When most people think of the government they think of Washington, DC. Unfortunately for us living in Texas, most of the laws that impact our communities come from our state Capitol in Austin. Leadership in the Texas government has only gotten more extreme over the last few years, and we’ll be here to monitor and break down all their destructive antics.
Welcome to the Texas Legislative Roundup. Every week, we’ll give you the honest take on the news that impacts you – without pretending it doesn’t.
Week in Review
Texas lawmakers met on Tuesday to begin the legislative session. The Texas legislature consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate, both of which are Republican-controlled. While Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, are elected statewide – the Speaker of the House is elected by the body of the Texas House of Representatives. Speaker Dade Phelan was elected to a second term as speaker of the House on Tuesday when the body met.
Phelan has been the most extreme speaker of the last decade, pushing the infamous abortion bans in Texas that have outlawed the procedure, as well as passing permitless carry – making it easier for anyone to obtain and carry a gun. While he secured enough votes from Republicans to be the speaker, he did get seconding speeches from Democrats Tracy King and Toni Rose. In return, it seems that a push to ban Democratic chairs during the House rules debate from the freedom caucus failed. Committee chairs will be announced later this month. Republicans did successfully change House rules to threaten Democrats with fines and expulsion for breaking quorum. This was in response to the quorum break of 2021.
What to Watch
Typically, Texas Republicans have ignored the pressing issues of our state and chosen to double down on harmful attacks on vulnerable communities. Will this session be any different? With Dade Phelan leading the House and Dan Patrick leading the Senate that is very unlikely.
Lawmakers are likely to continue attacks on the LGBTQ community and abortion access, as well as irresponsible spending on stunts instead of solutions on our southern border. Once committees are formed, we will begin to get hearings and see movements on bills.
