As the Texas Legislature gears up to open its 89th regular session this Tuesday, a significant hurdle looms over the House of Representatives—a keynote position is notably unfilled. The role in question: Speaker of the House. Without someone to helm proceedings, the session may sputter before it begins, as lawmakers can't proceed with crucial agenda items like committee assignments and rule adoptions.
At the crux of the impasse is a contest for the speakership that has yet to culminate in a decisive vote. Republicans David Cook and Dustin Burrows appeared to be the leading candidates after the Texas House GOP Caucus met in early December, though none has managed to secure the necessary 76 votes to claim victory. Burrows, having hinted that he may have garnered enough bipartisan support, remains optimistic. However, the House's inability to quickly navigate to a clear mandate could serve to disrupt the legislature's mechanics right off the bat. "We can't even get to that position of committee assignments, adoption of the rules, and ultimately basic function of the house until the House agrees on a Speaker," Joshua Blank of the Texas Politics Project clarified in a statement.
This week, the House must prioritize selecting a new Speaker - a decision that will significantly shape the legislature's future trajectory. A new Speaker may to potentially shift the dynamics in committee chair assignments - roles with outsized influence over which bills see the light of day. "That's why who becomes chair is so important, and it's sort of up in the air right now," said Blaise Gainey, a reporter covering state politics for The Texas Newsroom. "That one person can say they don’t like it and don’t want to hear the bill and it’ll never make it through that committee," Gainey added during an interview.
Beyond the speaker's vote, Texas residents are keeping a close watch on the new faces in the legislature and their policy stances, particularly on contentious issues such as school vouchers. Notable among newcomers is Shelley Luther, the former Dallas salon owner known for her defiance of COVID-19 lockdown orders. But it remains to be seen whether new rural representatives, despite the backing of Governor Abbott on vouchers, will hold to their purported promises when faced with their constituents' historical opposition to such measures. Gainey expressed a marked curiosity regarding this "It’ll be interesting to see if they actually stick to what they must have promised Abbott," he said.
All things considered, the coming days promise to be defining for Texas politics. They hold the answer to whether the state's House of Representatives can effectively overcome a staggering impasse and advance a legislative agenda already teeming with heated debates on issues from marijuana legalization to border security.
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