Texas Senate Power Rankings

By: Mike Hailey

The biennial Capitol Inside analysis of clout at the statehouse this year is a tale of two chambers with Republican leaders who are diametric opposites and a classic study in the spoils of victory and the wages of defeat in the game of thrones inside the Austin beltway.

But the lawmaker who’s made the longest leap of all power ladder is State Rep. Dustin Burrows- a Lubbock Republican who’d been one of Bonnen’s most instrumental original supporters as the party caucus chief in the House where he’s the point person on property taxes in his debut session as the Ways & Means Committee chairman. Burrows committee leadership post came complete with seats on the Legislative Budget Board and the Legislative Audit Committee.

Power Rise 2019 2017 Net
Dustin Burrows 2 76 +74
Eddie Rodriguez 15 76 +61
Tom Craddick 17 76 +59
Terry Canales 18 76 +58
Greg Bonnen 20 76 +56
Joe Moody 23 76 +54
Drew Springer 24 76 +52
Jeff Leach 25 76 +52
Craig Goldman 11 63 +52
John Cyrier 28 76 +48
James Frank 38 70 +32
Toni Rose 14 44 +30
Armando Walle 30 56 +26
Chris Paddie 7 32 +25
Poncho Nevárez 29 54 +25
Stephanie Klick 42 76 +24
Tracy King 19 39 +20

 

Read the full story here: Mike Hailey’s Capitol Inside: Big Leaps and Long Falls in House with Blue Shade

Representative Dustin Burrows Votes To Strengthen Statewide Disaster Response & Recovery

With support from State Representative Dustin R. Burrows (HD83) the Texas House of Representatives today passed a series of bills to rebuild communities, strengthen infrastructure, mitigate flooding and ensure the State of Texas is better prepared to respond to future natural disasters.

“Today’s legislation fulfills a majority of the recommendations made by the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas and addresses the critical issues coastal Texans have faced in the months since Hurricane Harvey made landfall,” said Representative Burrows.

The emergency response package includes:

House Bill 5 – Addressing Debris Removal and Management
One of the most difficult challenges the state and local jurisdictions faced during the recovery after Hurricane Harvey was debris removal. House Bill 5 directs the Texas Department of Emergency management (TDEM) to create a catastrophic debris management plan for local use as well as improving contracting for debris removal. Establishing a debris management plan allows local communities to deliver quicker responses. Additionally, this simplifies the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursing process.

House Bill 6 – Specialized Assistance for Individuals and Communities
Recovery efforts were identified as the weakest phase of the emergency management cycle in Texas. House Bill 6 would task TDEM with developing a Disaster Recovery Task Force to provide specialized assistance to support those with financial issues as well as federal assistance programs. The Task Force would also focus on recovery and resiliency planning to streamline and expedite recovery at the local level. The Task Force would operate from the beginning of a disaster through the long-term recovery period which would provide significant support for smaller communities. The mission of the Task Force is to strengthen recovery functions while utilizing resources of institutions of higher education, state agencies and organized volunteer groups.

House Bill 13 – Flood Infrastructure Fund
After a major flooding event like Hurricane Harvey, federal funds are appropriated to the state for mitigation projects. However, many counties and cities aren’t able to provide the 35% of local matching funds, which is why House Bill 13 creates the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF). FIF is a statewide cooperative effort for regional flood planning, mitigation and infrastructure projects to make Texas “future-proof”.

House Joint Resolution 4
Proposes a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the Flood Infrastructure Fund to assist in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation and flood control projects.

Ten additional bills were passed to directly address the recommendations made by the Commission to Rebuild Texas, including, HB 2305, HB 2310, HB 2315, HB 2320, HB 2325, HB 2330, HB 2335, HB 2340, HB 2345 and HB 2708.

Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick And Speaker Bonnen Release Joint Statement

Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen today released the following joint statement:

“Texans are fed up with skyrocketing property taxes. At the beginning of the legislative session, the Governor, Lt. Governor and Speaker laid out an agenda for property tax relief through the passage of Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2 to limit property tax growth. In addition to that effort, today we are introducing a sales tax proposal to buy down property tax rates for all Texas homeowners and businesses, once Senate Bill 2 or House Bill 2 is agreed to and passed by both Chambers. If the one-cent increase in the sales tax passes, it will result in billions of dollars in revenue to help drive down property taxes in the short and long term.”