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.

Governor Greg Abbott named two of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Executive Priorities as emergency items for the Texas Legislature during his State of the State address Sunday. The governor said he wants lawmakers to immediately begin working on solutions to strengthen the workforce, improve the resilience of vital infrastructure, and make a Texas-sized investment in water security. The Partnership supports significant state investments in water infrastructure to ensure reliable supply, upgrade aging systems, and sustain economic growth amid rising demand. Workforce development is another key priority, advocating for stronger collaboration between education institutions and industry to create clear pathways to high-quality jobs. In a sweeping speech covering everything from the border to breaking ground on a Texas stock market, Gov. Abbott said lawmakers should deliver policy solutions that expand the "Texas Miracle." Education, water, and resiliency are key components of that vision. After the speech, Gov. Abbott released more details about the emergency items. To reach the goal of a "Texas-sized investment" for water, lawmakers must develop a solution to invest $1 billion every year for 10 years to address water supplies and repairs to existing infrastructure. By naming these issues as emergency items, lawmakers in the Texas House can debate legislation on the House Floor before the 60-day bill-filing rule. However, policy issues not designated as emergencies cannot be considered by members of the Texas House until after March 14. Last week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick outlined the first batch of priority bills expected to be filed in the coming days. Highlights from that list coincide with Abbott’s emergency items, including: $2.5 billion for water investment Improving the resiliency of vital infrastructure, specifically water and power Strengthening accountability measures in public education The Texas Senate is already reviewing at least one of the governor’s emergency items. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee is making steady progress in hearing testimony from various state agencies about funding requests for the 2026-27 biennium.  Later this month, the Texas Education Agency is scheduled to testify in the Senate Finance Committee. That hearing will likely reveal more about funding for the governor’s emergency item related to “life-changing career training” in public schools. Sen. Charles Schwertner and Rep. Gary Gates, both representing districts within the Partnership’s footprint, are set to introduce legislation authorizing funding for programs related to welding, health care, and other industries where high school graduates can directly enter the workforce.  One final highlight from the State of the State address is the governor’s declaration to create a Texas Cyber Command. The governor stated this new agency will strengthen the state’s resilience against cyberattacks. This command will train and recruit to protect infrastructure from digital warfare and criminal actors.   Click here to read the governor’s complete State of the State address.