Rep. Ron Simmons R-Carrollton and Rep. Oscar Longoria D-Mission show off their purple ties on Purple Thursday at the Texas Capitol.
Rep. Ron Simmons R-Carrollton and Rep. Oscar Longoria D-Mission show off their purple ties on Purple Thursday at the Texas Capitol. Marjorie Kamys Cotera

Since the start of the 83rd Legislature, the dozens of freshmen in the Texas House have worn something purple every Thursday as a symbol of their willingness to work across party lines.

Now that the bill-filing deadline has passed, the man credited with coming up with the idea, Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, outlines what issues he sees the potential to compromise on. 

Across the aisle, his fellow freshman Rep. Mary Ann Perez, D-Houston, said she hopes there are no non-negotiable items this session. Perez said this new batch of freshman lawmakers has strength in numbers, accounting for nearly a third of the body.

The freshmen aren’t the only ones working to seek common ground. Some of their more seasoned colleagues, from Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, to Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, are joining in the color-coded effort.

 

Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.

Texans need the truth. Help us report it.

Become a member. Join today.

Choose an amount or learn more about membership.

Justin Dehn was a multimedia producer, focusing on video and audio production, from 2010 to 2023. He’s been shooting and producing news for more than two decades. Justin has been behind the camera for...

Alana Rocha was the director of news partnerships for The Texas Tribune until June 2022. She was previously a multimedia reporter, after working in television and radio news for eight years. Alana covered...