The veteran president of the Texas Senate and the new speaker of the House did not start out on the same page.

AUSTIN – Shortly after Lubbock Republican Rep. Dustin Burrows was elected Texas House speaker, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick questioned the legitimacy of his victory and issued a legislative challenge. Perhaps it was a threat. Pass conservative measures or else, Patrick suggested in a social media post and news release.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has long been a leading conservative voice in Texas. The stalwart Republican says he doesn’t yet know if Burrows will impact his hopes for a conservative agenda, but he expressed concern.

The state budget, school vouchers and a THC ban topped Patrick’s list. His other top goals include raising the property tax exemption for homeowners, improving electric and water infrastructure, and aiding the federal government with the deportation of people who are in the U.

AUSTIN - Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement today following the election of Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives:

Meanwhile in the Panhandle, Republicans were less excited that Burrows won the speaker contest thanks largely to Democrats.

The state budget, school vouchers and a THC ban topped Patrick’s list. His other top goals include raising the property tax exemption for homeowners, improving electric and water infrastructure, and aiding the federal government with the deportation of people who are in the U.

Democrats will serve as House committee vice chairs, which some lawmakers said harks back to the Texas tradition of power sharing. But vice chairs don't have nearly the power enjoyed by chairs, who can push or kill legislation and are better positioned to pass legislation.

Legislators are poised to tackle renewables and other matters that could echo across the U.S. in the months ahead.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows navigates bipartisan tightrope with the adoption of new rules governing committees in his chamber.

Texas House and Senate budget writers filed the first drafts of the next state budget Wednesday, calling for more than $150 billion in general revenue spending over

While new House rules prevent Democrats from leading committees, it increases the power of the vice-chair position which will still give Democrats some say in legislation.