Gavel to Gavel 89th Legislative Session - January 17, 2025

The 2025 Legislative Session will kick off on Tuesday, January 14th at noon.  On the first day of session, each chamber elects its body’s leadership.  For the Senate, which is led by the Lieutenant Governor, lawmakers select the President Pro Tempore, a largely ceremonial role filled by the longest-tenured Senator who has not previously served, while the House are tasked with choosing the Speaker of the House, who sets the policy direction and presides over the chamber’s activities.  

The first day of session is generally full of ceremonial activities, family photos and greeting old colleagues, friends and supporters, but this year, there will be more tension in the air than usual, as all eyes are on the election of the next House Speaker.  Current House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) made the decision to not seek re-election to the chamber’s highest position after recognizing another term at the helm was unlikely due to challenges and challengers from within the GOP.  

At the time of this newsletter, two primary candidates have emerged, Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) and Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield), both asserting they have the votes to declare victory.  While Rep. Cook appears to have garnered the support of the majority of Republicans after the House GOP caucus met in December, Rep. Burrows’ path to victory seems to lie with prevailing in a vote by the entire House, which includes support from Democrats.  

Inside and outside forces have chimed in on the race, such as incoming President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who set out on a two-day tour encouraging Texans to call their legislators asking them to support Rep. Cook for Speaker. In addition, speculation is circling around the Capitol that other lawmakers are working behind the scenes to garner support for a surprise candidacy. Whomever comes out victorious, the new House Speaker will set the tone of how the body will operate and what is accomplished by the House during the 140-day legislative session. 

Overall, the Senate will not see major changes in leadership, staff, and committee composition, unlike the House which has more than 30 new members alongside dozens of new staff.  In addition, with the election of a new speaker, one can expect changes to committee structure, assignments and especially chairmanships, knowing that whoever leads the House, it is unlikely they will appoint Democratic chairs.  

Once the session is officially underway, lawmakers will take up a host of critical issues that will shape Texas’ future, chief among them water supply and infrastructure, the electrical grid, school vouchers, property tax relief, border security, education funding, teacher pay raises, protections from foreign adversaries, cybersecurity, Medicaid funding, health care, and much more.  In addition, the Legislature is expected to have a budget surplus of approximately $18 billion, pending the finalized numbers with the release of the Comptroller’s official Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE), which will be published on January 13th.   

The BRE sets the foundation for state budget decisions, showing the state’s financial condition and estimating the revenue available for spending over the next two-year budget cycle.  The Legislature cannot appropriate more than the amount estimated to be available in the BRE, among other significant limitations in the growth of state spending.