House Speaker Dennis Bonnen has handed out committee assignments, and South Texas lawmakers now lead 10 of those committees.
Bonnen said the committee assignments were made to “reflect the seniority and personal preferences of members and the diverse demographics of the Texas House.”
San Antonio Republican Lyle Larson will preside over the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Rep. Poncho Nevarez, D-Eagle Pass, will chair the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, and San Antonio Democrat Diego Bernal is vice chair of the House Committee on Public Education.
Bernal said he looks forward to his committee's discussions.
“School finance being one of those things — special education, school safety — is a big conversation. Education should always be our number one priority. It hasn’t always been, but this session it is,” Bernal said.
Bernal believes education reform will likely be the running theme that dominates lawmakers’ attention this session.
Other South Texas lawmakers assigned as either the chair or vice chair of a House committee include:
- Rep. Trey Martinez Fisher, D-San Antonio, chair of the House Committee on Business and Industry
- Rep. Phillip Cortez, D-San Antonio, vice chair of the House Committee on Elections.
- Rep. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, vice chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means
- Rep. Oscar Longoria, D-La Feria, vice chair of the House Committee on Appropriations
- Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, chair of the House Committee on Insurance
- Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Corpus Christi, vice chair of the House Committee on Energy Resources
- Rep. Tracey King, D-Uvalde, chair of the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures
Bills filed during the session are assigned to a committee. That committee then deconstructs the legislation, examines how it would apply to current state law and then either votes to send the bill to the full Texas House or allow the bill to die.
In total, there are 34 House committees addressing various aspects of state business.
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Ryan Poppe can be reached at rpoppe@tpr.org or on Twitter @RyanPoppe1
