Phelan’s primary has emerged as a last stand for the Republican Party’s business-minded establishment against an insurgency primarily motivated by social and cultural issues.

Phelan defeated Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, for the House leadership position in a vote, 145-3. In cruising to victory, Phelan secured the support of Democrats as well as the most conservative members of his party.

Republican critics say conservative priorities will always be hamstrung if Democrats, who are in the minority party, get a say in which legislation reaches the floor.

Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Suelzer will take over as the military department’s new leader. He replaces Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, who was criticized for her handling of Operation Lone Star, as adjutant general of the Texas Military Department.

Beckley unveiled her plans in a video filmed inside a hotel room in the nation’s capital, where state House Democrats fled earlier this month to break quorum in protest of Republicans’ priority elections bill.

Pivoting from a focus on racism and policing to an emphasis on police funding and public safety creates cross-pressures for Texans of color — particularly those who are Democrats. Pivoting from a focus on racism and policing to an emphasis on police funding and public safety creates cross-pressures for Texans of color — particularly those who are Democrats. AdHowever, casting Democrats as the party of ill-considered efforts to “defund the police” provided the governor and his party the obvious opportunity to portray the slogan as a threat to public safety. The governor’s focus on crime and public safety also gains resonance from the documented tendency of Americans to believe there is more crime than actually exists. But the governor’s shifting the frame from race to funding and public safety has additional political utility, dividing a Democratic coalition that is otherwise united.

Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan shook up the chamber’s committee leadership Thursday, signaling who his top lieutenants will be during his first session overseeing the lower chamber. State Rep. Greg Bonnen, a Friendswood Republican, will now oversee the budget-planning House Appropriations Committee, replacing state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake. Dutton replaces state Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, the longtime chair who in 2019 helped pass massive reforms to the state’s school finance system. Hunter replaces state Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford. Meanwhile, state Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, replaces state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, as chair of the House Administration Committee; state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, replaces state Rep. Four Price, R-Amarillo, as chair of the House Calendars Committee, and state Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, will serve as chair of the House State Affairs Committee, which Phelan oversaw during the 2019 session.

Unity might seem like the political word of the day after its place at center stage in President Joe Biden’s inaugural address, but Texas officeholders were singing the same song two years ago. They’re not squabbling, but the tight unity of two years ago hasn’t been evident in the legislative session that started this month. It’s not that the top three state officials are going to disagree on much — just that it’s not a unified front this time. Patrick jumped into that conversation with a letter to health officials that seeks some revisions in the governor’s rollout plans. Patrick is still playing nice, complimenting Abbott’s leadership at the end of his letter to health officials, but he’s not on the same page.

State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, held a press conference at the capitol to declare that he had enough votes to become Speaker of the House. (Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune)AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas House on Tuesday elected state Rep. Dade Phelan as the next House speaker, ushering into office a new leader who will oversee a chamber facing its toughest set of legislative challenges in years against the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The House voted 143-2 for Phelan, with four members not voting. The two members who voted against Phelan were GOP freshmen Bryan Slaton and Jeff Cason. Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, replaced former House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who retired from office thanks to a secret recording scandal that fractured relationships in the 150-member lower chamber.

FILE - In this May 15, 2015, file photo, Texas Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, talks to the media at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)DALLAS (AP) — Dennis Bonnen, the outgoing speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, said Sunday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 following his wife becoming sick last week. Bonnen wrote on his Facebook page that he was diagnosed with the disease caused by the novel coronavirus with weekend. Bonnen’s positive test comes as coronavirus hospitalizations are hovering near their summer peak in Texas, even amid holiday gatherings and travel that health officials have warned are likely to further spread the virus. “This disease is no joke in its unpredictability and severity, so please continue to keep your guard up and your loved ones protected,” Bonnen wrote.

Dennis Bonnen, outgoing speaker of the Texas House, is experiencing mild coronavirus symptoms, he said Sunday on Facebook. His wife, Kim Bonnen, has also tested positive. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneThe outgoing speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a post on his Facebook page Sunday. His wife, Kim Bonnen, tested positive last week and “continues to battle difficult but manageable symptoms,” he said. The first statewide elected official to publicly confirm a positive coronavirus test was Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann in May.

Allen West is chair of the Republican Party of Texas. Their mutual toothache’s name is Allen West, and he is the chair of the Republican Party of Texas. It is utterly absurd and demonstrably idiotic that any Republican would join with Democrats to lead our Republican majority (83-67) Texas State House,” West wrote. They hold all of the statewide elected offices, along with majorities in the Texas Senate and Texas House. The state Capitol, for all its problems, is still a place where political party isn’t always the first order of business.

State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, and state Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall. Credit: Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneTwo Republicans declared their candidacies for speaker of the Texas House on Thursday, becoming the first from their party to enter the race. State Reps. Trent Ashby of Lufkin and Chris Paddie of Marshall join two Democrats in seeking the gavel: Senfronia Thompson of Houston and Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio. Candidates are vying to replace Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who will retire after serving one term thanks to a political scandal last year. Thompson, the longest-serving woman and Black person in the history of the Texas Legislature, filed Friday to run for the gavel.

HOUSTON – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed his back-the-blue pledge in Houston on Wednesday as he continued calls to stop efforts aimed at cutting police budgets. “It’s a commitment to fight any efforts at any level to defund the police,” Abbott said. Abbott said he has already called on the state legislature to pass laws that would prevent money from being diverted from law enforcement agencies. Texas law is crystal clear: bail is set by judge, not prosecutors.

State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, is the second Democrat to announce a bid for speaker of the Texas House. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas TribuneState Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer on Monday announced he is running for Texas House speaker, becoming the second Democrat in the lower chamber to launch a bid for the gavel. Martinez Fischer, from San Antonio, joins state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the longest-serving woman and Black person in the history of the Texas Legislature, in the race. In a statement, Martinez Fischer said the “number one job of the Speaker is to protect the House and its members.”“Members know that I have been a defender of the House rules and wielded them to protect the institution and the people we serve,” Martinez Fischer said. “My vision for the Texas House is an independent body that will work respectfully in a bi-partisan manner with the best minds at the table.

If the Democrats picked up eight seats instead of nine, the Texas House would have 75 members from each party. Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives have an eight-seat advantage over the Democrats. In the 2008 elections, one Texas House race was so close it took a few days to sort out who won. The 2008 election results were mostly in, and voters had chosen 75 Republicans and 74 Democrats to represent them in the Texas House. A 75-75 tie would start a very interesting negotiation over control of the Texas House.

State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, speaks on the opening day of the 86th session of the Texas Legislature. Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas TribuneState Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the longest-serving woman and Black person in the history of the Texas Legislature, filed Friday to run for speaker of the Texas House, making her the first to enter what’s been a quiet race so far to replace retiring Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton. Thompson, a Houston Democrat, has filed ahead of a November general election in which Democrats are confident they will regain control of the House for the first time in nearly two decades. If elected, she would be the first woman to serve as speaker. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The top lines are not bad: 47% of Texas registered voters approve of the governor’s overall job performance, while 40% do not — a 7-percentage-point spread. In April, it was 24 points — when the governor had just started reacting to the pandemic and had favorable ratings from 56% of voters and unfavorable ratings from 32%. In April, at the beginning of the state government’s response to the pandemic, 56% of Texas voters approved of Abbott’s action and 29% disapproved. “It’s only three polls, but it’s hard to look at these numbers and say the pandemic has been good for Greg Abbott’s job approval. Independents were consistent in their nonattachment, with 27% saying the Democratic Party is welcoming, 41% saying it’s not and 32% offering no opinion.

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – The road to drinkable water won’t be a short one in Lake Jackson after a brain-eating amoeba was found in the water system. The discovery initially led officials to issue a do-not-use order for the Brazosport Water Authority. That was later changed to a boil-water notice for the city of Lake Jackson. Officials said they believe BWA’s distribution system is clean and that the issue is limited to Lake Jackson, where 11 of 54 sites tested there showed low levels of disinfectant. Baker said monthly and quarterly testing records for Lake Jackson show nothing of concern leading up to the discovery of the amoeba.

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Parents with children enrolled in Lake Jackson schools said that the past few days have been challenging with a boil order in effect. The City of Lake Jackson is under a boil order and Gov. Abbott issued a disaster declaration for Brazoria county after a 6-year-old died from a parasite found in the water. Officials say the boil water order will be in place until the water system is flushed and disinfected. Tuesday, he is expected to provide an update on the water supply in Lake Jackson.

That’s quite the departure from the last speaker’s race two years ago, when seven candidates were already in the running by the first week of September. The speaker’s race is a numbers game, a contest to see which member can put together 76 votes in support of their candidacy. Of course, members could break ranks and file their candidacy for speaker with the Texas Ethics Commission before November. Howard has also suggested that she hopes Thompson is the first Black woman speaker of the Texas House. Democrats are expected to meet in Austin the day after Election Day to discuss the speaker’s race and other session-related issues.

A women’s health clinic in Texas. Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Texas’ Republican leadership asked the health commission to come up with cuts worth about $133 million in state funds. But in the initial plan, officials also suggested direct cuts to women's health and other programs, worth about 11% of the total reductions. A proposed cut of $3.8 million from women’s health programs would have left fewer Texans receiving birth control or cancer screenings, a budget document obtained by The Texas Tribune said.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign a pledge and announce a legislative proposal Thursday aimed at stopping efforts to defund police departments after many advocates have called for the slashing of budgets following the death of George Floyd. Abbott will be joined by other state leaders, such as House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Attorney General Ken Paxton and members of the Austin Police Association to sign the pledge. The governor’s news conference is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Click2Houston.com plans to offer a livestream of the event.

More than 26,000 employees working in the Texas oil and gas industry lost their jobs in April as the coronavirus outbreak has shuttered global oil demand, the Houston Chronicle first reported. Workers out in the field — including drilling rig operators and equipment manufacturers — were affected most, with the oilfield service sector accounting for more than 22,000 of the industry’s jobs lost in April, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The loss of jobs and revenues have hurt the oil and gas industry, but the losses will be felt across the state. Many local budgets, as well as the state budget, receive various sources of funding from oil and gas taxes. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen have already ordered state agencies to cut budgets by 5%.

What's also alarming is that some of the passengers who went on the trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, took commercial flights home, the Austin Public Health Department said. Dozens of other passengers from the chartered flight are being monitored, public health officials said. The local public health department and UT Health UT Health Austin and University Health Services have contacted all of the passengers on the plane using flight manifests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The university is working closely with Austin Public Health to assist in contact tracing," university spokesman J.B. Bird said. Mexico was not under a federal travel advisory when this happened, health officials said.

Austin Price for The Texas TribuneLong headless, the Legislative Budget Board has a new director: Jerry McGinty of Huntsville, the CFO of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. McGinty has worked at TDCJ for nearly three decades, serving also as budget director and in human resources and communications roles, according to an announcement Thursday from Lt. Gov. “Jerry has the management skills and the extensive experience needed to fulfill the LBB’s core mission of serving and advising lawmakers on prudent fiscal options for our state,” Patrick said in a statement. Jerry McGinty has been named the new director of the Legislative Budget Board. TDCJSome lawmakers, particularly in the Texas House, praise the agency’s work as crucial.