Straus draws an opponent in bid for 6th term as House speaker
AUSTIN — Exposing what could be a deep fissure in the rock-solid Republican majority in the Texas House, a long-serving GOP member stepped forward late Friday to challenge five-term Speaker Joe Straus as the lower chamber’s presiding officer.
“I have served in the House under the leadership of three different speakers,” state Rep. Phil King, who has represented Weatherford in the House since 1999, said in a brief news release. “What I have learned is that the role of the presiding officer is not to control the House, but rather to facilitate, assist and empower all members to represent their districts, promote their ideas, and implement their policies.”
The remark by the former Fort Worth police officer and a member of Straus’ leadership team as chairman of the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee was a not-so-subtle swipe at the speaker’s opposition to some legislative initiatives strongly backed by the House’s conservative wing.
In an interview Saturday at a symposium put on by the Texas Tribune, Straus rejected notions that he used his leadership role to routinely stymie legislation supported by rank-and-file members.
“What I do is appoint committee chairs who have good judgment,” Straus said.
Read more: http://www.caller.com/story/news/local/texas/state-bureau/2017/09/23/straus-draws-opponent-bid-6th-term-house-speaker/696311001/
