AUSTIN, Texas — The 89th Texas legislative session commenced today with a surprising turn of events as Republican Dustin Burrows from Lubbock was elected Speaker of the House.
Burrows secured victory on the second ballot with a narrow majority, garnering 85 votes against 55 for David Cook, the official Republican caucus nominee. This unexpected outcome, achieved with the support of a coalition of Republicans and Democrats, signals a potential shift in the House’s political landscape.
The election of the Speaker of the House, a position wielding significant influence over the legislative agenda, was closely watched as it unfolded. Representative Gene Wu, the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, expressed relief at Burrows’ election, emphasizing the importance of the House maintaining its independence and capacity to represent its districts.
“I think what you’re seeing in today’s vote is a manifestation of what the public has told us again and again, that they are sick and tired of Democrats versus Republicans and Republicans versus Democrats. They want the problems fixed. We want access to medical care. We want good mental health. We want to fix the damn grid, and I think we can get this done now,” said Representative Wu.
However, some local Austin leaders voiced concerns about Burrows’ past legislative actions that they believe have negatively impacted workers and teachers in the predominantly left-leaning city.
“Representative Burrows passed the Death Star Bill last year, which had significant repercussions to localities and our abilities to provide local policies. That bill sought to roll back a ton of worker protections that we had in place, including rest breaks for construction workers, just to name a few. And his election as Speaker of the House is extremely troublesome,” said Austin Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes.
RELATED| Republican Dustin Burrows elected Speaker of the Texas House
Representative Wu acknowledged these concerns but expressed hope that Burrows would prioritize the needs of Texans, including education, the power grid, and water security.
“He’s done a lot of stuff that we disagree with, and there may be other stuff that we don’t agree with but in the Democratic Party that’s the past. Let’s worry about the future moving forward. In my conversations with him, in my discussions about what we’re going to do, I feel like he is focused on the issues that Texans actually care about and that we care about,” said Representative Wu.
In his first remarks on the House floor, Burrows emphasized the importance of collaboration:
“The House is at its best when we’re tackling the problems that are seemingly insurmountable. We do that by building broad coalitions, united by shared values that are bigger and stronger than our geographical or our political differences,” said Burrows.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, while welcoming the departure of former Speaker Dade Phelan, criticized Burrows’ election with Democratic support and called upon him to prioritize conservative legislation.
“The removal of the disgraced and corrupt Dade Phelan as Speaker of the House is a positive step for Texas… His close ally, Dustin Burrows, was elected with the support of most Democrats after he refused to honor the rules of the Republican Caucus. Texas Republican voters made it clear they want conservative legislation to pass this session. 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,” said Paxton.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, known for his criticism of Burrows, said in a statement, “Speaker Burrows was handed the speakership by Democrats, as has happened behind closed doors session after session since 2009.”
Professor Brian Smith, a political science expert at St. Edward’s University, shared his perspective on the implications of Burrows’ speakership.
“What it shows is that there still is bipartisanship under the House. It is not totally dead, that under the Capitol Dome there still is a bipartisan spirit, and that’s actually best for Texans,” said Smith.
Professor Smith emphasized the significance of the bipartisan effort in electing Burrows, suggesting that it reflects a desire among House representatives to prioritize the needs of their districts over party interests; however Smith notes– it could deter a more conservative session.
“We know that for the Republican right, they really want to control the legislative session, they want to use their majority to get everything that they want and by having Burrows in that position, it might slow things down,” said Smith.
As the 89th legislative session progresses, it remains to be seen whether the bipartisan spirit that propelled Burrows to the speakership will endure and translate into legislative outcomes for the diverse interests of Texans. The session, which will last 139 days, faces the challenge of addressing a wide range of issues in a condensed timeframe.