January 30, 2007

Democratic Caucus Blasts Committee Picks
while Craddick Democrats Appeal for Unity

Democratic Caucus Committee Analysis

Texas House Democrats were on different wave lengths Monday as a group of members who backed Speaker Tom Craddick for re-election made a pitch for unity while others who opposed him ripped the new committee lineup that he unveiled over the weekend for the regular session.

As a dozen Craddick allies outlined an agenda under the banner of the Democrats for Reform, the House Democratic Caucus charged that the speaker's committee assignments were a boon to white male Republicans at the expense of women, minorities and members of the lower chamber's minority party.

The caucus complained that Craddick's new list of committee chairs failed to take into account the gains that Democrats made at the polls in House races in 2006. Democrats picked up six House seats in last year's election, the caucus noted, but ended up with the same number of committee chairmanships that they had during the regular session two years ago. While Democrats hold 46 percent of the seats in the lower chamber, the caucus pointed out that only 25 percent of the committees in the House have Democratic chairs.

The caucus analysis determined that Anglo Republican men hold 63 percent of the top jobs on House committees despite claiming only 43 percent of 150 House seats. But women House members have four fewer chairs than they did in 2005, according to the caucus. Despite an increase in the number of Hispanic and African-American House members, the caucus contended that the House had two more minority chairmen two years ago.

None of the Hispanic members from the state's two largest counties are chairing House committees this year, according to the caucus examination of Craddick's leadership team. The caucus asserted that Hispanics were shortchanged on the State Affairs Committee, which will be handling immigration legislation this year. State Affairs had three Hispanic members in 2005 and now has only one.

The group of Democrats who supported Craddick in the speaker's election three weeks ago held a press conference at the Capitol to call for a boost in Children's Health Insurance Program funding, more money for state parks and the resurrection of a program designed to make electricity more affordable for Texans who are poor.

Led by State Rep. Sylvester Turner, the House speaker pro temp, the self-styled Democrats for Reform were quizzed on why more Democratic legislators hadn't joined them for the news conference but disputed suggestions of possible division among the House's 69 Democrats.