July 2, 2008

Branch's Appointment Sparks Speculation
on Musical Committee Chair Game in House

By Mike Hailey
Capitol Inside Editor

The appointment of State Rep. Dan Branch to the Legislative Budget Board opened a can of speculation Tuesday on who will be chairing more than a half dozen Texas House committees that are expected to have openings at the head of the tables when the regular session convenes in January.

If Republicans still control the chamber and Speaker Tom Craddick wins a new term as House leader, at least nine standing committees are expected to have new chairs leading them after the biennial shuffle in the session's first few weeks. Under that scenario, some chairmanships will be open as a result of House members retiring after this year's election while other vacancies would come about if several current chairs who turned against Craddick are busted from the leadership team as expected if he's re-elected as speaker.

If Democrats reclaim a majority at the polls in November, the slate will be blank until a new speaker is elected and starts from scratch on the appointment of committee members and chairs next year.

As the House's first new representative on the LBB in more than two years, Branch would appear to have a shot at the chair of the Ways & Means Committee or the Local Government Ways & Means Committee. Craddick appointed the Dallas Republican to the LBB on Tuesday as the replacement for State Rep. Fred Hill, who resigned from the budget board after five years in the prestigious post. Hill, a Richardson Republican who's chaired the Local Government Ways & Means Committee since the GOP seized control of the House in 2003, isn't running for re-election this fall.

One of the House's other five LBB representatives - Republican State Rep. Jim Keffer of Eastland - is an automatic budget board member as the Ways & Means chair. But Keffer isn't expected to keep his chairmanship if Craddick is still speaker after siding with Democrats and several Republicans such as Hill in an attempt to oust speaker from the chamber's top leadership post in the closing days of the regular session in 2007.

But Branch's appointment to the LBB isn't necessarily a guarantee that he'll be a committee chair next year. For starters, Branch has savored his role as a key member of the House Appropriations Committee and might not be able to keep that assignment if he's chairing one of the other most influential House panels. The Local Government Ways & Means chair is not an automatic LBB member - and that means that Branch could stay on the budget board even if he's not a committee chair next year. The prevailing sentiment at this point in time is that Branch will be a committee chair if he wins re-election in the face of Democratic opposition this fall and Republicans still are the chamber's majority party next year. Branch, who was elected to the House initially in 2002, is considered to be a potential contender for a statewide office such as U.S. senator, lieutenant governor or attorney general in 2010.

Here's a look at some of the standing House committees that are expected to have chairmanship openings next year if Craddick is still speaker and some of the possible candidates for the leadership roles:

Ways & Means - The list of possibilities as replacements for Keffer if he's removed from the chairman's role could include Republican State Reps. John Otto of Dayton, Carl Isett of Lubbock and Dan Gattis of Georgetown. Branch would probably be the betting favorite in light of the LBB appointment this week. Otto, a CPA, has been of the House's foremost Republican experts on taxes - and that's what Ways & Means is all about. Isett and Gattis have been key Craddick soldiers on the Appropriations Committee. Any one of those and other Republicans such as State Reps. Ken Paxton of McKinney and Jim Jackson of Carrollton could be possibilities for Local Government Ways & Means as well.

Transportation - With State Rep. Mike Krusee of Round Rock not coming back in 2009, Republican State Reps. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham and Wayne Smith of Baytown might have the inside tracks to the highly coveted Transportation chair. The list of contenders for Transportation chairman could include any of the lawmakers in the possible Ways & Means pool mentioned above. Kolkhorst and Smith were key players last year on legislation that forced a more deliberate approach to the Trans-Texas Corridor's development. Kolkhorst has been paying her dues longer than Smith, a third-term member who's already a chair as the leader of the County Affairs Committee. Isett, the current chairman of the Sunset Advisory Committee, will have a major role in the debate on state highways next year with the Texas Department of Transportation up for review in the regular session. Republican State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown of Irving is also mentioned in the mix of possible transportation chairs. Harper-Brown had been the panel's vice-chair before clashing with Krusee.

Natural Resources - As the Natural Resources Committee's vice-chair, Republican State Rep. Mike Hamilton of Mauricevile was elevated to the number one slot on the panel after Democrat Robert Puente resigned in mid-term earlier this year. Hamilton, a third-term lawmaker who faces a potentially competitive Democratic foe at the polls in November, might have a good shot at keeping the chairmanship's job. Other possibilities could include State Rep. Bill Calligari, a Katy Republican who's an expert in this field as an engineer whose company specializes in water and wastewater services. Calligari was the Texas Water Commission's first Wastewater Advisory Council. Calligari is the current chairman of the Government Reform Committee, which would have an opening for chair if he was tapped to chair Natural Resources or another House panel.

Public Health - With State Rep. Dianne Delisi of Temple stepping down from the House after this year's election, Republican State Rep. Vicki Truitt of Keller could be one of the top candidates to replace her as the Public Health Committee chair next year. Truitt was a key player on health issues as an Appropriations member who was budget and oversight chair on Public Health before her promotion to the chairmanship job on the Pensions & Investments Committee last year. Pensions & Investments would have an opening at the head of the table if Truitt moved to the Public Health chair or another leadership post in 2009. Truitt faces a Democratic opponent - former Republican House member Nancy Moffat - in the general election this fall. State Rep. John Davis, a Houston Republican who's battling Democrat Sherrie Matula in a general election rematch, would also be considered a possible contender for the Public Health or Human Services chairs.

Civil Practices - The current chairman, State Rep. Byron Cook of Corsicana, isn't expected to keep the post as one of the Republicans who tried to overthrow Craddick at the end of the session last year. Civil Practices is a top level panel as the committee that handles tort reform legislation. Gattis, a former prosecutor, could have the best chance at the Civil Practices chair. But Cook's eventual replacement if Craddick's still speaker may be one of the bigger mysteries in speculation on committee chair openings. Any of the names above could be contenders. Cook, who's not an attorney, was a surprise appointment in early 2007 and his successor could be as well. The Texans for Lawsuit Reform will expect to have significant input on this decision if Craddick keeps his job as speaker next year.

Human Services - Democratic State Rep. Patrick Rose of Dripping Springs as chaired the Human Services Committee since early last year. But Rose turned against Craddick during the attempted coup at the end of the session and his days as a committee chair could be numbered as a result. Rose's fate might be harder to predict than other House members who opposed Craddick amid speculation that he tried to get back in the fold after abandoning his support for the speaker. A potential replacement is another hard call in speculation on musical chairs in the lower chamber next year. A Democrat such as State Rep. Dawnna Dukes of Austin might have a shot at the Human Services chair next year if the job's open. Dukes, a key player on the Appropriations Committee, survived an attack this year by a primary opponent on her past support for the Republican speaker.

Urban Affairs - State Rep. Kevin Bailey, a Houston Democrat who's chaired the Urban Affairs Committee since early last year, won't be after falling short in the primary election in his bid for re-election this year. The list of House Republicans who might have a chance to chair Urban Affairs or other committees in 2009 could include State Reps. Larry Taylor of Friendswood, Dan Flynn of Van, Betty Brown of Terrell, Dwayne Bohac of Houston, Jodie Laubenberg of Wylie and Debbie Riddle of Tomball along with Jackson, Paxton and others. This could be an opportunity for a Democrat as well if Craddick is still the boss next year.

Land & Resources Management - Republican State Rep. Rob Orr of Burleson was promoted from vice-chair to chair of the Land & Resources Management Committee after Anna Mowery of Fort Worth resigned from the House last year. Orr, who's in the real estate business, would be a popular choice with the powerful Texas Association of Realtors to stay on as chair or for another leadership post when the jobs are reshuffled next year. Any of the other House members mentioned above in speculation on chairs for other committees could be potential candidates to lead Land & Resources as well.