AUSTIN The enmity that had burbled somewhat quietly among Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan became painfully public toward the end of the regular legislative session in late May, when Patrick and Phelan killed each other’s key legislation and Abbott began calling special sessions to fulfill the campaign promises of which the other two members of Texas’ so-called “Big Three” seemed oblivious.
But Sen. Kevin Sparks of Midland and Rep. Brooks Landgraf of Odessa say a calmer sea may lie ahead now that the brutally hammered-out property tax relief package has finally been passed. Patrick presides over the Senate.
There is one hurdle yet to be leaped since the package’s contentious homestead exemption and appraisal caps have been agreed on, though: the third special session that Abbott has vowed to call in October is to take up his school choice plan.
Sparks said Wednesday that he is “confident that the recent collaboration between Lt. Governor Patrick and Speaker Phelan and by extension the Senate and the House will lead to better coordination between the two chambers in the future.
“This was on full display when, after working out their differences, the lieutenant governor and the speaker helped come to an agreement on one of the most significant property tax relief packages in state history,” the Republican senator said.
“Because of this newfound synergy between the chambers, I’m optimistic about what the future holds for policy solutions as we move forward as a state.”
Landgraf said Wednesday that the state “has undergone a conservative renaissance” since Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, became speaker in 2021.
“Under Speaker Phelan’s leadership, the legislature drastically increased funding for border security, provided the most significant property tax cuts and reforms in state history, expanded Second Amendment rights with constitutional carry and passed legislation to keep Texas elections secure,” the Republican representative said.
“Not only that but Speaker Phelan also oversaw the passage of bills to prohibit abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat and to ensure abortion would be outlawed in Texas if and when decades of prayer for the overturn of Roe v. Wade were answered. If it weren’t for his leadership as speaker, abortions would have still been carried out in Texas after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
“In his first session as speaker Dade Phelan had the foresight not to be satisfied with just the passage of the Fetal Heartbeat Act, but he also chose to pursue legislation to ensure that abortions would be outlawed in this state the moment the Supreme Court took action to throw out Roe v. Wade. Prayers have been answered under his speakership.”
Landgraf said all that legislation took the cooperation of majorities of the 149-member House and 31-member Senate along with Abbott.
“The conservative renaissance we’ve seen couldn’t have happened without Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick,” he said. “Both men, along with Speaker Phelan and the majority of the members of the Legislature, have made good on their conservative promises to Texans.
“Not only that, but under their combined leadership those of us in the Permian Basin have seen a colossal increase in transportation funding with a record $550 million being spent in the Odessa TxDOT district this year alone. In sum we are blessed as Texans and especially West Texans to have Greg Abbott as our governor, Dan Patrick as our lieutenant governor and Dade Phelan as our speaker.”
The House has had only 149 members instead of its usual 150 since 45-year-old Royse City Republican Bryan Slaton was expelled. Abbott has scheduled a Nov. 7 special election for Slaton’s successor to be chosen. Royse City is east-northeast of Dallas.
