January 23, 2025
Rules Day in the House!
On the tenth day of the legislative session, the House considered and passed the rules that will govern its proceedings over the next 130 days and during any special sessions.
The lenghty rules packet apparently was distributed to House members early in the morning—around 4:30a—by Chairman Hunter (R—Corpus Christi). The first two pages of the packet explained the major changes being proposed, but that explanation is not available on the House website as far as I can tell.
The most significant change is that only members of the majority party—Republicans—will chair committees. At the same time, only members of the minority party—Democrats—will serve as vice chairs of committees. In all past sessions since Republicans gained the majority in the House, members of both parties have chaired committees. And before then, when Democrats held the majority, Republicans chaired committees, according to Rep. Dutton, who spoke from the back microphone during the debate on adopting the rules.
In laying out the rules resolution, Chairman Hunter explained that six previously existing committees would not be reauthorized, but two new committees would be created to assume some of the subject-matter jurisdiction of the six committees that will not continue to exist.
The two new committees are:
Delivery of Government Efficiency
Intergovernmental Affairs
The six committees that will not exist going forward are:
Business and Industry
County Affairs
Defense & Veterans Affairs
Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
Resolutions Calendar
Urban Affairs
The new rules also created 12 new permanent subcommittees, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House and to which the Speaker’s office will directly refer bills. The rules do not require that these subcommittees be chaired by members of a particular political party. But bills approved by these subcommittees will not reach the House floor without the entire committee voting on those bills.
Debate on the new rules lasted for about an hour, until Rep. Jared Patterson called the previous question—the parliamentary procedure that, if approved, ends debate and compels a vote on the pending motion.
The motion to adopt the rules passed by a vote of 116 to 23.
The new House rules are available here: https://www.legis.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/pdf/HR00004F.pdf#navpanes=0.
The House will meet again Monday, January 27 at 4p.
The Senate was not in session today, but will meet tomorrow, Friday, January 24, at 10a.
