Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock elected as Texas House Speaker
AUSTIN — The 89th legislative session began Tuesday with members of the Texas House electing Rep. Dustin Burrows as their new speaker after a month-long divisive battle among Republicans.
Burrows won the speaker's race by a vote of 85-55.
"The duty bestowed upon me today as Speaker of the Texas House is one of immense responsibility and honor, and I thank each of my colleagues for their trust and vote of confidence," Burrows said in statement posted to X. "As Speaker, I stand ready to support every member as we collectively navigate the most pressing issues facing Texans today—issues ranging from improving education to providing additional property tax relief, bolstering water resources, fighting for safer communities, and everything in between. While the majority will guide our course, the House's strength lies in its diversity, and my leadership will be dedicated to ensuring every voice is heard and every district represented this session."
After former House Speaker Dade Phelan dropped his bid to keep the gavel in early December, Rep. Burrows of Lubbock entered the race pitting himself against Rep. David Cook of Mansfield. Even though Cook won the House GOP Caucus nomination, Burrows decided to run anyway despite caucus rules saying Republicans need to back their nominee.
Rep. Jeff Leach backed Burrows.
"I've known Dustin Burrows for a long time," Leach said. "I've been desk mates with Dustin the past three sessions and Representative Burrows is a rock-solid conservative. He's actually the conservative choice in this race."
Incoming freshman Rep. Shelley Luther said she supported Cook.
"When David Cook came out and said that he was for reform, and he wanted to transform the House into something that is a working House then we all got behind him," Luther said.
There was Democrat in the Speaker race, Rep. Ana Maria Rodriguez Ramos of Dallas. She had no chance at winning because Democrats are in the minority.
Republicans have 88 seats, and because they are split between the candidates, the winner needed votes from Democrats. All 150 House members voted and the winner needed a simple majority of 76.
After the election, Cook congratulated Burrows and thanked his supporters.
"Together, we sparked an important and long-overdue conversation about the need for reform within this body, and for that, I am truly appreciative," Cook said in a statement. "While the outcome may not have been what I hoped for, I remain humbled to still have the privilege to work alongside my House colleagues to advance meaningful policy changes for the betterment of all Texans."
The role of the Texas House speaker
The speaker assigns committee chairmanships and can push for a bill's passage or kill it. Burrows is now the third most powerful person at the Capitol behind Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Even though House members, not the public, vote for speaker, the fight had turned into a statewide campaign as Attorney General Ken Paxton toured the state, promising that any House Republican who voted for Burrows instead of Cook would face a primary challenge next year.
In an interview with CBS News Texas, Leach was unfazed and criticized Paxton.
"I wish the attorney general would focus on his actual job of running the attorney general's office [rather] than get involved in these House political squabbles," Leach said. "I've heard what the attorney general has said on his tour of terror, if you will, across the state and he's talking a lot about himself."
Abbott and Patrick also weighed in to support Cook. Luther told CBS News Texas that she didn't mind hearing from high-profile Republicans outside the House.
Texas GOP Chair Abraham George and Paxton pressured House Republicans to back Cook after he won the nomination by the House GOP caucus.
Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, a friend and supporter of Burrows for Speaker, said Tuesday morning the pressure campaign isn't working.
"I know that they're outside of the House, but it is their party and it's an embarrassment honestly that Republicans can't come together and make a decision," said Luther.
After Burrows' election, Paxton said in a statement that removing Phelan as Speaker was a positive step for Texas, but maintained his criticism of Burrows.
"[Phelan's] close ally, Dustin Burrows, was elected with the support of most Democrats after he refused to honor the rules of the Republican Caucus," Paxton's statement reads. "It is now important that Speaker Burrows and his leadership team pass every conservative legislative priority in a timely manner to make our state more secure and more prosperous. That is what Texas Republicans expect."
Texas budget surplus
While the battle for speaker was bitter, the legislature did get some good news as the session was set to begin: There's another big budget surplus.
The Texas comptroller announced the surplus amounts to nearly $24 billion, which isn't as high as the record $32.7 billion from two years ago.
The separate rainy-day fund will have more than $28 billion by the end of August 2027.
During the next five months, lawmakers will now debate how much of the extra cash to spend on schools, healthcare, and border security and whether to give homeowners and businesses an additional break on their property taxes.