Legislative Services

Speaker Makes Committee Selections

Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) this week appointed committee chairs and members to the 34 House standing committees called for by the House rules. He also created and filled the ranks of two select committees: Health Care Reform and Youth Health and Safety. As always, some members who chaired committees in 2021 no longer lead a panel this session, while others remain chairs but of different committees. Still others must wait for their time to lead.

County Affairs has a new chair, former committee member Rep. Victoria Neave Criado (D-Dallas); interim chair, Rep. Lynn Stucky (R-Denton), moves to vice chair. Other committees of interest to counties:

• Agriculture & Livestock, to be led by Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park).
• Appropriations, Rep. Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood).
• Calendars, Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock).
• Criminal Jurisprudence, Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso).
• Elections, Rep. Reggie Smith (R-Sherman).
• Homeland Security & Public Safety, Rep. Ryan Guillen (R-Rio Grande City).
• Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence, Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano).
• State Affairs, Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi).

Lists of standing committee appointments by committee and by member are available on the House website.

Legislature Awaits Governor's Designation of Emergency Items

Per the Texas Constitution, legislation may only be considered by the Legislature before the 60th day if declared an emergency item by the governor. With Senate and House committee assignments now set, legislators look next to Gov. Greg Abbott's declaration. Once in hand, they will immediately begin committee hearings on those items. Non-emergency items may have public hearings also but must wait until March 10 for deliberation by either chamber.

Abbott is set to deliver his State of the State address on Feb. 16, at which time he is expected to designate emergency items.

For more information about this article, please contact Pete Winckler.