Gavel to Gavel 89th Legislative Session - December 13, 2024
The 89th Texas Legislative Session doesn’t officially begin for another 31 days, but Austin is already bustling with legislators attending fundraisers, caucus meetings, and early discussions on public policy. After an initial surge of first-day prefiling—setting a record with 1,500 bills—new filings have slowed to a daily trickle in the last few weeks.
Speaker of the House Race
The race for Speaker of the Texas House dominated the week’s political drama. Last Friday, incumbent Speaker Dade Phelan announced his withdrawal from the race. While the Speaker election will be held on January 14th, the Texas House Republican Caucus met on December 7th to endorse a nominee. Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield) secured the caucus’s endorsement following a contentious process that included a walkout by a number of GOP lawmakers. However, immediately thereafter, Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) declared himself Speaker-elect, citing bipartisan support from 76 members of the 150-member House. Complicating matters, six legislators have since stated that their names were incorrectly listed as supporting Rep. Burrows, clouding his claim of victory. The situation remains fluid, with additional developments expected in the coming days. Notably, Donald Trump Jr. and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson have publicly endorsed Rep. Cook, while the Governor and Lt. Governor have called for a Speaker “chosen by a majority of Republicans in accordance with Republican Caucus rules.”
On the Democratic side, the House Democratic Caucus elected Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) as its new chairman. Wu emerged as a late contender but ultimately defeated Rep. John Bryant (D-Dallas) and current Chairman Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio).
Senate and Executive Actions
In the Senate, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced that banning all THC products in Texas is one of his top priorities for the session. Senate Bill 3, authored by Senator Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), will focus on this effort, although it has yet to be filed. Sen. Perry clarified that the bill will not target CBD products or the Texas Compassionate Use Program.
Governor Greg Abbott has also been active, renewing the drought disaster proclamation statewide and directing state agencies to divest from China. Additionally, Gov. Abbott swore in Col. Freeman Martin, a former Texas Ranger, as the new director of the Department of Public Safety. He also appointed Benjamin Barkley as Chief Executive and Public Counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC). Barkley, who is completing the term of Courtney Hjaltman (now a Public Utility Commissioner), will require Senate confirmation during the session to continue his role.
Regulatory Changes
Significant transitions are underway within state regulatory bodies. Jon Niermann, Chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), will step down at the end of the month. Similarly, Public Utility Commissioners Lori Cobos and Jimmy Glotfelty have announced their resignations, effective December 31st.