List of speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Wikipedia

Table Of Content

• Texas House elects Dade Phelan speaker as 2021 legislative session gets underway
• By tradition, the minority party gets to chair some Texas House committees. Some in the GOP want to end that.
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• ‘Battle for the soul’: Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan headed to runoff with Trump-backed challenger
• Acquiring Intangible Assets: A Guide for Business Leaders

The Texas House on Tuesday re-elected State Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) to a second term as House Speaker. Phelan also emphasized items like public education and regulations on businesses, saying of the latter that "the red tape cut by Gov. Abbott" last year during the pandemic was "a lifeline" for small businesses in Texas. "We must all do our part — not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Texans and Americans," he said. "Let us unite in one common purpose to do what is right for the people of Texas." The two members who voted against Phelan were GOP freshmen Bryan Slaton and Jeff Cason. Patrick has warned that he would push the Legislature into a special session if additional work on the grid is not accomplished by the regular session’s end on May 29.

Texas House elects Dade Phelan speaker as 2021 legislative session gets underway

The arrests came after law enforcement and university leadership told protesters to disperse. Protesters began to clash with law enforcement, some of whom shoved students, video shows. The other duties and responsibilities of the speaker are determined by the members of the house in the House Rules of Procedure, which are adopted by a majority vote of the members at the beginning of each regular session of the legislature.

By tradition, the minority party gets to chair some Texas House committees. Some in the GOP want to end that.

One person was also arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, Muniz said. "The university is a private campus and the group had been violating some of their orders. It was a trespass at that point and we assisted with the arrests," Los Angeles Police Captain Kelly Muniz said during a briefing. Video of Phelan presiding over the Texas House floor while slurring and swaying at the podium during a May 19 session went viral over the weekend. If Phelan comes out ahead in the runoff, he'll likely face a separate challenge to his speakership from Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, who announced last monththat he would seek the House's top spot in 2025.

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The Morehouse announcement has drawn some backlash among the school’s faculty and supporters who are critical of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. That could put the White House and Biden’s reelection campaign in a difficult position as the president works to shore up the racially diverse coalition that propelled him to the Oval Office. Isabella Guinigundo, a spokesperson for Ohio youth for climate justice, told the student newspaper that the protesters were told by the police that they were being too loud before officers approached the crowd, pulling them out and arresting them. Two Ohio State University students were arrested on Tuesday and charged with criminal trespassing during a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the university campus, school officials said. With protests under way at universities across the US, the White House said on Wednesday that Joe Biden supports freedom of expression on college campuses.

Tracy King, a Uvalde Democrat, commended Phelan for meeting last week with families of victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting this past May. He defeated state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, who was nominated by ultraconservative members who say Phelan is unreasonably accommodating of Democrats in the chamber. Tinderholt cast a ballot for himself, as did two Republican members who nominated him, Nate Schatzline of Tarrant County and Bryan Slaton of Royce City. The third candidate in the race, anti-tax crusader Alicia Davis, won only a fraction of a vote but prevented Phelan and Covey from securing the 50% necessary to win outright.

Texas AG Calls for Resignation of ‘Obviously’ Drunk GOP House Speaker

House Republicans issue demands for next Texas House speaker - Spectrum News

House Republicans issue demands for next Texas House speaker.

Posted: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Criticizing and down playing Patrick's and Paxton's interest in the race, Phelan over the past month has gone on the offensive against Covey, painting his challenger as being solely responsible for keeping voters from hearing the candidates debate. "Another day, another completely unsubstantiated lie from David Covey," Cait Wittman, Phelan's communications director, told the American-Statesman. "Covey’s lies are as baseless as they are tiresome, and about the only thing voters can reliably expect from him if elected." In the final weeks he enjoyed the support of former Gov. Rick Perry, who boasted to supporters that Phelan gave his district a seat at the table in every major decision the Legislature makes. Phelan was first elected to the state House in 2014 and took up the speaker’s gavel in 2021.

Those changes mean Republicans have increased their majority in the chamber by one, with 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats to start Tuesday’s session. Phelan countered with accusations that Covey, who has never before served as an elected government official and is simply a pawn of Paxton and other far-right interests. Phelan’s base of support included many local Republican leaders in his three-county district as well as former Gov. Rick Perry, who appeared with the speaker on the campaign trail in Beaumont, Vidor and Jasper ahead of election day. Protesters have barricaded themselves in Siemens Hall since Monday evening despite a large showing of local law enforcement who unsuccessfully attempted to force them out.

To debate or not debate? Dade Phelan, David Covey trade blame over lack of political forum

Texas House speaker heads to a runoff against a Trump-endorsed challenger - NBC News

Texas House speaker heads to a runoff against a Trump-endorsed challenger.

Posted: Tue, 05 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Los Angeles police officers are moving onto the USC campus to arrest protesters for trespassing, as they believe many demonstrators are not students, they said. Some USC protesters dispersed after the arrival of LAPD officers on campus, but dozens who remained are now facing off with law enforcement. Hundreds of faculty members then held a mass walkout to protest against the school president’s decision to have police arrest students at a pro-Palestinian encampment protest last week.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has criticized the decision by Columbia University to call the police on pro-Palestinian protesters at its New York City campus. Mike Johnson said he will call on the president of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, to resign when he joins Jewish students at the university later today. “UT Austin does not tolerate disruptions of campus activities or operations like we have seen at other campuses,” a statement by the university’s division of student affairs said. At least 10 protesters have been arrested at the University of Texas at Austin, according to the school.

Phelan's failure to win outright would not bode well for him, said Bill Miller, an Austin lobbyist whose firm HillCo supported Phelan through its political action committee. If the GOP primaries get nasty, electioneering in runoffs typically go even further. Phelan’s failure to win outright would not bode well for him, said Bill Miller, an Austin lobbyist whose firm HillCo supported Phelan through its political action committee.

He also pointed to Oliverson’s ties to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Phelan’s political rival who shares a political consultant with Oliverson. Michelle Slaughter, who was elected in 2018, was defeated by challenger Lee Finley. “Today’s election results have revealed that the battle for the soul of Texas is far from over,” Paxton said. Members, though we may face many challenges this session, there will be even more opportunities. The work is necessary, and, because we have the privilege of doing it for the people of Texas, I know we will get it done together. As we work to make Texas an even better place to raise a family, we must acknowledge there is true suffering in society, and we have to make things better for those families in the toughest situations.

Pictures and videos on social media show Texas state troops in riot gear at the University of Texas at Austin campus during a pro-Palestinian protest. Videos emerging online show students being forcibly arrested by police at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He said he met briefly with the president of Columbia University and encouraged her to take more action against the protesters. The House speaker, Mike Johnson, is giving a news conference surrounded by a group of House Republicans, amid boos and chants of “We can’t hear you” and “Free, free Palestine”. This is an important time in our semester with students finishing classes and studying for finals and we will act first and foremost to allow those critical functions to proceed without interruption. Most of them served in that long stretch when their party held the majority for four decades.

Lawmakers passed new laws banning almost all abortions and allowing permitless carry of handguns. Not only had Paxton and Patrick publicly called on Phelan to resign last year, but the speaker also earned the ire of Gov. Greg Abbott when the House sunk the governor’s school voucher proposal. Abbott did not endorse anyone in this race, appearing indifferent to Phelan’s political survival.

The encampment marks the largest protest on Harvard’s campus since former university president Claudine Gay’s resignation earlier this year, the Harvard Crimson reports. “The president believes that free speech, debate and nondiscrimination on college campuses are important,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary, said at a briefing. Students have set up encampments at a number of universities in recent days to protest the war on Gaza and demand the schools divest from companies that are closely linked to Israel’s military operations.

Phelan’s election to the gavel was one of the House’s first orders of business Tuesday, when the Legislature gaveled in for the 2021 legislative session. Phelan’s election to the gavel was one of the House’s first order of business Tuesday, when the Legislature kicked off the 2021 legislative session. Hancock, first elected to the Senate in 2013 after serving six years in the House, received a kidney transplant last summer after being diagnosed with a rare genetic kidney disease. Phelan said he would shepherd bills through the chamber that have the support of a majority of members while also ensuring that lawmakers from the minority party would have a meaningful voice.

When the disruptive activity continued, two individuals were arrested. Ohio State has an unwavering commitment to freedom of speech and took this action in alignment with our space use rules to provide for the orderly conduct of university business. As presiding officer, the speaker maintains order during floor debate, recognizing legislators who wish to speak and ruling on procedural matters. The constitution also requires the speaker to sign all bills and joint resolutions passed by the legislature. As a member of the house of representatives, the speaker may vote on all questions before the house. The other duties and responsibilities of the Speaker are determined by themembers of the house in the House Rules of Procedure, which are adopted by amajority vote of the members at the beginning of each regular session of thelegislature.