Estimated Time to Read: 5 minutes
On Friday, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R) unveiled the Senate committee assignments for the 89th Legislative Session. In his announcement, Patrick expressed optimism about the upcoming session, stating:
“I’m proud to serve as President of the Texas Senate and work with such talented and hard-working leaders, each in their own right. Throughout the interim, your senators have worked tirelessly to study the issues and prepare for this legislative session. With these committee appointments, the Texas Senate is hitting the ground running, ready to do the work the voters sent us to do.”
Source: Statement, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, 1.17.2025
Committee Overview
The 89th session features 16 Senate committees, with leadership and membership heavily favoring the majority party. The following breakdown highlights key chairmanships, vice-chairmanships, and the partisan splits for each committee:
Texas Senate (16 Committees)
| Committee | Chairman | Vice Chairman | Partisan Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administration | Hall, Bob (R-Edgewood) | Hinojosa, Adam (R-Corpus Christi) | 4R – 3D |
| Border Security | Birdwell, Brian (R-Granbury) | Flores, Peter (R-Pleasanton) | 3R – 2D |
| Business & Commerce | Schwertner, Charles (R-Georgetown) | King, Phil (R-Weatherford) | 7R – 4D |
| Criminal Justice | Flores, Peter (R-Pleasanton) | Parker, Tan (R-Flower Mound) | 5R – 2D |
| Economic Development | King, Phil (R-Weatherford) | Sparks, Kevin (R-Midland) | 3R – 2D |
| Education K-16 | Creighton, Brandon (R-Conroe) | Campbell, Donna (R-New Braunfels) | 9R – 2D |
| Finance | Huffman, Joan (R-Houston) | Hinojosa, Juan “Chuy” (D-McAllen) | 11R – 4D |
| Health & Human Services | Kolkhorst, Lois (R-Brenham) | Perry, Charles (R-Lubbock) | 6R – 3D |
| Jurisprudence | Hughes, Bryan (R-Mineola) | Johnson, Nathan (D-Dallas) | 3R – 2D |
| Local Government | Bettencourt, Paul (R-Houston) | Middleton, Mayes (R-Galveston) | 4R – 3D |
| Natural Resources | Birdwell, Brian (R-Granbury) | Zaffirini, Judith (D-Laredo) | 6R – 3D |
| Nominations | Campbell, Donna (R-New Braunfels) | Hagenbuch, Brent (R-Denton) | 6R – 3D |
| State Affairs | Hughes, Bryan (R-Mineola) | Paxton, Angela (R-McKinney) | 10R – 1D |
| Transportation | Nichols, Robert (R-Jacksonville) | West, Royce (D-Dallas) | 5R – 4D |
| Veteran Affairs | Hancock, Kelly (R-North Richland Hills) | Parker, Tan (R-Flower Mound) | 4R – 3D |
| Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs | Perry, Charles (R-Lubbock) | Hancock, Kelly (R-North Richland Hills) | 6R – 3D |
Key Takeaways
Some of the key takeaways from the committee assignments are:
- No Minority Chairmen: All committee chairmanships are held by members of the majority party.
- Minority Vice-Chairmen: Four committees have vice-chairmen from the minority party.
- Majority Dominance in Key Committees: Influential committees, such as Finance, State Affairs, and Education, show significant majority representation.
Complete Committee Assignments
Below is a detailed list of all committee assignments for the 89th Legislative Session:
Administration
- Hall, Bob (R-Edgewood)
- Hinojosa, Adam (R-Corpus Christi)
- Cook, Molly (D-Houston)
- Eckhardt, Sarah (D-Austin)
- Kolkhorst, Lois (R-Brenham)
- Menéndez, José (D-San Antonio)
- Middleton, Mayes (R-Galveston)
Border Security
- Birdwell, Brian (R-Granbury)
- Flores, Peter (R-Pleasanton)
- Eckhardt, Sarah (D-Austin)
- Hinojosa, Adam (R-Corpus Christi)
- Hinojosa, Juan “Chuy” (D-McAllen)
Business & Commerce
- Schwertner, Charles (R-Georgetown)
- King, Phil (R-Weatherford)
- Blanco, César (D-El Paso)
- Campbell, Donna (R-New Braunfels)
- Creighton, Brandon (R-Conroe)
- Johnson, Nathan (D-Dallas)
- Kolkhorst, Lois (R-Brenham)
- Menéndez, José (D-San Antonio)
- Middleton, Mayes (R-Galveston)
- Nichols, Robert (R-Jacksonville)
- Zaffirini, Judith (D-Laredo)
Criminal Justice
- Flores, Peter (R-Pleasanton)
- Parker, Tan (R-Flower Mound)
- Hagenbuch, Brent (R-Denton)
- Hinojosa, Juan “Chuy” (D-McAllen)
- Huffman, Joan (R-Houston)
- King, Phil (R-Weatherford)
- Miles, Borris (D-Houston)
Economic Development
- King, Phil (R-Weatherford)
- Sparks, Kevin (R-Midland)
- Alvarado, Carol (D-Houston)
- Johnson, Nathan (D-Dallas)
- Schwertner, Charles (R-Georgetown)
Education K-16
- Creighton, Brandon (R-Conroe)
- Campbell, Donna (R-New Braunfels)
- Bettencourt, Paul (R-Houston)
- Hagenbuch, Brent (R-Denton)
- Hinojosa, Adam (R-Corpus Christi)
- King, Phil (R-Weatherford)
- Menéndez, José (D-San Antonio)
- Middleton, Mayes (R-Galveston)
- Parker, Tan (R-Flower Mound)
- Paxton, Angela (R-McKinney)
- West, Royce (D-Dallas)
Finance
- Huffman, Joan (R-Houston)
- Hinojosa, Juan “Chuy” (D-McAllen)
- Alvarado, Carol (D-Houston)
- Bettencourt, Paul (R-Houston)
- Campbell, Donna (R-New Braunfels)
- Creighton, Brandon (R-Conroe)
- Flores, Peter (R-Pleasanton)
- Hall, Bob (R-Edgewood)
- Kolkhorst, Lois (R-Brenham)
- Nichols, Robert (R-Jacksonville)
- Paxton, Angela (R-McKinney)
- Perry, Charles (R-Lubbock)
- Schwertner, Charles (R-Georgetown)
- West, Royce (D-Dallas)
- Zaffirini, Judith (D-Laredo)
Health & Human Services
- Kolkhorst, Lois (R-Brenham)
- Perry, Charles (R-Lubbock)
- Blanco, César (D-El Paso)
- Cook, Molly (D-Houston)
- Hall, Bob (R-Edgewood)
- Hancock, Kelly (R-North Richland Hills)
- Hughes, Bryan (R-Mineola)
- Miles, Borris (D-Houston)
- Sparks, Kevin (R-Midland)
Jurisprudence
- Hughes, Bryan (R-Mineola)
- Johnson, Nathan (D-Dallas)
- Creighton, Brandon (R-Conroe)
- Hinojosa, Juan “Chuy” (D-McAllen)
- Middleton, Mayes (R-Galveston)
Local Government
- Bettencourt, Paul (R-Houston)
- Middleton, Mayes (R-Galveston)
- Cook, Molly (D-Houston)
- Gutierrez, Roland (D-San Antonio)
- Nichols, Robert (R-Jacksonville)
- Paxton, Angela (R-McKinney)
- West, Royce (D-Dallas)
Natural Resources
- Birdwell, Brian (R-Granbury)
- Zaffirini, Judith (D-Laredo)
- Alvarado, Carol (D-Houston)
- Blanco, César (D-El Paso)
- Flores, Peter (R-Pleasanton)
- Hancock, Kelly (R-North Richland Hills)
- Hughes, Bryan (R-Mineola)
- Parker, Tan (R-Flower Mound)
- Sparks, Kevin (R-Midland)
Nominations
- Campbell, Donna (R-New Braunfels)
- Hagenbuch, Brent (R-Denton)
- Alvarado, Carol (D-Houston)
- Birdwell, Brian (R-Granbury)
- Eckhardt, Sarah (D-Austin)
- Hughes, Bryan (R-Mineola)
- Miles, Borris (D-Houston)
- Paxton, Angela (R-McKinney)
- Sparks, Kevin (R-Midland)
State Affairs
- Hughes, Bryan (R-Mineola)
- Paxton, Angela (R-McKinney)
- Bettencourt, Paul (R-Houston)
- Birdwell, Brian (R-Granbury)
- Hall, Bob (R-Edgewood)
- Hinojosa, Adam (R-Corpus Christi)
- Middleton, Mayes (R-Galveston)
- Parker, Tan (R-Flower Mound)
- Perry, Charles (R-Lubbock)
- Schwertner, Charles (R-Georgetown)
- Zaffirini, Judith (D-Laredo)
Transportation
- Nichols, Robert (R-Jacksonville)
- West, Royce (D-Dallas)
- Bettencourt, Paul (R-Houston)
- Hagenbuch, Brent (R-Denton)
- Hinojosa, Juan “Chuy” (D-McAllen)
- Johnson, Nathan (D-Dallas)
- King, Phil (R-Weatherford)
- Miles, Borris (D-Houston)
- Perry, Charles (R-Lubbock)
Veteran Affairs
- Hancock, Kelly (R-North Richland Hills)
- Parker, Tan (R-Flower Mound)
- Eckhardt, Sarah (D-Austin)
- Gutierrez, Roland (D-San Antonio)
- Hagenbuch, Brent (R-Denton)
- Hall, Bob (R-Edgewood)
- Menéndez, José (D-San Antonio)
Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs
- Perry, Charles (R-Lubbock)
- Hancock, Kelly (R-North Richland Hills)
- Birdwell, Brian (R-Granbury)
- Blanco, César (D-El Paso)
- Gutierrez, Roland (D-San Antonio)
- Hinojosa, Adam (R-Corpus Christi)
- Johnson, Nathan (D-Dallas)
- Kolkhorst, Lois (R-Brenham)
- Sparks, Kevin (R-Midland)
Texas Policy Research relies on the support of generous donors across Texas.
If you found this information helpful, please consider supporting our efforts! Thank you!
