Austin Republicans demand conservative House Speaker

Travis County Republican precinct chairmen unanimously took a stand Tuesday, insisting that our next Texas House Speaker be a supporter of the conservative values, such as those laid out in the Contract with Texas (see below). Here is the final text, calling for a Speaker to defer to the Republican grassroots and not the Democrat minority.

Resolution on Candidates for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives

Whereas, the Texas House of Representatives needs a Speaker with a proven conservative voting record that truly reflects the agenda of the Republican Party of Texas;

Whereas, House Leadership and/or the Speaker has —

•  Repeatedly stood against Republicans, siding with Democrats by appointing them to committee chairmanships, thereby blocking conservative legislation;

•  Promoted the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton as a personal vendetta;

•  Failed to send Republican members’ legislation to the floor for a vote;

•  Stood against both the $100K homestead exemption and school choice, both priorities of the people and the Governor;

•  Won his primary by a mere 366 votes, and then only by appealing to Democrat voters in the Republican Primary;

•  Has won past speakerships only with overwhelming Democrat support and the purchased fealty of a few Republicans, making him the Democrat minority leader, not the Republican leader of the House majority;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Travis County Republican Party supports only candidates for Speaker who have signed the Contract with Texas and demand that Republican Texas House Representatives elect a Speaker whose views align with the values and agenda of the Republican Party of Texas.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Travis County Republican Party shall share this resolution with every Texas Republican State Representative and Representative-Elect as well as news and social media outlets.

Approved unanimously with staff amendments 11/19/24

THE CONTRACT WITH TEXAS

 To keep the promises we’ve made to Texas voters we, the undersigned, expect the next Speaker of the House to advance the cause of liberty and adhere, at a minimum, to the following reforms to improve the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of the House:

Only solicit support for Speakership from Republican members

End the practice of awarding Democrats with committee chairmanships

Ensure all GOP legislative priorities receive a floor vote before any Democrat bills

Replace the current liberal Parliamentarians with staff committed to only offering advice on adherence to House rules, not to advancing their personal ideology

Limit the Speaker to two terms to reduce their power over individual members

Ensure there are no longer any Democrat-majority committees

Stop parliamentary abuse by requiring only substantial adherence to House rules to keep hyper-technical points of order from killing good legislation

Allow audio/video recording of all House proceedings, including point of order debates

Start substantive work as soon as Session begins to end delays that kill priority legislation

Reform the Calendars Committee to increase transparency and accountability

Select a Republican as Speaker Pro Tempore

Decentralize power by prohibiting the distribution of political funds from the Speaker