The Blast - April 30, 2025

3 days until Election Day for local elections
16 days for the House to pass legislation that originated in the House
33 days until sine die

IN TODAY’S BLAST

• The pro-Cook gang gets back together

• Brian Harrison’s public shaming

THE PRO-COOK GANG GETS BACK TOGETHER

Former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s bill about altering images in political ads riled up many members who are opposed to leadership. But the bill did something that no other matter has been able to do this session. It nearly reunited the Republican “reform” caucus.

The members who opposed House Bill 366 closely tracked the list of members who voted against Speaker Dustin Burrows in the leadership race, more than on other votes The Blast has tracked this session.

Of the 52 Republicans who voted for Rep. David Cook for speaker on the second ballot, 39 (or three-quarters) opposed HB 366. Two more had excused absences during the HB 366 vote.

HB 366 marks the 10th vote that The Blast has tracked this session for gauging the temperature of House Republican unity. Apart from the speaker’s race, the votes include the House rules, floor debate rules, whether to adjourn for long weekends and more.

Since January, the band of leadership critics has fallen to no more than two dozen members. Today, 40 members opposed HB 336, some saying it clamps down on free speech, others claiming it will ensnare people who normally wouldn’t need to issue a disclosure, despite Phelan’s insistence otherwise.

Opponents included members like Don McLaughlin of Uvalde and Ellen Troxclair of Lakeway, who had toed the leadership line on every key vote since Burrows won the gavel. In total, 19 members who have voted with the “reform” caucus only half the time opposed HB 366. Even Cook, who has mostly fallen in with leadership, opposed the bill.

Of the 11 pro-Cook members who supported HB 366, 10 have joined leadership on every single vote since the speaker election.

Only three of the 22 House Republicans who received campaign funds from Tim Dunn of Texans United for a Conservative Majority supported HB 366. Those were Caroline Fairly of Amarillo, Marc LaHood of San Antonio and Denise Villalobos of Corpus Christi. Fairly and Villalobos have backed leadership on every vote The Blast has tracked, and LaHood has strayed only twice.

There were also some Republicans who opposed the bill on its merits, even though they typically side with leadership. Those are members like Gary Gates of Richmond, who said attaching a criminal punishment to the bill was wrong.

Now, HB 366 heads to the Senate. Phelan’s bill is similar in substance to Senate Bill 893, by Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, which unanimously passed that chamber last month.

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BRIAN HARRISON’S PUBLIC SHAMING

Members of the Texas House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee pilloried Rep. Brian Harrison today. Like the pillories of old, it was Harrison trapped on stage in public as the chair, vice chair and a freshman Republican shamed Harrison over his conduct in recent months.

Harrison, a Republican from Midlothian, has been a vocal critic of leadership known for “grandstanding” on the microphone, as several members have put it. He’s managed to irritate many of his Republican colleagues, including some who are politically aligned with his unyielding brand of conservatism.

The public shaming began when Harrison opened the floor to questions on his first bill of the session, House Bill 872, which would shift the burden of proof from the plaintiff to corporations when a shareholder alleges that the corporation improperly used environmental, social and governance criteria. Vice Chair Ann Johnson, D-Houston, accused Harrison of trying to “overregulate” corporations.

“My question is, you spend all your time at this mic, saying performative statements and not actually trying to affect public policy,” Johnson said, before saying it’s up to people who oppose his “political extremism” to stop him. “My question is, I hope you enjoy it.”

Rep. Paul Dyson, a freshman Republican from Bryan, at one point suggested Harrison didn’t understand what his bill does. He said it could benefit climate activists who could take a corporation to court and force the burden of proof onto them.

“To the extent your concern is sincere and not just grandstanding, I’d be happy to work with you on language to make sure that the language is sufficiently narrowly tailored,” Harrison said, eliciting a laugh from Dyson.

“Oh, I can guarantee you, I don’t grandstand. I think it’s a little different from what you do,” Dyson said.

A few moments later, Chair Jeff Leach, R-Allen, asked Harrison to put his phone away while speaking to the committee.

“What are you — are you tweeting? Are you texting?” Leach asked, saying Harrison was pulling out his phone each time the committee livestream camera cut to Dyson.

“I’m not paying any attention to the cameras. You’re paying attention to the cameras,” Harrison shot back.

Many in the Capitol speculate that Harrison has been turning up the outrage before the House cameras because he plans to run for higher office. Even Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggested Harrison “just wants to make news” by opposing the budget.

In his final tense exchange with Harrison, Leach unleashed some pent up frustrations:

“When you lie and you mislead and you deceive not only the fellow members of the House but the people of Texas, you deserve to be called out on it and your microphone deserves to be shut off.”

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In the Senate:

• The Senate voted to not concur on the House amendments to Senate Bill 260, the bill on the public school safety allotment. The Senate wants $28 per student and $30,000 per campus while the House wants $14 per student and $37,000 per campus. There’s also the broader context of the House’s school finance package, which the Senate hasn’t matched yet. The Senate conferees are Chair Joan Huffman, R-Houston, Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, Chuy Hinojosa, D-Laredo, and Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville.

• The Senate Education K-16 Committee yesterday considered Senate Bill 2617 by Chair Creighton, which would mandate that public and charter schools use only materials and policies that refer to years in “BC” and “AD,” as opposed to “BCE” and “CE.” The measure comes after the State Board of Education in 2022 tried to shift school material to “BCE” and “CE.”

• After the Senate preliminarily passed the abortion pill distribution bill yesterday, Senate Bill 2880, Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, did not place it on the intent calendar again for tomorrow. It remains unpassed.

• Creighton’s “Death Star” follow-up bill, the preemption bill about election laws, health and safety laws and the penal code, Senate Bill 2858, preliminarily passed 19-12. However, it too was pulled off the intent calendar for tomorrow.

In the House:

• The House today passed House Bill 186 by Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, which would prohibit minors from creating social media accounts. Story here

• The House Public Education Committee took up the Ten Commandments bill, Senate Bill 10, in the early morning hours. Story here

• The House on Friday is scheduled to take up House Bill 3717, a bill on developing trials to use ibogaine for treating opioid use disorders. Marcus Luttrell, the brother of U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Magnolia, testified in favor of the bill in committee. Former Gov. Rick Perry has also voiced support for the measure.

• There are 12 days left for House committees to report House bills and joint resolutions to the calendars committees.

Neither the House nor the Senate have adjourned for the day.

View the House and Senate floor calendars here and here.
View the full list of upcoming committee notices here and here.

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TX-SEN: “19-0,” says U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

Attorney General: Former U.S. Attorney John Bash exited the race today, citing a recent health scare in the family.

• Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, will be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, tomorrow evening for an anti-Trump rally with former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama.

• U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and the Travis County Democratic Party will hold a townhall on Saturday in Austin on the president’s first 100 days in office.

• As The Blast has reported, Gov. Greg Abbott will sign the education savings account program into law on Saturday.

Do you or someone in your office have a new job you’d like mentioned? Email us.

• Gov. Greg Abbott reappointed Alethea Swann Bugg to the State Preservation Board for a term set to expire in February 2027. Her appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

“In visit to Texas, RFK Jr. said autism, diabetes deserve more attention than measles” by Terri Langford of The Texas Tribune

“New internal polls show John Cornyn trailing Senate primary challenger Ken Paxton” by Jeremy Wallace of the Houston Chronicle

“Abbott says he’ll kill funding if San Marcos calls for Israel embargo” by Richard Webner of the San Antonio Express-News

“Austin bracing for loss of $105 million federal grant to cover cost of key I-35 cap” by Ella McCarthy of the Austin American-Statesman

“UTEP’s fundraising leader under Title IX investigations” by Daniel Perez of El Paso Matters

On Rep. Brian Harrison’s bill in committee:

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