DALLAS — The election of State Representative Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, as Speaker of the House is seen as a setback for the far right.
49 Democrats and 36 Republicans voted for Burrows, handing him the Speaker’s gavel.
“This is probably the first time in the history of the nation that the minority party chose the Speaker of the majority party,” Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told us on Inside Texas Politics.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has long been a leading conservative voice in Texas.
The stalwart Republican says he doesn’t yet know if Burrows will impact his hopes for a conservative agenda, but he expressed concern.
“He got elected by the majority of Democrats, and they don’t want those bills to pass. They’re very clear,” Patrick said. “He has told me that he’s going to be the most conservative speaker ever. He’s going to be put to the test.”
As far as political retaliation against those Republicans who supported Burrows, Patrick said that will come later.
The Lieutenant Governor said for now, he’s focused on passing conservative priorities, and he will meet with the new Speaker.
He said the first bill filed will be school choice, as soon as Governor Greg Abbott puts it on the list of emergency items, which allows lawmakers to take it up immediately.
Beyond that, lawmakers were recently told they’d have a $24 billion surplus to play with during the legislative session.
Patrick wants to use many of those dollars for property tax relief by adding another $40,000 to the homestead exemption, taking it to $140,000.
“It’s real money to people. They understand that. Also, when you do a homestead exemption, that’s voted on by the people in the Constitution, so you can’t ever pull it back,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor also said he supports adding language to the state’s abortion law that would make it absolutely clear that doctors can legally intervene if the health of the mother is at risk.
The Republican also stressed he does not support any legislation that would punish a woman seeking an abortion.
Three of his other priorities include stabilizing the grid and bringing more power online by 2030, tackling the state’s water crisis, and eliminating regulations so the state can build more affordable housing.
Patrick also said Texas has a THC problem, and proposed Senate Bill 3 would ban all forms of it from being sold in Texas.
He expects a big fight over the issue because it’s become a billion-dollar industry in Texas.
And he didn’t entirely shut the door on the idea of regulation versus an outright ban.
“Well, we regulate liquor, for example. We regulate pretty strictly on that. That’s a possibility,” said the Republican. “But I think the consensus of members and people I’ve talked to, it’s get it out because, basically, through the backdoor they’ve legalized marijuana in the state of Texas.”