Lt. Gov. Patrick Announces Committee Assignments

On Monday, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced Senate Committee assignments for the 88th Legislature, and issued the following statement:

“As the Texas Senate begins its work this session, the committee assignments I made today will ensure we succeed in addressing the priorities of the people of Texas. This is the strongest, best equipped group of senators in Texas history. They are proven leaders with the expertise and experience needed to keep Texas moving in the right direction. That includes the most outstanding freshman class we have ever had. The overwhelming majority of bills voted on by the chamber will have bipartisan support. But make no mistake, the priority bills will address the concerns of the conservative majority in Texas. Our committees have worked long hours throughout the interim to prepare for this session. The senators’ commitment to public service is unwavering and I am proud to serve the people of Texas alongside them. It is a team effort and we are ready to do the work Texans expect of us.”

To see the list of new committee appointments, click here.

Notable changes include: Senator Bob Hall chairing the Committee on Administration; Senator Brian Birdwell chairing the relatively new Committee on Border Security; Senator Charles Schwertner retaining the Business and Commerce Committee; Senator Brandon Creighton chairing the newly consolidated Senate Committee on Education (and the Subcommittee on Higher Education); Senator Huffman retaining the Senate Finance Committee chair and Senator Chuy Hinojosa returning as its Vice-Chair; Senator Bryan Hughes chairing the Committee on Jurisprudence; and Senator Donna Campbell chairing Nominations (where the Governor’s appointees are vetted before being confirmed by the Senate).

At a recent event, Lt. Gov. Patrick said he was ahead of the movement when he substantially reduced the number of committees chaired by Democrats in the Senate. This leaves only one, the Committee on Criminal Justice chaired by Senator John Whitmire. Patrick noted this was a unique circumstance because Whitmire is the Dean (the longest serving Senator) and is an expert on prisons. He later reiterated that a Republican would succeed Whitmire when he left.