Enemies got the strap and allies got the cake. Here's the list, and how we scored it.Download a copy of the list here. Or go to the House's web site, where you can browse through the committee pages and see (with pictures) who's where and what their committee is supposed to be doing.
The Democrats who helped reelect House Speaker Tom Craddick were rewarded, while the people who challenged him — and those who had prominent spots and helped the challengers — got busted.
Reps. Brian McCall of Plano, Jim Pitts of Waxahachie, and Robert Talton of Pasadena, all Republicans and challengers, won't be chairing committees this session. Pitts had the most powerful committee in the House — Appropriations — and lost it by challenging the speaker. He won't even be on the panel this time, much less in the chair, though Craddick aides say Pitts was offered a membership spot there (Take a look at that back and forth here). Talton, who'd been chairman of Urban Affairs, won't be in the leadership.
And two Democratic chairmen who helped the challengers — Reps. Craig Eiland of Galveston and Allan Ritter of Nederland — lost the chairmanships, respectively, of Economic Development and Pensions & Investments. Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the Houston Democrat who was the first candidate in the race to challenge Craddick, won't be in the leadership but wasn't there before. Her committee assignments were unchanged.
Eight chairmen who returned won't chair the committees they chaired last session. Kevin Bailey, D-Houston, and Rick Hardcastle, R-Vernon, each got new committees. The four folks above got busted. And so did George "Buddy" West, R-Odessa, who voted with Craddick's challengers on a procedural issue that was read widely — and apparently by the speaker — as a referendum on his leadership. West, from the Permian Basin, no longer heads the House Energy panel. That went to Hardcastle, who's from North Texas. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, lost her committee chairmanship but got peachy assignments on Appropriations, Calendars, and Financial Institutions.
None of the 68 members who voted against Craddick on that procedural motion will go to the periodic dinners for committee chairmen where the House's business is plotted. But look at what happened to the 15 Democrats who split from the opposition to support Craddick. Ten are now committee chairs. One is the speaker pro tempore — theoretically the number two in the House, though it's mostly ceremonial. Six are on appropriations, including the vice chair. Four made the Calendars Committee, including the vice chair. Four are on both appropriations and calendars, which puts them in position — if they handle it right — to mete out favors and slights to other Democrats who weren't on the team.
Those fifteen Democrats are on demerit lists with some of their fellows, but their support for Craddick paid off this week. The names: Bailey, Chavez, Joe Deshotel of Beaumont, Dawnna Dukes of Austin, Harold Dutton of Houston, Kino Flores of Palmview, Helen Giddings of Dallas, Ryan Guillen of Rio Grande City, Tracy King of Batesville, Eddie Lucio III of Brownsville, Ruth Jones McClendon of San Antonio, Aaron Peña of Edinburg, Robert Puente of San Antonio, Patrick Rose of Dripping Springs, and Sylvester Turner of Houston, who'll keep that Speaker Pro Tempore title for another two years.
Demographics and Party: Seven of the 40 committee chairs are women. Thirty are Republicans and ten are Democrats. There are fewer women among the vice chairs five and Republicans are slightly less dominant, holding 25 of the 40 seats. Women held 10 chairs two years ago, and seven vice chairs.Republicans, with 54 percent of the membership in the House, hold 75 percent of the chairs, and 62 percent of the number two slots. Two years ago, when six more seats belonged to the GOP in the 150-member House, Craddick put Republicans in 30 chairs and 32 vice chairs. There are four African-American chairs and one vice chair; three Hispanic chairs and five vice chairs. Two years ago, there were three African-Americans in chairmanships and one in a vice chair; five Hispanics in chairs and three in vice chairs. Finally, there was one Asian vice chair two years ago (Martha Wong, R-Houston, held two vice chairmanships); now there are none.
A list of the Speaker's favorites, by committee:
Committee: Chairman; Vice Chairman. (Names in italics indicate new assignments)
Agriculture & Livestock: Sid Miller, R-Stephenville; Charles "Doc" Anderson, R-Waco.
Appropriations: Warren Chisum, R-Pampa; Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City.
Border & International Affairs: Tracy O. King, D-Batesville; Stephen Frost, D-Atlanta.
Business & Industry: Helen Giddings, D-Dallas; Gary Elkins, R-Houston.
Calendars: Beverly Woolley, R-Houston; Norma Chavez, D-El Paso.
Civil Practices: Byron C. Cook, R-Corsicana; Mark Strama, D-Austin.
Corrections: Jerry Madden, R-Richardson; Scott Hochberg, D-Houston.
County Affairs: Wayne Smith, R-Baytown; Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin.
Criminal Jurisprudence: Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg; Allen Vaught, D-Dallas.
Culture, Recreation & Tourism: Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville; Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin.
Defense Affairs & State-Federal Relations : Frank Corte Jr., R-San Antonio; Juan Escobar, D-Kingsville.
Economic Development: Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont; Joe Straus, R-San Antonio.
Elections : Leo Berman, R-Tyler; Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston.
Energy Resources: Rick Hardcastle, R-Vernon; David Farabee, D-Wichita Falls.
Environmental Regulation : Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton; Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills.
Financial Institutions: Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton; Dan Flynn, R-Van.
General Investing & Ethics: Larry Phillips, R-Sherman; Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe.
Government Reform: Bill Callegari, R-Katy; Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie.
Higher Education: Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria; Brian McCall, R-Plano.
House Administration: Tony Goolsby, R-Dallas; Helen Giddings, D-Dallas.
Human Services: Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs; Susan King, R-Abilene.
Insurance: John Smithee, R-Amarillo; Todd Smith, R-Euless.
Judiciary: Will Hartnett, R-Dallas; Mark Homer, D-Paris.
Juvenile Justice & Family Issues: Harold Dutton Jr., D-Houston; Craig Eiland, D-Galveston.
Land & Resource Management : Anna Mowery, R-Fort Worth; Rob Orr, R-Burleson.
Law Enforcement: Joe Driver, R-Garland; Thomas Latham, R-Sunnyvale.
Licensing & Administrative Procedures: Ismael "Kino" Flores, D-Palmview; Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth.
Local & Consent Calendars : Charlie Howard, R-Sugar Land; Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston.
Local Government Ways & Means: Fred Hill, R-Richardson; Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe.
Natural Resources: Robert Puente, D-San Antonio; Mike Hamilton, R-Mauriceville.
Pensions & Investments: Vicki Truitt, R-Keller; Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio.
Public Education: Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands; Bill Zedler, R-Arlington.
Public Health: Diane White Delisi, R-Temple; Jodie Laubenberg, R-Parker.
Redistricting: Joe Crabb, R-Atascocita; Betty Brown, R-Terrell.
Regulated Industries: Phil King, R-Weatherford; Wayne Christian, R-Center.
Rules & Resolutions: Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio; Nathan Macias, R-Bulverde.
State Affairs: David Swinford, R-Dumas; Ken Paxton, R-McKinney.
Transportation: Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock; Larry Phillips, R-Sherman.
Urban Affairs: Kevin Bailey, D-Houston; Jim Murphy, R-Houston.
Ways & Means: Jim Keffer, R-Eastland; Allan Ritter, D-Nederland.