The Texas House committee assignments are out! (rinse, repeat)

Charles aggreposts the best of the reactions to Speaker Straus' selections to guide the business of the Texas House during the 81st Lege. It's an excellent resource and all the links there are click-worthy.

I'll re-post the executive summary provided by the Chron's Scharrer and Radcliffe Robison ...

WINNERS:

Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston: Speaker pro tempore, he’ll have Straus’ ear. Appointed to Appropriations and Insurance committees, important to Hurricane Ike recovery.

Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie: Once again, he is chief budget writer.

Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton: State Affairs chairman, important to deciding the fate of utility legislation.

Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano: Calendars chairman, one of the most powerful; his panel decides which bills get a shot and which don’t.

Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston: Local & Consent Calendars, chief traffic cop for hundreds of local bills; which get a green light and which don’t.

LOSERS:

Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa: Vice chairman of Environmental Regulation, a big fall from previous post of chairman of Appropriations.

Rep. Beverly Woolley, R-Houston: Removed as Calendars chairman; didn’t even get a vice chair.

Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford: Booted from the defunct Regulated Industries Committee; he doesn’t have a chairmanship or a seat on State Affairs.

Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland: Seated on Energy Resources and State Affairs.

OUT OF THE DEEP FREEZE:

Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston: Now seated on coveted Calendars Committee; chair of County Affairs; keeps Public Health seat.

Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston: Back on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee; also Public Education vice chair.

Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco: The chief Democratic bomb-thrower against Craddick; now chairs a special committee on how to spend the federal economic stimulus money.

STILL CHUGGING ALONG:

Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo: Insurance chair, a post he had under the two previous speakers.

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS:

• 34 standing House committees

• 18 are chaired by Republicans

• 16 are chaired by Democrats

• 15 chairmen have never chaired before

• 23 are from urban areas

• 11 are from rural areas

My reaction is that this is more along the lines of what Hope, Change, and Bi-partisanship look like. Hope I'm not mistaken.

The battle royal will remain in the Texas Senate over voter ID, and is looking more and more like one that democracy could lose.