Dallas-Fort Worth area loses clout in Texas House committee assignments
AUSTIN Speaker Joe Straus kept establishment Republicans in key posts, even as he co-opted some tea party adherents with his committee assignments Wednesday.
Straus, R-San Antonio, also made Democrats leaders of 13 of the Houses 38 standing committees. That reflects the chambers makeup there are 52 Democrats in the 150-member body.
The House appointments stood in contrast to the more partisan approach taken in the Senate by newly installed Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Patrick, a Republican, reduced the number of Senate committees last month from 18 to 14, and the chairmanships held by Democrats from six to two.
These assignments reflect the makeup of the House, Straus said. They also reflect a collaborative and results-oriented culture that has worked very well in recent years.
As expected, the Dallas-Fort Worth area lost clout.
While there still will be a half-dozen local House lawmakers running committees, they wont be running committees that are as powerful.
In 2013, Reps. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, and Dan Branch, R-Dallas, ran the budget and higher education panels. But both retired.
Local representation has ebbed on the Houses two most influential panels, the budget-writing Appropriations Committee and the Calendars Committee, which directs the flow of legislation to the floor.
Last session, each had six members from the Dallas-Fort Worth region. This year, each will have four.
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Dallas-Fort Worth area loses clout in Texas House committee assignments