Filling the Seats

Speaker Straus: Will members be getting a pre-Valentine's day surprise?

The Senate has its committees: What about the House? When will Speaker Joe Straus make his announcements?

"You won't have to check your mail over the weekend," Straus said at a meet-and-greet breakfast with the press this morning. For the last two sessions, former Speaker Tom Craddick got his selections done in late January. But Straus is facing a re-built committee structure and a split House, so the dynamic of committee selection is different, especially if he wants to live up to his pledge of a fair and equitable House.

Members had until last Monday to submit their choice cards (with fewer committees, more memberships, and an emphasis on seniority picks, they'll play a significant role this year.) The constant rumor for announcements was "Before Valentine's Day," and Straus' office said he is now aiming for late next week (Thursday or Friday, possibly earlier.) So what is the situation looking like for the Travis County reps, and what big seats are up for grabs?

Locally, the expectation is that now Reps. Donna Howard and Valinda Bolton are both full-fledged sophomores, they may get some good picks. Speculation is rife that Mark Strama has a good shot of a big position on either Environmental Regulation or the new Technology, Economic Development and Workforce (Strama has confirmed that those committees are on his choice card.)

There's also the Round Rock question. Democrat Diana Maldonado came in on an education slate: But she fills former Transportation chair Mike Krusee's old seat. With Senate eager to move on how to move Texans around the state, that's a committee that could require some serious leadership.

But the real test of Straus' bipartisan promise will be the three "super committees" on the House side: Appropriations, State Affairs, and Calendars. Last session the leadership of all three committees were Republican-heavy (the only Democrats were Calendars Vice-Chair Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, and Appropriations Vice-Chair Ryan Guillen, D-San Diego, both often considered Craddick Ds.) If Straus is accurate about a more equitable split, there may be a serious argument in favor of a Democrat getting one of these major chairmanships.