The Blast - April 9, 2025

37 days for the House to pass legislation that originated in the House
54 days until sine die

IN TODAY’S BLAST

• Brian Harrison laughed down on motion to remove Burrows

• The 2026 conga line grows

• More budget amendments we’re watching

• Abbott’s and Cruz’s lost championship bets

BRIAN HARRISON LAUGHED DOWN ON MOTION TO REMOVE BURROWS

State Rep. Brian Harrison’s attempt to oust Speaker Dustin Burrows died in the House today, as did any semblance of Harrison’s influence over the House’s right-most flank.

House Administration Committee Chair Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, presided from the dais as the House considered House Resolution 823, which would remove Burrows as speaker. Burrows listened on from Geren’s desk along the North railing, near the front of the room, while the House debated.

Harrison, a Republican from Midlothian and House leadership’s loudest critic, accused Burrows of unconstitutionally dismissing the House for more than three days, falsely declaring a quorum and handing control of the House to Democrats. The speaker has silenced conservatives, he continued.

“I’m not here to fight for Brian Harrison’s interest,” Harrison said before the chamber erupted into laughter.

Geren gaveled the hecklers down and urged decorum.

“Let them laugh. Let them scoff. Let them hiss,” Harrison charged through, raising his voice. “Let the voters of Texas hear the vulgarity and the lack of professionalism being demonstrated on the floor right now.”

In the end, only freshman Rep. David Lowe, R-North Richland Hills, joined Harrison in trying to oust Burrows on the 141-2 vote. Rep. Mike Schofield, R-Katy, voted present, as did four of the House’s most progressive Democrats.

It was a resounding defeat for Harrison and the anti-Burrows members who were forced to make a show of hands. Usual Harrison allies like Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, split with him on the vote.

“Today’s effort was not about reforming the Texas House. There was no path to improving our chamber today,” Tinderholt said in a statement, a reference to the majority of votes needed to remove the speaker. “Representative Harrison stood for himself.”

Others in the Harrison-Tinderholt “reformers” caucus told The Blast that Harrison had no game plan. The caucus didn’t have a candidate to run even if they did succeed. One described the effort as “lunacy” and a waste of time.

Not only was the motion a fool’s errand, procedurally, but it has now made it harder to remove Burrows should members want to try again at a later date. This is pretty dense, so bear with me.

Under the House rules, once a motion to remove the speaker fails, it takes a “motion to reconsider” to reverse the decision. However, because the House “tabled” the motion, the House would have to “suspend” the rules to try again. That means it now takes two-thirds of members present to remove Burrows — 100 members in a packed House.

“He really shot us in the foot today,” one anti-Burrows member said.

The vote also shows the upper bounds of which members are ready to work with the House they’ve got in order to get things done.

“With that distraction behind us, the rest of the House continues with the real work of governing, just as we have all session,” Burrows said in a statement to The Blast.

Today marked the first time nine of the reformers had broken with the “reform” position: Tinderholt and Reps. Briscoe Cain of Deer Park, Andy Hopper of Decatur, Helen Kerwin of Glen Rose, Shelley Luther of Tom Bean, Brent Money of Greenville, Mike Olcott of Fort Worth, Nate Schatzline of Fort Worth and Wes Virdell of Brady.

Arguably, it was Harrison and Lowe who broke with the reformer caucus this time.

The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one.

THE 2026 CONGA LINE GROWS

With Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton officially in the primary against four-term U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, another logjam in the statewide office bottleneck has dislodged. 

Paxton running for Senate leaves the AG’s office open for 2026, the second such open office this upcoming cycle after the Texas A&M System Board of Regents selected Comptroller Glenn Hegar to be their next chancellor. Republican Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick and former state Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, have already announced campaigns for that office.

It’s been nearly a dozen years since the last major shakeup at the top levels of statewide public office. The only top office to change hands since the 2014 election happened when Land Commissioner George P. Bush unsuccessfully challenged Paxton in 2022. Then-state Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway, was the only elected official to try for land commissioner. Former state Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton, and former Republican congressional candidate Paul Reyes were the two most serious candidates to run for her seat, ending the conga line of candidates seeking higher office.

The line for comptroller is short for now, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz endorsing Huffines might have raised the barrier to entry. Rumored candidates include Republican state Sens. Paul Bettencourt of Houston, Kelly Hancock of North Richland Hills, Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham and Tan Parker of Flower Mound. However, the attorney general race could have a longer tail.

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, is considering a run, according to sources familiar with his thinking. State Rep. Mitch Little, a freshman Republican from Lewisville who served as one of Paxton’s impeachment defense attorneys, is similarly set to take a hard look at a campaign. Former Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi told The Texan he is considering a run.

John Bash, a former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, entered the primary.

Cruz told reporters today that he will not be endorsing in the Senate race, calling both Cornyn and Paxton friends.

Another open question is what will U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt do. The Houston Republican has been mulling a run for U.S. Senate, but Paxton’s candidacy potentially crowds his lane.

Standing for Texas, a group unaffiliated with Hunt’s campaign, launched a seven-figure ad buy praising Hunt in the last couple weeks, airing the ads in the Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Lubbock markets. The group began spending in the West Palm Beach, Florida, market last week, according to AdImpact. That market covers the “Winter White House.”

Just yesterday, President Donald Trump gave Hunt a shoutout during a White House event on bolstering the coal industry, calling him a friend.

“I love your commercial,” Trump said.

Then there’s the Democrats. Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas is considering another shot at the Senate, state Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin has been considering a run for lieutenant governor since at least 2023 and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin has been eyeing a gubernatorial bid. Beyond that, few Democrats have expressed much interest in statewide races. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio could consider — then back out of — a campaign again.

The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one.

MORE BUDGET AMENDMENTS WE’RE WATCHING

The Blast is continuing to sift through budget amendments ahead of tomorrow’s House budget day. We’ve got a few more amendments to highlight in addition to those we wrote about on Monday:

• Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, has an amendment to bar state agencies from using state dollars to hire lobbyists. The rider title says “federal lobbyists,” but the measure would ban the hiring of lobbyists or lobbying firms as defined by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.

• Cain has another amendment to ban public colleges and universities from using state dollars to support nonprofit media companies or outlets that operate TV or radio broadcasts.

• Progressive Rep. John Bryant of Dallas has a series of amendments. Although his proclivity to challenge House leadership doesn’t sit well with the entire Democratic caucus, his amendment to replace the $1 billion education savings account program with $1 billion in teacher bonuses has caught the interest of Democrats beyond the progressive wing.

• Reps. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, and Cody Vasut, R-Angleton, have amendments to kill their relationship with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Harrison would zero-out the funding for Patrick’s priority project, creating the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas, and put the freed $3 billion toward property tax compression. Vasut’s amendment would instead siphon $2 billion for compression.

More generally, the conservative “reformers” will be focusing their efforts on maximizing property tax relief by cutting funding to state agencies they oppose, like the Texas Lottery Commission.

The Blast has also been digging around on Appropriations Committee Chair Greg Bonnen’s amendment to the supplemental budget, House Bill 500, to cut $150 million in House and Senate facilities improvements. The Senate included those funds in its supplemental ask to make “critical improvements” to the Sam Houston Building, which is in need of repair.

It’s unclear why Bonnen would initially include the funding only to try to strip it out. The Sam Houston Building is primarily a Senate building, so House leadership may not feel the same urgency to improve it, let alone commit $75 million in “House” improvements for it.

The amendment is Bonnen’s only amendment to the main or supplemental budget bill. Yet, when asked about the amendment by The Blast, Bonnen said he didn’t know what amendment we were talking about.

ABBOTT’S AND CRUZ’S LOST CHAMPIONSHIP BETS

Both Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz lost bets Monday night when the University of Florida beat the University of Houston in the NCAA men’s basketball championship on Monday, pulling ahead in the final minute of the game.

Abbott owes Gov. Ron DeSantis Texas barbecue and some cold Lone Star beer.

Cruz owes U.S. Sen. Rick Scott Texas barbecue, Shiner Bock beer and Blue Bell ice cream. He’ll also have to wear a UF jersey.

Texans ragged on Cruz for again attending a losing playoff game — continued evidence of a curse against the Texas teams he’s gone to support.

“Yes, I was here last game,” Abbott posted before the championship game, “so nothing but good luck here.”

• The “DOGE” bill, Senate Bill 14, became the first bill to pass both chambers. It passed the House today with mixed support from Democrats and support from all Republicans, except Rep. Brian Harrison of Midlothian, who said the bill is the opposite of “DOGE.”

• The Senate passed its business personal property tax bill, Senate Bill 32, which would raise the exemption on those properties from $2,500 to $25,000. House Bill 9 has already arrived in the Senate and would raise that exemption to $250,000.

This week:

• Sen. Brandon Creighton’s bill on Capitol view corridors around the UT campus and northwest of the Capitol, is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Education K-16 Committee when it convenes at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

View the full list of upcoming committee notices here and here.

The House will get an early start for budget day and convene at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
The Senate will convene at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

View the House and Senate floor calendars here and here.

• Sen. Paul Bettencourt was struggling to speak through Senate Bill 32, so Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick personally delivered him a glass of water. “I don’t want to start a precedent of bringing someone water, because it doesn’t count in the filibuster,” Patrick said, apologizing to Sen. Carol Alvarado. “She had a bag, if I remember,” Bettencourt said. “I can’t remember what was in it.”

• Today’s Senate freshmen hazing included Sens. Brent Hagenbuch, R-Denton, and Sens. Molly Cook, D-Houston, swapping bills to lay out — with no notes.

TX-SEN: National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott of South Carolina endorsed U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for reelection.

Attorney general: John Bash, a former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, entered the Republican primary.

SCOTX: Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd will retire this summer. Gov. Rick Perry appointed him to the court in 2012. “It’s now time to let another take the helm,” Boyd said in a statement.

TX-15: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s seat as a target for 2026. The Edinburg Republican survived her rematch against Democrat Michelle Vallejo, another DCCC-targeted campaign.

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

• Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder announced Branda Cruz as his chief of staff and Sam Gostomski as executive director. Gostomski replaces Monique Alcala, who The Blast and others on Monday reported was out as ED after serving since late 2023. “During her tenure, Monique presided over a statewide coordinated campaign and made strides that helped move our party forward, and we are incredibly grateful for her service,” Scudder said in a statement. “This is more than a staffing change — it’s a statement of intent. We are building something lasting, and we are doing it together.”

A trip down memory lane on the last time someone tried to remove the speaker: “How a chaotic night in the Texas House paved the way for Speaker Straus” by Aman Batheja of The Texas Tribune

“Verifying hand-counted ballots in Texas elections may be easier under GOP bill” by Natalia Contretas of Votebeat and The Texas Tribune

“Texas Lotto jackpot winner’s lawsuit says rigged game cut his payout from $100M to $7.5M” by Eric Dexheimer of the Houston Chronicle

Chip Roy included: “Trump pressures holdout GOP lawmakers to back tax plan” by Richard Rubin and Olivia Beavers of The Wall Street Journal

SPONSOR MESSAGES 

Lone Star Economic Alliance - A coalition of nearly 1,150 Texas job creators, citizens, and business associations working to restore transparency and fairness to the state’s court system.

Texans Against Hidden Credit Card Fees - Texans need relief from hidden credit card fees. Learn more at: txcreditcardtruth.com.

Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation - The loudest and boldest entrepreneurial celebration of Texas is here! Join us for RGV Startup Week 2025.

Southern Methodist University - SMU's Department of Religious Studies, in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, employs an interdisciplinary approach to explore the world’s religious traditions as social, cultural, and historical phenomena.

Disclosure: The University of Houston has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.