A blue wave swept Democrats to victory in 18 Texas statewide races this month, and put them in control of the Texas House for the first time since 2002.
Thanks to a quirk in Texas law, top exiting Republicans will remain in power for the first week of the 90th Legislative Session — offering a narrow window to change the rules and confirm GOP appointees before the next leaders are sworn in.
Most Texas statewide officials, as well as members of the Texas House and Texas Senate, take office when the every-other-year legislative session begins Jan. 12.
But Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa and Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin won’t be sworn in until Jan. 19.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is already calling to change the rules in the Texas Senate to strip power from Goodwin before she arrives.
The lieutenant governor is one of the most influential leaders in the state in part because of the power its given by the Senate.
The GOP currently holds a 19-12 seat majority, and its members change the rules with a simple majority vote.
There’s also a backlog of people who Gov. Greg Abbott appointed to leadership roles after the last legislative session.
They need to be confirmed by a two-thirds vote in the Texas Senate, which would lock them into their roles another two years before the incoming governor can make her own selections.
For example, a newly created business court was a high priority for Texas business leaders, with judges are appointed by the governor.
Republicans don’t have the votes to confirm Abbott’s existing appointments on their own, but could perhaps take advantage of a window in which Democratic state Sens. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) and Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) have already moved on to their new roles as Comptroller and Attorney General.
The dynamics open up much room for horse-trading between the outgoing and incoming administrations, who are filling their transition teams with bipartisan policy experts.
For example, Houston Democratic state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, who says she has the votes to become Texas House speaker, announced a team that includes former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio).
This story first appeared in the San Antonio Report.
