House Committee Assignments Announced
2/4/-15: House Speaker Joe Strauss announced committee assignments on Thursday for the Texas House of Representatives. Lawmakers now can start considering bills. Senate Committees were announced by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick two weeks ago.
Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock (R-Killeen) maintained his chairmanship of the House Public Education Committee, with Rep. Alma Allen (D-Houston). Both Aycock and Allen have shown support for increased funding for schools, continued reform of testing, and opposition to current voucher proposals.
On the Senate side, Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Brazoria, Galveston, Harris Counties) replaces Patrick as chair of the Education Committee, with Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville) as Vice Chair. Also serving on the Senate Education Committee is Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels), who has filed Senate Bill 276, a similar bill to one she filed in 2013 to promote school vouchers. (Click here to learn more about her bill).
As we advocate for funding, testing reform and common-sense school improvement efforts like community schools, key committees include both the Education and Finance/Appropriations committees. Other committees, including Calendars (which schedules bills for the House floor), Ways and Means, Higher Education and Health and Human Services, also impact either the process or the issues affecting public education.
Below is a list of House Public Education and Appropriations Committee members:
House Public Education
Aycock, Jimmie Don (Chair)
Allen, Alma (Vice-Chair)
Deshotel, Joe
Dutton, Jr.Harold
Farney, Marsha
Bohac, Dwayne
Galindo, Rick
González, Mary
Huberty, Dan
King, Ken
VanDeaver, Gary
House Appropriations
Otto, John (Chair)
Turner, Sylvester (Vice-Chair)
Ashby, Trent
Bell, Jr., Cecil
Bonnen, Greg
Burkett, Cindy
Capriglione, Giovanni
Davis, Sarah
Dukes, Dawnna
Giddings, Helen
Gonzales, Larry
Howard, Donna
Hughes, Bryan
Koop, Linda
Longoria, Oscar
Márquez, Marisa
McClendon, Ruth Jones
Miles, Borris L.
Miller, Rick
Muñoz, Jr., Sergio
Phelan, Dade
Price, Four
Raney, John
Rodriguez, Justin
Sheffield, J.D.
VanDeaver, Gary
Walle, Armando
For a complete list of Senate Committees, click here.