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Texas House of Representatives

The latest Texas House of Representatives news from The Texas Tribune.

  • Inside Intelligence: The Next Speaker Will Be...

    By Ross Ramsey

    For this week's installment of our non-scientific survey of political and policy insiders on issues of the moment, we asked two main questions: "Do you think Joe Straus will win another term as Speaker of the House next year, or do you think it will be someone else?" and "Should the Senate keep or abandon its practice of requiring approval from two-thirds of the senators before raising an issue for debate and approval?" And we asked an open-ended third: "How do you think the election outcomes will affect the legislative session ahead?" Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • Grand Old Parties

    By Ross Ramsey

    Now that the Republicans have a huge majority in the Texas House, they aren't sharing power with the Democrats; they're sharing power with themselves. More precisely, one faction of Republicans is sharing power with another faction of Republicans. However you label it — moderate vs. conservative, country club vs. country, Bush vs. Perry — it's bumpy. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • TribBlog: Straus to Chisum: "Have You No Shame?"

    By Elise Hu

    The speaker's race drama continues! House Speaker Joe Straus is hitting back — hard — at challenger state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, calling on Chisum to "stop the threatening letters, mean-spirited emails, and angry phone calls." Full Story 

    House Speaker Joe Straus and the man in the running to unseat him, state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller/Bob Daemmrich

  • The Most Unpopular Fraction

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    Whatever the size of their majority in the Texas House, Republicans in the Texas Senate have to contend with the rule requiring two-thirds of members to agree to bring a bill up for vote. That's 21 out of 31 — and there are only 19 Republicans in the upper chamber. As Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some in the GOP want the rule changed. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • The Crackdown Begins

    By Elise Hu

    Republican state lawmakers, buoyed by their party’s resounding victories on Election Day, have filed several bills ahead of the next legislative session that signal how far they're willing to go in tackling illegal immigration. State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, filed a nine-bill bundle that included a proposal to require picture IDs at polling places. Full Story 

    Newly-elected state Rep. David Simpson at the head of the line to prefile bills on Nov. 8, 2010.
    Credit: Elise Hu

  • 2010: Donna Howard Wins in a Squeaker

    By Elise Hu

    It appears state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, will keep her seat in the Texas House. After overseas ballots were counted Monday, the final vote tally gave Howard a 16-vote victory over Republican challenger Dan Neil. Full Story 

    State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, and her GOP challenger, Dan Neil.
    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • HuTube: First to File

    By Elise Hu

    It's the first day to prefile bills for the next legislative session, and lawmakers lined up early to get in their legislation. (Some lawmakers were more eager than others.) Our latest HuTube post has the action from inside the House clerk's office. Full Story 

    Newly-elected state Rep. David Simpson at the head of the line to prefile bills on Nov. 8, 2010.
    Credit: Elise Hu

  • What 99 Means

    By Ross Ramsey

    When a party wins everything, as the GOP has in Texas this year, it gets almost everything its way. It also has everything to lose. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Our wall-to-wall Election Day coverage — complete results up and down the ballot and county by county, the all-hands-on-deck Trib team on the Republican tsunami, my conversation with George W. Bush's media adviser and Rick Perry's pollster about what happened on Tuesday, Stiles and Ramsey on what 194 candidates spent per vote this election cycle, Hu on how the GOP rout will affect the substance of the next legislative session, Hamilton on the Texas Democratic Trust's unhappy end, Ramshaw and Stiles profile the new arrivals at the Capitol in January, M. Smith on what's next for Chet Edwards and Ramsey and me on six matters of politics and policy we're thinking about going forward — plus Thevenot and Butrymowicz on a possible solution to the high school dropout problem: The best of our best from Nov. 1 to 5, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • TribBlog: Straus on the Offensive

    By Elise Hu

    House Speaker Joe Straus is moving quickly to squelch any talk of a speaker's race. His office released two letters this afternoon — one from conservative leaders expressing support for him, and another that emphasizes his strengths as House leader. Full Story 

    House Speaker Joe Straus and the man in the running to unseat him, state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa.
    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller/Bob Daemmrich

  • TribBlog: Ethics Reform a Nudge at Hodge?

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Embattled former Dallas state Rep. Terri Hodge hasn't even finished serving her year in prison for lying on her tax returns. But her successor, freshman Democratic Rep. Eric Johnson, is already pledging to file legislation that would prohibit lawmakers who commit felonies from receiving state pension benefits. Full Story 

    Democrat Eric Johnson campaigns to replace incumbent Dallas Rep. Terri Hodge in House District 100. Hodge has pleaded guilty to lying on her tax return.
    Credit: Eric Johnson campaign

  • TribBlog: Kuempel Dead [Updated]

    By Ross Ramsey

    State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, died this morning of an apparent heart attack. He was taken to Austin's Brackenridge Hospital with heart problems; an aide in his Capitol office said his defibrillator went off and said he was taken to the hospital. Full Story 

    Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin

  • Majority Rules

    By Elise Hu

    Whether you call it a wave, a rout or a tsunami, one thing is clear: Republicans in the Texas House won a massive mandate for conservative bills — and budgeting — in the coming legislative session. Full Story