Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
Two years ago, Texas Sen. Charles Schwertnervoluntarily relinquished a prominent post chairing the Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee after an allegation of sexual harassment. Now, he’s been named chair of another Senate panel.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Friday that he selected Schwertner, a Georgetown Republican, to helm the Senate Committee on Administration for the 2021 legislative session, replacing state Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola.
Schwertner gave up his health committee post after the University of Texas at Austin investigated allegations that he sent lewd messages and a sexually explicit photo to a graduate student.
<figcaption> Plexiglass dividers separate seats in a committee hearing room. <cite>Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune</cite>
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Texas Senate Republicans keep ability to block bills out of Dems reach
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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, seen in 2020, said Wednesday that Republicans have every right to change the “blocker bill” in the state Senate.Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
Three years of victories at the ballot box by Democrats in the Texas Senate were washed away in just about an hour of bare-knuckle politics Wednesday.
With Democrats finally winning enough seats in the Texas Senate to use procedural maneuvers to block Republican legislation from getting to the floor, Republicans responded Wednesday by changing those very rules to make sure GOP priorities like gun rights and anti-abortion bills have no trouble getting through the Senate.
Texas Republicans make legislative power play, limit Democrats’ clout in state Senate
GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led the charge for the rule change that was approved Wednesday.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick takes his mask off before he presides over the State Senate on the second day of the 87th Texas legislature on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021 at the Texas state Capitol, in Austin, Texas. (Lynda M. González/The Dallas Morning News)(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)
with additional details.
AUSTIN The Republican-led Texas Senate voted Wednesday to undercut Democrats’ power in a move championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick leads Texas Senate vote letting GOP bring bills to floor without Dem support Posted By Sanford Nowlin on Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 10:11 AM Twiiter / DanPatrick Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led a vote to lower the supermajority threshold in the Texas Senate. As he s threatened to do, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led Republicans in the Texas Senate to alter its procedural rules, derailing Democrats’ ability to block legislation in the GOP-controlled upper chamber. In a 18-13 vote Wednesday that split along party lines, state senators lowered the threshold needed to move legislation to a floor vote. Previously, the body required a three-fifths supermajority or 19 votes to bring bills to the floor. However, the election of Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, in November dropped the n