Phelan’s primary has emerged as a last stand for the Republican Party’s business-minded establishment against an insurgency primarily motivated by social and cultural issues.
Dennis Bonnen
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Texas Legislature 2023
By tradition, the minority party gets to chair some Texas House committees. Some in the GOP want to end that.
Republican critics say conservative priorities will always be hamstrung if Democrats, who are in the minority party, get a say in which legislation reaches the floor.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Four years in, the Freedom Caucus finds a less contentious role in the Texas House
The group of hardline conservatives made waves in 2017 by sparring with House leadership and fellow Republicans. Now members say relationships with the broader chamber have improved.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen tests positive for coronavirus
“We are unable to pinpoint our initial exposure, as we … made the difficult decision to celebrate Christmas with just our own household this year,” Bonnen, who is retiring from the House, wrote on his Facebook page.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Five things to watch on Election Day 2020 in Texas
Texas is playing host to a series of high-stakes contests up and down the ballot, from a presidential race that could be the state’s closest in a generation to the fight for the Texas House majority.
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Coronavirus in Texas
The Texas Legislature meets in less than 100 days. Nobody knows how the session will look.
With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to affect everyday life, Texas legislators know that it won’t be business as usual at the Capitol during the 2021 legislative session. But how different things will be is still an issue they’re working to resolve.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Race for Texas House majority has kept the contest for speaker quiet
No House members have declared their candidacy for speaker. Many say they have their sights set on November first as Democrats aim to flip the lower chamber.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott loosens coronavirus restrictions for restaurants and other businesses in most regions of Texas
Restaurants, retail stores and office buildings will now be able to operate at 75% capacity, Abbott said. Three regions — the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Victoria — were excluded from the loosening of restrictions, however.
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Health care
Texas officials walk back $15 million proposed cuts to women’s and children’s health services
The changes to the budget proposal come after lawmakers and advocates protested the previous plan would hurt vulnerable Texans.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas officials want to cut funding for women’s health services while preserving an anti-abortion program
An August budget document shows funding for the anti-abortion program would be maintained, but reduced for doctors and clinics that provide reduced-cost contraception and health screenings.