education Committee, which now appears to be in a stronger position to advance school choice legislation than in the previous session.
With committee assignments now made, the House adjourned for a long weekend and will return Tuesday afternoon.
Below are the chair and vice-chair positions by party:
Featured Texas Senators Drop a Neutron Bomb on the Texas Lottery Commission [[link removed]]
By Daniel Greer
During a firework-filled Senate Finance Committee hearing, Ryan Mindell, the current executive director of the Texas Lottery, was sharply criticized by lawmakers for not answering questions, having a flippant attitude toward correcting issues within his rogue agency, and ignoring allegations that the lottery was used to launder $25 million in 2023.
The Lottery Commission has been embroiled in scandal for the past three years after a $95 million jackpot was rigged [[link removed]] with their help. Since then, it has done nothing to alter the perception that it is acting in bad faith, outside the law, while ignoring legislative intent.
Mindell did not help his or the Texas Lottery’s cause. In fact, on multiple occasions, senators not so subtly suggested that the commissioners who oversee the agency should find better help or, at the very least, ignore the agency’s executive director.
Read More [[link removed]]
Real Texans Brandon Creighton [[link removed]]
On this week's REAL TEXANS episode, State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, talks candidly about the fight to eliminate DEI and reclaim schools that have been weaponized against Texas values.
New interviews with REAL TEXANS [[link removed]] every Sunday!
State Texas Senate Passes Billions in New Property Tax Relief [[link removed]]
Senators voted unanimously to send the measure to the House. Report: Texas Must Secure ‘Critical Infrastructure’ [[link removed]]
Texans face a rapidly changing battlespace. New Measure Could End Taxpayer Funding to the American Library Association [[link removed]]
The ALA has faced criticism for its opposition to restrictions on inappropriate materials in children’s libraries.
Read more in State news... [[link removed]]
Local Parents Roasting Allen ISD Over Sexually Explicit Books Goes Viral [[link removed]]
Videos of public comments from a school board meeting made international news. SpaceX’s Home Starbase Could Soon Become an Official City [[link removed]]
The vote will take place during the General Election on Saturday, May 3. Houston Police Search for Honduran Man With History of Child Assault Charges [[link removed]]
ICE previously placed a detainer on the man in 2017.
Read more in Local news... [[link removed]]
Federal Brooke Rollins Confirmed as US Secretary of Agriculture [[link removed]]
A lifelong Texan, Rollins was a key figure in Trump’s first-term policy team. Brandon Gill Defends DOGE, Slams Democrat Hypocrisy on Government Waste [[link removed]]
The new congressman says his mission is to expose financial corruption and fight back against government waste.
Read more in Federal news... [[link removed]]
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