Democrats to chair fewer Texas House committees amid GOP resistance

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Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, announced House committees on Wednesday, cutting the number of Democratic chairmen and choosing new leadership on some key committees.

Phelan chose Democrats to chair eight of 34 standing committees, up from 13 he appointed at the start of the last legislative session. He faced pressure from his right to reduce Democratic influence in the GOP-led House.

Phelan also brought in new faces to chair at least two closely watched committees. He named State Representative Brad Buckley, R-Killin, chairman of the Committee on Public Education, replacing Democrat Rep. Harold Dutton of Houston. Phelan also appointed Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, to lead the State Affairs Committee, a powerful panel with broad jurisdiction. The previous chairman, Rep. Chris Paddy, R-Marshall, did not seek re-election last year.

Phelan also boosted the Republican Party’s influence in the House of Representatives by choosing influential House veteran Rep. Charlie Guerin, R-Fort Worth, as interim speaker. This is a largely ceremonial position that nonetheless shows confidence in the leadership. The previous speaker provisionally was Democrat Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso, who was removed by Phelan due to the 2021 Democratic quorum break in Washington, D.C.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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