Here’s a quick recap of what happened over the last week:

Texas House Adopts Rules for Session

The Texas House adopted their rules under which they will operate for the regular session.  Members voted yesterday to prohibit Democrats from chairing committees which ends a longstanding tradition in the House of having members of both parties chair committees to foster bipartisanship.  However, Democrats can be named as vice-chairs of committees, and the rules now give substantial power to vice-chairs that has never been seen before.  Previously, only the committee chair had the power to set bills for hearing, call committee witnesses, and ask for a vote on bills.  Now, the vice-chairs will have that same power, which is completely unprecedented in the House.

Hard-line Republicans harshly criticized the new structure, saying that the chamber is now handing the minority party more power than ever.  And in a seldom used parliamentary procedure, Speaker Dustin Burrows cut off debate and called for the passage of the resolution to adopt the rules without consideration of amendments and with several members desiring to continue debate on the new rules.

In the end, the full House adopted the rules by a vote of 116-23, with 61 Republicans and 55 Democrats supporting the measure.  The new structure that now for all intents and purposes has two committee chairs – one from each party – will create a very interesting dynamic when the chair and vice-chairs disagree on legislation.

State Budget Introduced

This past Wednesday, the Texas House and Senate unveiled initial draft budgets for the upcoming legislative session, prioritizing how to allocate the state’s $20 billion surplus. Among the key proposals is $6.5 billion identified for legislators to expand property tax cuts enacted in previous sessions and an additional $26.3 billion for the ongoing expenses of tax cuts from 2023 has been proposed in the House budget. The Senate version also increases the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000, further reducing taxable home values for residents. An accompanying provision included an exemption raise from $110,000 to $150,000 for individuals 65 or older. This would mark another record-setting tax cut, bringing the total for property tax relief to $51 billion since 2019.

Education also features prominently in the proposed budget, with $5 billion allocated for public schools, including funding for compliance with formerly unfunded safety mandates, and $1 billion set aside for a repackaged school voucher program. Among the other education priorities is teacher pay raises.  While higher than last session’s proposals, remain below the levels requested by educators and the national average salaries.

Border security and water infrastructure are also major focuses. Lawmakers propose $6.5 billion for border security, which is $1.5 billion less than 2023’s allocation, emphasizing the maintenance of current operations while leaving room for potential federal coordination under the new presidential administration. Additionally, $2.5 billion is earmarked for addressing water scarcity and improving flood infrastructure—a critical need for the state.

Several of these proposals, such as the school voucher program and property tax extensions, depend on the passage of separate legislation, underscoring potential challenges in a divided Republican Party. The political dynamics are further complicated by newly elected House Speaker Dustin Burrows, who has yet to announce committee chair appointments. These decisions will shape the trajectory of the session as lawmakers navigate tensions and competing priorities.

Trump Inauguration

Several of the state’s elected officials made the trip to Washington for the inauguration on Monday.  Gov. Abbott was in the Emancipation Hall of the US Capitol for the swearing in.  State Governors were invited to what was deemed the overflow area due to the confines of the rotunda.  Only about 700 people were allowed to watch in the rotunda, including members of Congress, all former Presidents, foreign heads of state, cabinet appointees and other dignitaries.  Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton were also in Washington for the festivities.

And within a few minutes of being sworn in, Trump reiterated his priority of cracking down on border security and vowed to help Texas with reinforcements.  Trump’s plans include declaring an emergency on the southern border, designating foreign gangs – cartels – as terrorist organizations, sending federal troops to the border, and continuing construction of the border wall.  Many of these initiatives have been pursued by state officials over the last several years and there is legislation proposed this session to continue the state’s $11 billion border enforcement program that has been in place for the past four years.

One other point of interest from inauguration day is President Trump’s continued desire to rename the Gulf of Mexico.  Trump has repeatedly said he wants to rename the body of water the “Gulf of America”.  Trump says he will initiate the name change through Executive Order.  According to the Associated Press, to make the name change official, the US Board on Geographic Names will have to officially make the designation after input from local governments.  Even after that, states are not legally bound to recognize the change.  According to the Texas State Historical Association, the Gulf of Mexico got its name in the 1540’s from Spanish explorers.

Border News

In addition to the attention given to border and immigration issues by President Trump during the inaugural festivities, there are other border related stories making news.

The federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled over the weekend that the federal government can no longer take applications for DACA – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.  DACA was established during the Obama administration to allow children who were brought to the US by adult parents to apply for a path to legal status in the US and shield them from immigration enforcement.  This ruling was in response to lawsuits brought by several states – including Texas – who challenged the Biden administration’s efforts to codify DACA policy in an attempt to solidify the legal status of the program.  Lower courts ruled the efforts of the Biden administration exceeded its statutory authority, and that any continued authority of the program must be through Congressional action.

The ruling does not affect the roughly 500,000 people currently in the program. Those individuals can continue to live and work in the US and can apply to renew their status at the appropriate time.  But the ruling forbids any new applications.  This undoubtedly will elevate to consideration by the US Supreme Court who will ultimately decide the fate of the program.

A sophisticated, cross-border tunnel was discovered on January 8th in El Paso that connected to Jaurez.  According to Homeland Security agents, the tunnel was approximately 4 feet wide by 6 feet tall and was reinforced with wooden beams.  It was also equipped with lighting and a ventilation system.  It is safely presumed the tunnel was being used by drug and human traffickers to avoid detection by federal immigration agents and state law enforcement.  Work has now begun to seal the tunnel with concrete.  Federal Border Patrol agents will work with state officials to complete the work in a timely manner.

Winter Weather

Those of us in Austin awoke on Tuesday morning to temperatures in the low 20’s with about an inch of ice and snow covering the ground.  The conditions in Austin were about what was predicted.  Most schools and businesses were shut down Tuesday, but everything went back to normal on Wednesday in Austin.

The Houston area was hit much harder.  A fresh blanket of snow fell all over the greater Houston area with as much as 4 inches being recorded in north and northeast parts of the metro area.  Both Houston airports closed at midnight Monday night and remained closed all day Tuesday, reopening at 9AM on Wednesday morning.  The recorded snowfall made for the highest single-day total in the Houston area since 1973.

The best news from the winter weather is that the electric grid held up throughout the unusually low temperatures for the central and southeastern parts of the state.  In addition to new requirements for the energy providers to now “weatherize” their facilities in preparation for extreme temperatures, most of the precipitation that fell was in the form of snow and sleet instead of freezing rain.  In 2021 during the statewide rolling blackouts, the precipitation was freezing rain that turned into ice that accumulated on trees and power lines that led to the outages.  Snowfall is much easier on the distribution system than ice.

Temperatures have continued to climb throughout the week and most areas of the state should be well above freezing for the weekend and in the foreseeable future.

Lt. Governor Patrick Calls for Abortion Ban Clarifications

Lt Governor Dan Patrick stated this week that the legislature should clarify language in state law, so doctors are not in fear of being penalized if they determine that the life of the mother is at risk.  This is the first time that any state leader has said that the state’s near total ban on abortion should be clarified or altered in any way.  Other legislators immediately weighed in to support Patrick’s position, saying that doctors and hospitals should not have any reason to deny help to expectant mothers in dire situations.

More than 100 OB-GYNs in Texas sent a letter last fall to all state leaders that asked for the change, saying the law as written is too vague regarding the life-of-the-mother exception and thus prevents doctors from taking the proper preventative measures before the mother reaches the point of no return.  The letter also argues that the penalties for performing the procedure – up to 99 years in prison and the loss of medical license – are too harsh. Patrick did not address the penalties portion of the legislation in his remarks this week.

Political Notes

Newly elected Republican Rep. Pat Curry of Waco has filed a lawsuit and asked for a criminal investigation over tactics used by a Virginia-based PAC that misrepresented who he supported in the recently concluded race for Texas House Speaker.  Curry claims that the PAC – Courageous Conservatives – sent out texts to Curry’s constituents claiming Curry supported Rep. Dustin Burrows over Rep. David Cook, who was the nominee of the House Republican Caucus.  Curry – who voted for Cook – claims that Facebook posts and texts encouraged his constituents to contact Curry on his personal cell phone and encourage him to support Cook.  Curry claims to have received hundreds of angry calls and messages after the posts.  Curry has asked for an injunction against the PAC and has asked the Department of Public Safety to initiate a criminal investigation into the practices of the PAC for misrepresenting his position in the Speaker’s race.

Also relating to the Speaker’s race, the Texas Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint filed by Rep. Cody Harris of Corsicana against state Republican Party chair Abraham George.  Harris had alleged that George illegally threatened and intimidated certain Republican House members regarding their support of Rep. Burrows.  Harris alleged that George violated state campaign ethics rules by threatening to spend money on mail pieces in Harris’ district regarding his position in the Speaker’s race, which would in turn be an economic benefit to any potential opponent thus constituting a “bribe”.  The Ethics Commission dismissed the complaint without comment.  Complaints that are dismissed are confidential under state law.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has rehired his longtime aide Todd Smith after Smith pleaded guilty to commercial bribery charges.  The charges related to claims that Smith solicited thousands of dollars in bribes from farmers seeking licenses to grow hemp products in the state. Miller maintains that Smith is innocent and was only prosecuted because of a partisan Democratic district attorney in Travis County.  Smith will be chief of staff to Miller at the Agriculture Department and will have an annual salary of nearly $220,000.

Cecile Richards – the daughter of former Governor Ann Richards – passed away this week after a battle with brain cancer.  Richards led Planned Parenthood for 12 years and her most recent public appearance came at the 2024 Democratic National Convention when she spoke in support of then Vice-President Kamala Harris’ nomination for President.  She is survived by her husband and three adult children.

What’s Next??

The Senate will meet at 10AM today and then adjourn for the weekend and reconvene on Monday. There is nothing on the Senate calendar for today.  The House has adjourned until 4PM on Monday.

The Senate Finance Committee begins budget deliberations on Monday morning at 9AM.  The committee has scheduled meetings over the next three weeks to review the budget requests of all state agencies.