Lawmakers debated on House Bill 3, which would create an education savings account for families to spend taxpayer money on private tuition.

A bill passed by the Texas House on Wednesday would also help schools rehire retired teachers and offer other incentives in an effort to fight the state’s teacher shortage.

House Speaker Dade Phelan selected Democrats to chair eight of the 34 standing committees, down from the 13 he appointed at the start of the last legislative session.

The Texans for Better Democrats Coalition is throwing its support behind Candis Houston, who is running against state Rep. Harold Dutton of Houston, and Rep. Claudia Ordaz Perez, who faces fellow El Pasoan Rep. Art Fierro.

Taylor, a Friendswood Republican, chairs the Senate Education Committee. Dutton, a Houston Democrat, chairs the House Public Education Committee.

The committee action came less than 24 hours after Dutton had taunted Patrick, threatening to hold his prized legislation back amid rumors that the Senate was stalling a bill to restore funding to the Legislature.

As a powerful committee chairman, Dutton could have bottled up legislation that Democrats opposed. Instead, critics say, he’s pushed through Republican bills that Democrats find objectionable.

Join The Texas Tribune at noon Central time Feb. 25 for a live interview with state Rep. Harold Dutton, chair of the House Public Education Committee, moderated by Aliyya Swaby, public education reporter for the Texas Tribune. AdThey’ll discuss the state of public education in Texas, including school funding, public school aid during the pandemic and which education bills we can expect in this year’s legislative session. On Feb. 4, he was appointed chair of the House Public Education Committee by House Speaker Dade Phelan. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Though donors and corporate sponsors underwrite Texas Tribune events, they play no role in determining the content, panelists or line of questioning.

Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan shook up the chamber’s committee leadership Thursday, signaling who his top lieutenants will be during his first session overseeing the lower chamber. State Rep. Greg Bonnen, a Friendswood Republican, will now oversee the budget-planning House Appropriations Committee, replacing state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake. Dutton replaces state Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, the longtime chair who in 2019 helped pass massive reforms to the state’s school finance system. Hunter replaces state Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford. Meanwhile, state Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, replaces state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, as chair of the House Administration Committee; state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, replaces state Rep. Four Price, R-Amarillo, as chair of the House Calendars Committee, and state Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, will serve as chair of the House State Affairs Committee, which Phelan oversaw during the 2019 session.

Security at the Texas Capitol was increased after violence at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. last week. Jan 12, 2021. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneThe Texas Legislature gaveled in Tuesday for its biennial session with a heavy security presence after the U.S. Capitol insurrection last week and rampant reminders of the still-raging coronavirus pandemic. The state House and Senate met in the early afternoon without incident, and there was only a small protest outside the Capitol beforehand. After he was elected speaker, Phelan told House members they were beginning the session "at a crossroads." Milling about the Capitol before noon, lawmakers said they felt safe, both with the enhanced security presence and the pandemic measures.

Dutton got the highest number of votes during the Democratic primary in March, but not enough to avoid a runoff with the second- and third-place finishers. Prosecutors said Friday that an investigation revealed that the third-place candidate, Natasha Ruiz, was actually Natasha Demming, who filed under a false name. Prosecutors accused Demming of conspiring with Richard Bonton, who was another candidate in the District 142 race, to manipulate the vote. RELATED: 8 months after ‘ghost candidate’ review launched, State Rep. Harold Dutton hoping for justiceBoth Demming and Bonton have been charged with felonies related to tampering with a governmental record. “When somebody steals votes from people, that is about the highest crime you can commit, as far as I’m concerned,” Dutton said.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Friday that three people had been indicted over attempts to influence two Texas House races during the 2020 election cycle. Credit: Kelly West for The Texas TribuneA Harris County grand jury has indicted three people who tried to illegally influence races in two Houston-area state House districts during the 2020 election cycle, District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Friday. The impacted districts were House District 132 and House District 142, which are currently represented by state Reps. Gina Calanni, D-Katy, and Harold Dutton, D-Houston, respectively. Calanni reported the threat to the Texas Rangers, which investigated the complaint with the Harris County District Attorney's Office Public Corruption Division. Nearly the entire Harris County Democratic legislative delegation weighed in soon after, asking the county attorney and district attorney to open a criminal investigation.

Former candidate Richard BontonKPRC 2 Investigates has learned that former candidate for state representative, Richard Bonton, has been indicted by a Harris County Grand Jury on multiple charges including election fraud. According to the indictment obtained by KPRC 2 Investigates, Bonton is charged with conspiracy to commit tampering with a government record, tampering with a governmental record and election fraud. While the murder rate in Harris County skyrockets, Kim Ogg chose to use taxpayer funds to pursue a personal attack. What Kim Ogg did today is public corruption at its finest and we will work withFederal authorities to bring justice. Harris County deserves a top cop who is focused on justice, not political favors.

HOUSTON – For the first time in 36 years, State Rep. Harold Dutton (D-Houston) was forced into a runoff for his seat in State House District 142. That’s all that happened to them,” Dutton said, in reference to the voters of District 142. A candidate named Natasha Ruiz entered the Democratic primary hoping to defeat Dutton last March. “There is evidence that a person entered into the primary race, whose last name was not their last name,” Dutton said. “We, as elected officials, have to protect the integrity of the election process,” Dutton said, adding he also believes voters need to see accountability.

The legislation, spearheaded by members of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, is named after Floyd, a Black man killed in Minneapolis police custody. Floyd died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes until and after he lost consciousness. Abbott has previously said he is committed to working with Floyds family on legislation, and has even floated the possibility of a George Floyd Act at the Legislature. The caucus George Floyd Act would limit the use of force by officers, requiring them to attempt to de-escalate the situation and banning lethal force if another lesser level of force could have worked, said state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston. Rodney Floyd, the youngest brother of George Floyd, applauded lawmakers Thursday for the proposal, thanking Thompson during the news conference and saying the legislation has so many great things [that are] way overdue way overdue.Jolie McCullough contributed reporting.

Two Republican Texas House incumbents were considerably behind their primary runoff opponents as early election results came in Tuesday. State Rep. Dan Flynn of Canton trailed Bryan Slaton 37% to 62%. State Rep. J.D. The winner will face off against Republican Lacey Hull in November after state Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, opted against seeking reelection. No matter what happens in the general election, House members will have a new speaker for the 2021 legislative session.

Tell that to the people who were in line before 7 p.m. on election night, but who voted six hours after the close of the polls at Texas Southern University. But Travis County’s election results said he got 24,582. State Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, is on his way to a runoff with Jerry Davis, after a fumbled set of election night numbers were sorted out. Some blamed voters for waiting until election day to cast their ballots, when Texas offered 11 days of early voting. It’s true that voting early avoids the last-day traffic jams, but this year’s early voting Democrats were making their decisions with much different information than the Democrats who waited.