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 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 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 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 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 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, 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.”
In 2017, Todd Hunter ADMITTED to killing bills as Chair of Calendars.
Speaker Dustin Burrows just placed him back in that position. #txlege pic.twitter.com/xz10K60MOT
— Brandon Waltens (@bwaltens) February 13, 2025
Former Speaker Dade Phelan remains in a leadership position, having been placed as chair of the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee. Meanwhile, State Rep. Brad Buckley 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 next Tuesday afternoon.
Below are the chair and vice-chair positions by party:
Full House committee assignments can be viewed here.
