Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has named new chairs to lead several of the Texas Senate’s standing and select committees in 2026, due in part to the departure of four senators who held chairmanships.
Patrick appointed a total of seven new committee chairs :
- State Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney) is replacing Sen. Phil King as chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development.
- State Sen. Donna Campbell (R–Bulverde) will fill the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Education left vacant by Sen. Brandon Creighton after he was appointed chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.
- State Sen. Kevin Sparks (R–Midland) will fill the chairmanship over the Senate Committee on Natural Resources left vacant by Sen. Brian Birdwell, who is leaving for a post in the Trump Administration.
- State Sen. Adam Hinojosa (R–Corpus Christi) will replace Sen. Campbell as chair of the Senate Committee on Nominations.
- State Sen. Tan Parker (R–Flower Mound) will replace retiring Sen. Robert Nichols as chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation.
- State Sen. Phil King (R–Weatherford) will fill the chairmanship over the Senate Select Committee on Homeland and Border Security left vacant by Birdwell.
- State Sen. Brent Hagenbuch (R–Denton) will fill the chairmanship over the Senate Select Committees on Veterans Affairs following Sen. Kelly Hancock’s appointment as acting Comptroller.
The Senate also enveloped the Subcommittee on Higher Education into the existing Committee on Education, the name of which has been modified with the “K-16” moniker to clarify that it also covers college.
However, these two topics have been separated for 2026, with Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston) chairing the Committee on Higher Education.
The Senate Select Committee on Religious Liberty was also newly created by Patrick and is chaired by King.
Additionally, Patrick announced that the Senate’s interim select committees will become permanent standing committees at the start of the 90th legislative session in January 2027, and that chairs appointed to the select committees will remain in their positions.
