Texas House Speaker: What do they do?
AUSTIN, TX - JULY 08: Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, gavels in the 87th Legislature's special session in the House chamber at the State Capitol on July 8, 2021 in Austin, Texas. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called the legislature
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan decided against running for a third term amid a challenge from others inside the Beaumont Republican's own party.
Phelan's tenure as speaker was often criticized by members of his own party, who said he was too moderate for the position.
Phelan was getting ready to face a challenge from the more conservative side of the party from Rep. David Cook.
Phelan has often been at odds with Texas Republican leaders for his actions during recent sessions, including not pushing through Gov. Abbott's school voucher plan, pushing a different tax cut plan in the House from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the House impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, which ended in an acquittal in the Texas Senate.
Questions swirled about Phelan's chances of even holding onto the speakership even before the decision to drop out, though he appeared ready to fight to keep the position.
What does the House Speaker do?
The speaker presides over the Texas House of Representatives much like the speaker in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The speaker is tasked with maintaining order on the House floor during debates, recognizing members who want to speak and ruling on procedural matters.
Under the Texas Constitution, the speaker signs all bills and joint resolutions passed by the legislature.
Speakers still maintain their status as a member of the Texas House and are allowed to vote on questions presented in the House.
The speaker still represents the people in his or her district.
Once a speaker has been decided, they are responsible for appointing members to committees and designating the chair and vice chair of those committees.
The speaker directs all legislation to the proper committees and can appoint conference committees, establish select committees and direct committees to conduct interim studies when the House is not in session.
How do you become speaker?
Becoming speaker requires a majority vote from House members.
Currently, the Texas House consists of 150 members. In January, the House will be made up of 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats.
The new speaker will need at least 76 votes.
At the beginning of each legislative session, the current Secretary of State calls the House to order and gives the oath of office to its members.
Representatives then nominate speaker candidates and vote. Once the vote is finished, the new speaker takes another oath, and addresses the House floor.
Letters are then sent to the Senate and the Governor that state the House is ready to begin.
Is the speaker vote competitive?
Traditionally, the vote for Texas House speaker has been mostly a formality.
Despite recent events suggesting otherwise, Phelan won both of his speaker terms with overwhelming support.
In 2023, Phelan received 145 votes to Tony Tinderhold's three.
When will the next speaker be decided?
The 89th Legislative Session begins Jan. 14, 2025.