GOP Chair Wants Burrows and 10 Allies
to Plead Cases on Censures to the SREC
Capitol Inside
September 23, 2025
The Texas GOP announced on Tuesday that its governing board will meet on October 11 for the sake of weighing censure resolutions that local organizations have approved in attempts to punish state House Speaker Dustin Burrows and nine top lieutenants for failing to toe the line while in session this year.
With the threat of banning legislators from the primary election ballot as the most serious possible sanction, the state party requested the attendance of all 11 targeted representatives at the meeting at State Republican Executive Committee meeting next month at the Texas Capitol in the auditorium on the second floor of the underground extension.
GOP Chairman Abraham George told the lawmakers in question that they would have the opportunity to make their individual cases to the SREC.
"In accordance with Republican Party of Texas Rule No. 44, you will be given an opportunity to speak before the State Republican Executive Committee at this meeting," George said. "I strongly encourage you to attend and communicate directly to the State Republican Executive Committee."
George also encouraged the members who face potential disciplinary action to provide "written commentary" to the SREC before the meeting three weeks from now. The state party boss set a deadline for written communication for 5 p.m. on October 3.
Burrows faces censure resolutions from the local Republican Party organizations in Dallas, Hays and Brazos counties. A resolution adopted by precinct chairs in Brazos County cited the House speaker from Lubbock for failing to support the GOP caucus nominee in the speaker's election in January. The document calls out Burrows for appointing six Democrats as House subcommittee chairs after vowing to eliminate Democratic committee chairmanships.
The lawmakers who've been invited to testify in their own defense at the SREC session in October include GOP State Reps. Angie Chen Button of Garland, Cody Harris of Palestine, Stan Lambert of Abilene, Jeff Leach of Allen, Morgan Meyer of Dallas, Angelina Orr of Itasca, Jared Patterson of Frisco, Dade Phelan of Beaumont and Gary VanDeaver of New Boston.
Phelan served as speaker for two terms before giving the gavel up to clear the way for Burrows' election in his place at the start of the 2025 regular session. Harris and Patterson emerged this year as the Burrows leadership team's two chief enforcers on the floor and behind the scenes with roles as Natural Resources
Committee and the Local & Consent Committee chairs respectively.
Morgan was the lower chamber's point person on property tax relief as the Ways & Means Committee chairman. Leach leads the Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee. Button serves as the Trade, Workforce, and Economic Development Committee chair while VanDeaver is the Public Health Committee chairman. Lambert chairs the Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services Committee. Orr leads an Appropriations Committee subcommittee that focuses on health and human services spending.
The Collin County GOP voted to censure Leach for 13 alleged violations "of the Principles or Legislative Priorities" in a resolution that will be on the Texas GOP docket for October 11. The Dallas County Republicans executive committee accused Meyer and Button of four infractions each in a meeting in June.
County parties citied Harris and Lambert for eight violations apiece while Patterson and Phelan the former speaker were both accused of nine. VanDeaver and Orr face potential penalties for six alleged violations apiece.
more to come ...
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