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Around the Texas Capitol:
Committee appointments, announcement of leadership priorities, set the stage for the 88th Texas Legislature

 By Lauren Fairbanks and J Pete Laney
TAD Governmental Affairs

The 88th Texas Legislature has been in session since Jan. 10, and legislators are now less than a month away from the expiration of the 60-day moratorium for considering non-emergency items. Recall that the state’s Constitution does not allow the Legislature to consider any items in the first 60 days of a legislative session unless it is named an emergency item by the governor.

Gov. Greg Abbott released his emergency items during the State of the State on Feb. 16. He designated seven items this session as emergency items: property taxes, ending COVID restrictions, school choice, school safety, bail reform, border security, and addressing the fentanyl crisis. You can find the complete text of his remarks here.

The Senate and House also have their own priorities that each chamber will work to get across the finish line. House Speaker Dade Phelan outlined the House’s priorities for the session on Jan. 10, the first day of the legislative session, while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued his list of 30 priorities on Feb. 13. You’ll see all three lists have a number of things in common, such as property tax relief.

Committee assignments for the House were recently released and, with Senate committees announced last month, the stage is officially set. Ahead of his announcement, Speaker Dade Phelan met individually with House members to discuss their committee preferences and legislative priorities, and then crafted committee assignments based on a number of factors, such as seniority, personal preferences, the demographics of the chamber and the regional make-up of the body.

There are 37 committee chairs appointed in total, including the Speaker Pro Tempore, a leadership position equivalent to a chair. Of those 37 appointments, 28 are Republicans and nine are Democrats. Twenty-two chairs and 32 vice chairs represent urban areas, and 14 chairs and four vice chairs represent rural areas of the state. A list of House committees significant to the Texas dairy industry is included below. Congratulations to new and old chairs alike! The Texas Association of Dairymen (TAD) team looks forward to working with each of you in the coming months.

Ahead of committee hearings beginning, industry associations across the state are making their way to the Capitol to advocate on the issues that are important to them, and the TAD Board is no different. Board members took the opportunity to walk the halls of the Capitol during the recent board meeting in Austin in early February – the same day the House released its committee assignments. It was a great opportunity to talk with legislators and their staffs about the issues we are working to solve on behalf of the Texas dairy industry this session.

Significant House Committee Assignments

Agriculture & Livestock
CHAIR: Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park)
VICE-CHAIR: Charles “Doc” Anderson
SENIORITY APPOINTMENTS: Stan Kitzman
SPEAKER APPOINTMENTS: Diego Bernal, Vikki Goodwin, Cody Harris of Anderson, Jon Rosenthal, Kronda Thimesch, Terry M. Wilson

Appropriations
CHAIR: Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood)
VICE-CHAIR: Mary González
SENIORITY APPOINTMENTS: Cecil Bell, Jr., Greg Bonnen, John Bryant, John, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Donna Howard, Jarvis Johnson of Harris, Armando Martinez, Trey Fischer, Geanie W. Morrison, Lina Ortega, Toni Rose, Gene Wu
SPEAKER APPOINTMENTS: Steve Allison, Mano DeAyala, Gary Gates, Carrie Isaac, Jacey Jetton, Angelia Orr, David Spiller, Lynn Stucky, Carl Tepper, Kronda Thimesch, Ed Thompson, Steve Toth, Gary VanDeaver, Armando Walle

Environmental Regulation
CHAIR: Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa)
VICE-CHAIR: R.D. “Bobby” Guerra
SENIORITY APPOINTMENTS: R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, John Kuempel, Ron Reynolds
SPEAKER APPOINTMENTS: Keith Bell, Jay Dean, Janie Lopez of Cameron, Terry Meza, Penny Morales Shaw

Land & Resource Management
CHAIR: DeWayne Burns (R-Cleburne)
VICE-CHAIR: Glenn Rogers
SENIORITY APPOINTMENTS: Keith Bell, Brad Buckley, Glenn Rogers
SPEAKER APPOINTMENTS: Cecil Bell, Jr., Lina Ortega, Ron Reynolds, Mike Schofield, Carl O. Sherman, Sr.

Natural Resources
CHAIR: Tracy O. King (D-Batesville)
VICE-CHAIR: Ed Thompson
SENIORITY APPOINTMENTS: Kyle Kacal, Tracy King, Four Price, Ed Thompson
SPEAKER APPOINTMENTS: Erin Gámez, Stan Kitzman, Suleman Lalani, Will Metcalf, Ana-Maria Ramos, Glenn Rogers, Erin Zwiener

Public Health
CHAIR: Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth)
VICE-CHAIR: Elizabeth “Liz” Campos
SENIORITY APPOINTMENTS: Nicole Collier, Tom Oliverson, Reggie Smith, Tony Tinderholt
SPEAKER APPOINTMENTS: Jacey Jetton, Ann Johnsos, Jolanda Jones, Venton Jones, Four Price

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