Patrick Rose

San Antonio Republican Joe Straus moves House toward bipartisan leadership. Central Texas representatives land important leadership positions and committee assignments.

Austin American-Statesman
Sunday, February 15, 2009

The change in leadership in the Texas House of Representatives’ majority party brought a breath of fresh air to the Capitol last week. Surprise Speaker Joe Straus, a Republican from San Antonio, set a bold new direction for the House with his committee appointments.

The new leadership is younger, more bipartisan and less rigidly ideological than it was under three-term speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland. It’s an encouraging sign for Texas at a troubling time.

Austin and Central Texas are well-represented in the reconfigured House, with important leadership positions and committee assignments. Straus sent some of Craddick’s fiercest supporters and most conservative members into the wilderness, but he didn’t punish them like Craddick would have punished his opposition had he been re-elected speaker.

That change in tone is a sign that the House will be dramatically different under Straus and reflects the nearly even split of 76 Republicans and 74 Democrats. We expect less personal intervention in legislation and hope the committee configuration — 18 Republican and 16 Democratic committee chairs — will mean not only new blood but better representation.

Austin’s Mark Strama, a Democrat in only his third term in the House, was named chairman of the Technology, Economic Development and Workforce Committee, a real plus for Austin and the state. Strama is a smart political up-and-comer whose interests mesh with his committee assignment. He is also on the important Energy Resources Committee, another plum assignment for him.

Dripping Springs Democrat Patrick Rose kept his chairmanship of Human Services — one of only five chairs left over from Craddick’s 2007 session. Rose, like Strama, is a young Democrat with a bright future. He represents a conservative district, so he always has had to work in concert with the Republican leadership to be effective.

Rose, along with West Austin Democrat Donna Howard, is on the Higher Education Committee. That committee must deal with issues of vital importance to the University of Texas this session, such as possibly amending the top 10 percent admission rule and a move to modify tuition deregulation.

Rose and Howard will be important voices in those controversies and other issues that will come before the committee soon. Howard also was named vice chairman of the Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee.

Dawnna Dukes, an Austin Democrat who supported Craddick, was sent to Coventry by Straus but kept her seat on the influential Appropriations committee because of her seniority. Dukes unwisely stuck with Craddick far too long and lost influence because of that.

Austin Democrat Elliott Naishtat kept his vice chairmanship but was switched from the County Affairs Committee to Public Health. That’s a good move for Naishtat, who is an important voice on human services legislation.

In a surprise appointment, freshman Diana Maldonado, a Democrat from Williamson County, was named to State Affairs, one of the busiest committees in the House. Maldonado won in a district that had elected Republicans for years but, like the House itself, is undergoing dramatic change.

In his first major decision since his surprise election as speaker last month, Straus demonstrated a wise bent toward bipartisan leadership that should greatly improve work in the House. It was a welcome change.