Joe Straus

Republican state lawmakers could decide who'll be speaker of the Texas House in January 2019 themselves — and then stick together when it goes to a vote in the full House of Representatives. That would be a significant change.

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Following a bruising special session that ended a day earlier than expected, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus drew sharp criticism from some fellow Republicans as well as questions about his future as head of the lower chamber.

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Texas House Republicans will meet early Wednesday to discuss whether to require members of their caucus to choose a speaker candidate — then stand behind their pick when the vote goes to the full House in January 2019.

 

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Days after approving an amended version of a House bill on tree regulations, the Senate voted to reverse itself late Monday night, rolling back two amendments that House Speaker Joe Straus had rejected.

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House and Senate negotiators will have the next two days remaining in the current special legislative session to hammer out their differences on legislation tackling property taxes, school finance and other items still in play.

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Not a single measure has made it to the governor’s desk despite a steady drumbeat from his office urging lawmakers to go "20 for 20." A "bathroom bill" is on life support, but a property tax measure still has momentum, supporters say.

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Joe Straus had their first one-on-one meeting in months Monday afternoon. 

 

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In his first special session as governor of Texas, Greg Abbott is watching his hopes for 20 wins on 20 agenda items fall victim to the same legislative discord that marred the regular session earlier this year.

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Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, is voicing agreement with two House members who want Gov. Greg Abbott to expand the special session agenda to include ethics reform. 

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick marked the halfway point of the special session Tuesday by calling for "better communications" with the House, which has moved much slower on Gov. Greg Abbott's agenda than Patrick's Senate has.

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At the likely halfway point of a 30-day special session, the Texas House and Senate are taking very different approaches to the governor's sprawling agenda, and they could be headed for another standoff on a so-called "bathroom bill."

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Measuring the progress of legislation is easy: This one passed, that one didn't. Political success in a legislative session is different: A mediocre legislative record can be a victory for all sides. 

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As a political outsider, radio launched Dan Patrick's career. But now that he's mostly off the airwaves and in the lieutenant governor's seat, Patrick's station continues to push his conservative agenda.

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This summer's special session is a little like this spring's regular session, only in miniature. The Senate has big plans and is in a hurry. The House? Not so much.

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The coming weeks will reveal whether the ongoing hostility between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus has paralyzed state policymakers as they take up the 20 items on Gov. Greg Abbott's agenda.

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The Texas Legislature is returning to Austin, but the leaders of the Senate and the House appear to be starting the new session on the same sour notes with which they ended the regular session seven weeks ago.

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A 22-year-old Austin native on vacation with friends on the Greek island of Zakynthos was killed Friday in a bar fight;  seven Serbians and a Greek have been arrested.

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Between a contentious regular session of the Texas Legislature and a special session that starts in less than four weeks, some lawmakers are talking about the people in leadership, starting with the speaker of the House.

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Gov. Greg Abbott is plotting an aggressive approach to the upcoming special session of the Legislature, diverting from his above-the-fray style to try to see through an ambitious 20-item agenda. 

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Gov. Greg Abbott remains Texas voters' favorite state official, with more voters giving him good grades than bad, and the Republican voters he depends on heaping him with approval they're not giving to potential rivals, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

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