Table of Contents
Welcome to the first edition of Texas Legislative News for the 89th Texas Legislature. In this regular feature, we provide information on disability-related issues and bills under consideration at the State Capitol. We also explain how lawmakers conduct business, and we share details on upcoming TCDD events.
Race for the House Speaker
The presiding officer of the Texas House is known as the speaker. This person makes committee appointments, refers legislation, and maintains significant control over the House agenda. While the Senate’s presiding officer, the lieutenant governor, is elected by Texas voters every four years, the House speaker is determined by a vote of House members on the first day of the legislative session. Generally, the speaker is a state representative chosen by other state representatives to preside over them.
Rep. Dade Phelan, the current House speaker, will not campaign to keep the position for the upcoming session. Phelan served in that role for the previous two sessions and has represented the Beaumont area in the House since 2015. Although Phelan is a Republican, he is seen as more politically moderate than Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. This has led to criticism of Phelan by members of his own party.
Earlier this year, after a narrow victory in a primary election for his House district seat, Phelan avoided becoming the first sitting House speaker to lose reelection in nearly 50 years. Until recently, Phelan maintained that not only would he return as a House representative, but he’d also campaign to keep his role as House speaker. After a number of other members announced — and for most, later withdrew — their own candidacies, it has been clear that the majority of the House Republican Caucus prefers having a new speaker. With his difficult path to victory, Phelan removed his name from contention.
Who’s Running Now?
At this point, two representatives have thrown their hats in the ring: Rep. David Cook and Rep. Dustin Burrows.
Cook, now in his second House term, is an attorney and previous mayor of Mansfield. He has received endorsements from Abbott and the House Republican Caucus. Cook currently sits on the Criminal Jurisprudence, Juvenile Justice and Family Issues, and Calendars Committees in the House.
Burrows, who has served in the House since 2015, is also an attorney and hails from the Lubbock area. He chairs the Calendars Committee and serves on a number of other committees, including Elections and Higher Education. Burrows is seen as more closely aligned to Phelan, and support for Burrows as speaker comes from a mix of Republicans and Democrats in the House.
What’s At Stake?
In recent years — going back to Phelan’s predecessors, Joe Straus and Dennis Bonnen — the speaker and the House at large have often found themselves at odds with the governor and lieutenant governor. In 2023, this reached a boiling point over the issues of private school vouchers and property tax reform, which led to a long series of special sessions and a significant number of primary election challenges to incumbent Republicans.
The new House speaker will determine how to handle working relationships with other state leaders and whether voucher legislation passes or fails. Additionally, the new speaker will decide on whether to continue the longstanding tradition of offering a few committee chair positions to Democratic members, who are the minority party in the House. Many feel the practice helps place a check on partisanship in the House and move business along, but some Republicans feel the practice should no longer be honored.
When Will a Decision Be Made?
The House votes for its speaker on the first day of the legislative session, scheduled for Jan. 14, 2025. But as lawmakers fully stake out allegiances in the lead up to that date, a clear winner can usually be predicted before the vote takes place. Once a new speaker is formally named, advocates will determine how best to advance disability issues under the new House leadership.
Bill Filing Continues
Texas lawmakers began pre-filing bills on Nov. 12. At this point, legislators have submitted over 2,100 pieces of legislation for consideration in the upcoming session. Among them are the following bills on disability-related issues:
- House Bill (HB) 1439, by Rep. John Bucy III, relating to early voting by mail.
- HB 1541, by Rep. Suleman Lalani, relating to establishing an advisory committee to study and make recommendations on services provided to people with developmental disabilities (DD).
- HB 1548, by Rep. Richard Peña Raymond, relating to property tax exemptions for parents or guardians of people with disabilities who live in the same home with their children.
- Senate Bill (SB) 186, by Sen. José Menéndez, relating to establishing the Texas Students with Disabilities Scholarship Program for students at public institutions of higher education.
- SB 198, also by Menéndez, relating to additional requirements for individualized education programs developed for children with autism or other forms of DD.
- SB 432, by Sen. Borris Miles, relating to the use of the death penalty for people with DD convicted of capital offenses.
TCDD staff will review all of the bills under consideration by lawmakers, and we’ll highlight some of them in future updates. So, please stay tuned!
Stay Informed
Throughout the 89th Texas legislative session, you can stay up to date on how lawmakers address disability issues by following us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can also check out our Policy section to learn more about our legislative engagement and find resources to support your own advocacy.
And one final note, TCDD will close for the holidays beginning Monday, Dec. 23, and return on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. We’ll see you in the new year!
