Every legislative session, the 150-member Texas House of Representatives votes on which of them will take on the role of House speaker. It’s not just a critical role in the statehouse – it’s one of the most powerful positions in Texas politics.
On Tuesday, after weeks of GOP infighting, Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) won the speakership.
“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 posted on X shortly after his victory.
As speaker, Burrows will now be assigning powerful House committee chairmanship positions, maintaining decorum in the chamber and eventually deciding which legislation gets voted on on the House floor.
Considering the massive responsibility and influence that comes with the role, we figured you might want to learn a bit more about Borrows. Read on for an introduction.
Burrows is a Lubbock native and no stranger to controversy
Burrows, 46, grew up in Lubbock and graduated from Monterey High School. While he left the state for his undergraduate degree, he returned to Lubbock for graduate school, earning an MBA from Texas Tech University and a J.D. from Tech’s School of Law.
Burrows and his wife Elisabeth have three sons, Davis, Whitby, and Henry.
Burrows worked as an attorney before he was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2014, taking the seat from current Republican Senator Charles Perry of Lubbock.
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KUT News
Burrows’ path to the House speakership was a contentious one. In fact, the majority of his Republican colleagues didn’t want him to be speaker at all, preferring another candidate. But Burrows cinched victory with the votes of House Democrats and a minority of Republicans. (Technically, the Republicans who voted for him went against Republican Party of Texas caucus rules. This is something that could get them into trouble politically in the future).
Once Burrows won the vote Abraham George, the chair of the state GOP, took to X to sarcastically congratulate him, calling Burrows a “Democrat backed speaker.”
His successful speaker run isn’t the first time he’s earned the ire of his fellow Republicans.
In 2019, Burrows was serving as Texas House GOP Caucus chairman when he became mixed up in a controversy with then-speaker Dennis Bonnen. The two were recorded by a conservative activist offering media credentials in exchange for a promise to politically target 10 fellow Republicans. Burrows resigned as chairman amid the scandal.
He’s a lifelong Republican who’s pushed conservative legislation
While the majority of the votes for Burrows to become Speaker were from Democrats, he is just about as conservative as it gets in the Texas House. Since being in office, he’s voted for the state’s restrictive abortion law, a ban on gender-affirming care for minors and controversial immigration legislation.
He has also been an advocate for Texas property tax reform, proposing caps on property taxes.
South Plains College Government Professor Drew Landry says Burrows’ history has proven his commitment to Republicans and Gov. Abbott.
“I can’t think of another House Republican in the last, I don’t know, five sessions who’s been a more loyal soldier than Dustin Burrows for the governor’s agenda,” Landry told KTTZ. “Whatever the governor has wanted, Burrows has gone to bat, carried the water, done as much as he possibly could to get that through.”
Landry ran against Burrows on the Democratic ticket in 2018, clashing on policy issues like energy and water for West Texas.
“There were actual things that we agreed on, which was public education,” Landry said. “That should be a nonpartisan issue to begin with.”
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KUT News
Speaking of nonpartisanship and bipartisanship, that’s likely why 49 House Democrats gave Burrows the votes to win the speakership. Many Democrats saw the other candidate, Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, as someone who wouldn’t give them a voice in the chamber. Cooperation among the competing parties has been a longstanding tradition in the Texas House, something Burrows has implied he will maintain as Speaker.
“Every member will have a voice,” Burrows said in his speech after winning the speaker’s seat. “Every district. Every district will have a seat at the table.”
Beyond being a past chair of the powerful Calendars Committee and House Ways and Means Committee, he’s also served on several high-profile special committees in the legislature. That includes chairing the House committee which investigated the Robb Elementary Shooting in Uvalde.
Just last year, Burrows served on a committee investigating the historic wildfires that burned more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle in late February. The committee’s findings highlighted a lack of regulatory oversight among oil and gas industries as a major contributor to 2024’s wildfires – something that’s expected to be addressed during the 89th legislative session.
How does Burrows feel about a voucher-like program for Texas?
The exact answer to this commonly-asked question is harder to pin down. Education is expected to be a major factor in this year’s legislative session, with the creation of a voucher-like program being a top priority for many Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott.
Last session, Abbott unsuccessfully tried to get the legislature to create Education Savings Accounts, a voucher-like program that would provide families public funds towards private schooling.
Much of the opposition to Burrows’ run for speaker came from Republicans who weren’t convinced he was on board with getting this legislation through the Texas House.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who heads the Texas Senate, opposed Burrows’ run for Speaker. He has since released a statement saying both the house and senate are required to pass legislation and he’s “counting” on Burrows to pass conservative legislation.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who threatened to put money toward unseating any Republicans voting for Burrows, released a statement after Burrows’ election. Paxton says it’s time for Burrows to pass “every conservative priority.”
According to Lubbock County GOP Chair David Bruegel, that’s not something West Texas Republicans are worried about.
“I am a firm believer that Dustin Burrows was the more conservative of the two candidates and the most in line with our party platform as well,” Bruegel told KTTZ. “So not only we’re very excited to see economic possibilities for our region, we’re excited to see the advancement of our Republican values.”
Burrows as speaker could be good news for rural Texas
With Rep. Burrows becoming Speaker Burrows, some residents of rural Texas counties are optimistic for the session ahead.
Bruegel expects Burrows to return the legislature’s attention to the South Plains, where he says the concerns of many West Texans have gone by the wayside from previous state lawmakers.
“We’d like to continue to see progress on the state’s water infrastructure plans, and continue to see good coordination with the federal government on the extension of I-27,” Bruegel said, adding “we’d like to see the pro-life cause and the Second Amendment cause continue to be championed.”
And Burrows seems to be on the same page. After his win Tuesday, he posted on social media, “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.”
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