Meanwhile in the Panhandle, Republicans were less excited that Burrows won the speaker contest thanks largely to Democrats.

The unusually public battle to helm the Texas House divided both Democratic and Republican lawmakers between Rep. Dustin Burrows and Rep. David Cook.

Conservative activists in the GOP caucus called any power sharing with the minority party a betrayal of Republican voters.

Rep. Dustin Burrows is elected Texas House Speaker, winning with support from Democrats, amid GOP internal tensions.

Since then, the vast majority of House speakers have been elected by acclamation or with more than 140 votes. Even Rep. Dade Phelan, whom hard-right Republicans forced from seeking a third term, received 143 votes in 2021 and 145 in 2023.

AUSTIN – The election of Rep. Dustin Burrows as Texas House speaker with help from Democrats has many Republicans crying foul. Republican grassroots activists have made stripping Democrats’ political influence a central part of the reforms they are ...

Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, shakes hands with Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, after Burrows defeated Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, in a two-candidate runoff for speaker during opening day of the ...

The City of Lubbock is honored to be recognized for its contribution to Texas' thriving digital media market."

() –The Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16 has advanced a school choice bill filed by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe. SB 2, the Texas Education Freedom Act, passed the committee by a 9-2 vote and is expected to pass the full Senate.

Attorney General Ken Paxton announces the State has come to a $250,000 settlement in a labor trafficking lawsuit against Austin Eco Bilingual School.

Democrats will serve as House committee vice chairs, which some lawmakers said harks back to the Texas tradition of power sharing. But vice chairs don't have nearly the power enjoyed by chairs, who can push or kill legislation and are better positioned to pass legislation.

Conservative state lawmakers have filed hundreds of bills targeting the school finance system, LGBTQ+ students, undocumented immigrant children, and more.