Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives are devising a plan to ensure the next state House Speaker represents a conservative Republican agenda overwhelmingly supported by Texas Republican voters.
Thirteen Republican Texas Representatives pledge to “reform the House of Representatives and select a real Republican Speaker” when the new legislative session opens Jan. 2025, according to a new “Contract with Texas” first obtained by the Daily Caller. Representatives Brian Harrison, J.M. Lozano, Nate Schatzline, Tony Tinderholt, Steve Toth and nominees Janis Holt, Mitch Little, Shelley Luther, Don McLaughlin, Brent Money, Matt Morgan and Mike Olcott signed on to the pledge.
The group comprises five current representatives and seven Republican nominees who beat incumbents in the recent March 5 primary. They claim the last several years under current Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s leadership have proven the need for a Republican speaker who represents the voters’ interests.
🚨 Since @DadePhelan won’t tell the truth about how he worked to protect #DEI staff – while drunk – I will:
– After the #Txlege Senate passed #SB17, Phelan’s team (led by @repjohnkuempel) GUTTED the bill in Committee, and sent that weak bill to the floor.
– @RepMattSchaefer… https://t.co/hJ5BPiB8zv pic.twitter.com/U20ZYgDX6Q
— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) April 3, 2024
Republican Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison told the Daily Caller that complete reform of the Texas House, including removing Phelan and ensuring a true Republican replaces him, is their top priority before the next legislative session.
“For years, Texas House Speakers have betrayed Republican voters by putting radical Democrats in charge and colluding with them to destroy liberty. That insanity must end. Voters repudiated Dade Phelan’s failed, liberal leadership team in last month’s primaries,” Harrison said. “They deserve and are demanding bold, conservative leadership. I’m proud to stand with so many current and incoming Republicans in fighting to reform the Texas House.” (DC Loves Cornyn’s Bid To Replace McConnell. Texans? Not So Much)
Among the issues Republicans plan to fix is Phelan’s use of “awarding Democrats with committee chairmanships,” something they say shouldn’t be in practice in a state like Texas. They also plan to have any new candidate for Texas Speaker promise not to gain support for the speakership from Democrats and “ensure all GOP legislative priorities receive a floor vote before any Democrat bills.”
Republicans addressed their issue with Phelan using a Democrat to preside over the Texas House by demanding that “the current liberal parliamentarians” be replaced with staff focused on “adherence to House rules, not advancing their personal ideology.” The list also includes term limits for the speakership, ending Democrat-majority committees and selecting a Republican as Speaker Pro Tempore.
Reform the House of Representatives and Select a Real Republican Speaker by Mary Rooke on Scribd
“The House’s most recent session was marked by obstruction, dysfunction, and a lack of fundamental fairness in application of the House’s Rules, and this cannot continue. The message of last month’s primaries was self-evident and sent a clear message that business as usual is not acceptable,” the letter stated. “The future of our state is on the line, and, with an out of control federal government that seeks to undermine our borders, the Constitution, and our freedoms, Texas must lead by example. As conservative Republican members and prospective members of the Texas House, we are committed to reforming it from a body of liberal dysfunction to a body that more faithfully serves Texas voters, and it is time for new leadership in the Texas House.”
“Texans expect and demand more from us. These changes will allow us to respond to the challenges they have identified, and we intend to fulfill our promise to our constituents — the promise to reform the Texas House,” the letter continued. “We respectfully call upon and invite our fellow prospective and current House Members to join in this effort.” (ROOKE: Even In Border State, Republicans Fail To Protect Elections From Illegal Immigrants)
These members are among those in the Texas House asking for Phelan to be replaced regardless of the outcome of his run-off race against his opponent, David Covey.
This week @TomOliverson sat down and explained why he’s running for speaker and how his perspective as someone who is a chairman under @DadePhelan has informed his platform of reform in the lower chamber. #txlege pic.twitter.com/NgJ5PTvKIW
— Luke Macias (@lukemaciastx) April 4, 2024
Phelan is under fire for using former President Barack Obama’s White House general counsel, Hugh Brady, as the Texas House parliamentarian and for his political impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton. Phelan also failed to help Republican attempts to bring school choice up for a vote, legislation to protect Texans against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and a constitutional amendment that would protect Texas elections from illegal immigrant voters.
All three of these issues are widely supported by Republican voters in the state, according to the March 5 primary results. Almost 92% of GOP voters agree the state should ensure that Texans are free from vaccine mandates, 80% support school choice, and 96% said that the Texas Constitution should be amended to require proof of citizenship before being able to register to vote.
These Republicans see Phelan as a representative of the establishment GOP that often goes against the wishes of the Republican base in Texas. They claim that the voters gave them a mandate to elect a speaker who better represents them after a historic number of incumbents lost their primary races in March.