Speaker Dustin Burrows released committee assignments for House Members on Thursday, taking the next step in the legislative session. Committees will likely get organized quickly, especially those expected to tackle the governor’s seven emergency items.  With the reorganization of committees, Speaker Burrows had the opportunity to shake up leadership and provide a new policy pathway through newly created standing subcommittees. Of particular note is forming a subcommittee on the workforce under the Trade, Workforce & Economic Development committee. Angie Chen Button of Garland was named chair of the principal committee and Oscar Longoria of Mission was selected to lead the subcommittee on the Workforce. Dr. Greg Bonnen of Friendswood will continue to chair the House Committee on Appropriations. He is serving his third term as the House’s chief budget writer.  Central Texas Rep. Brad Buckley of Salado is returning in the chair for Public Education. The Subcommittee on Academic & Career-Oriented Education is likely to be the first stop for the governor’s emergency item to bring life-changing career education to public schools. Trent Ashby of Lufkin will chair the subcommittee. The most significant change among committees was the announcement of Rep. Cody Harris of Palestine as the new head of the Natural Resources Committee. Insiders forecasted this assignment after Gov. Greg Abbott named Rep. Harris as the House sponsor of the “Texas-sized investment” in water. Tracy King, the former chair of that committee and a leading voice for water in the Texas House, is now a senior policy advisor in Speaker Burrows’ office. This is a positive sign that the stakeholders who have worked so hard in recent years to deliver transformational investments in water will continue to have advocates working inside the building.  The governor has set a goal of funding $1 billion per year in dedicated revenue to the Texas Water Fund over the next 10 years. The speaker assigned members to 40 standing committees and subcommittees. The chair of each principal committee has the discretion to create additional subcommittees and appoint members to serve.  Below is a list of Committee Chairs representing districts within the Partnership’s 12-county footprint: Sam Harless, Committee on Corrections Will Metcalf, Committee on Culture, Recreation & Tourism Lacey Hull, Committee on Human Services Cecil Bell Jr., Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs Harold Dutton Jr., Subcommittee on Family and Fiduciary Relationships Gary Gates, Committee on Land & Resource Management Cody Vasut, Committee on Redistricting Click here to see the full list of committee assignments by committee.  Click here to review the list of committee assignments by member.

Members of the Greater Houston Partnership voted to elect new members of the organization’s board of directors at its Annual Meeting held on January 31. The Partnership's 147-member board guides the work of the organization and is comprised of leaders from across greater Houston's business community. The event also marked the first official meeting of the Partnership's 2025 Gretchen Watkins, President of Shell USA. At the meeting, Watkins announced the nomination of Armando Perez, Executive Vice President for H-E-B Houston, as Vice Chair for 2025 and 2026 Chair. This nomination was also approved by the membership.  Outgoing chair Eric Mullins, President and CEO of Live Rock Resources, received the Bob Onstead award for his service in 2025. In addition to the election of new board members, several former members were approved for an additional term of service on the board. Walt Mischer, Partner at Mischer Investments, LP, and Ruth Simmons, Ph.D., President’s Distinguished Fellow at Rice University, were elected as emeritus directors by vote of the membership at the meeting. For a recap of the Annual Meeting, click here. 2025 New Board Members Dilip Choudhuri, President and CEO, Walter P Moore Larry Coben, Chair, President and Chief Executive Office, NRG Energy Ryan Dolibois, Executive Director, Sarofilm Foundation Jean-Marc Gilson, President and CEO, Westlake Corporation  Giles Kibbe, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Houston Astros Michael Lawson, Houston Market President, CommonSpirit South Region John Mooz, Sr. Managing Director for Austin, Houston and San Antonio, Hines Jessica O’Neil, President of Business Operations, Houston Dash & Houston Dynamo FC A full list of members of the Partnership Board of Directors can be found here.