Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced the creation of three new select committees of the Texas House yesterday, including a Select Committee on Governmental Oversight. The announcement of the new select committees was made alongside interim charges issued to all Texas House committees on issues to study prior to the start of the 90th Legislative Session in January.
The House Select Committee on Government Oversight, which will be chaired by State Representative Cody Vasut, will have “broad jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to the accountability and integrity of the management and operation of state government and political subdivisions.”
Among the seven interim charges issued to the Government Oversight committee are a review of the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, which prohibits local government from passing ordinances that purport to regulate matters regulated by the state. The committee was also issued interim charges to study how local governments contract with outside nonprofit entities, the role outside entities play in local prosecutorial functions, and a review of the Texas Public Information Act.
In addition to Vasut, Republicans serving on the 13-member committee include State Representatives Richard Hayes, Brooks Landgraf, Mitch Little, A.J. Louderback, Shelby Slawson, Carl Tepper, and Ellen Troxclair. Democrats appointed to the committee are State Representatives Armando Walle, Christian Manuel, Eddie Morales, Richard Raymond, and Erin Zwiener.
Lawmakers appointed to the committee expressed excitement about its upcoming work.
“I’m looking forward to the first hearings of the House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight and am thankful to Speaker [Burrows] for the opportunity. Many are aware of my concerns about the nonprofit industrial complex in our cities, and this bears further scrutiny. Texas cities are essentially laundering taxpayer dollars to nonprofit affiliates of political advocacy groups related to criminal justice, illegal immigration, and even voting and homelessness. We should ask why,” said State Representative Mitch Little.
“At the same time, rogue district attorneys animated by extremist ideology expend taxpayer dollars prosecuting law enforcement officials and turning violent offenders back onto our streets to offend again. We should ask why. The US House has had a government oversight committee for a long time, and now the Texas House does, too. I hope its effectiveness will make it easy to make the committee a permanent standing one,” added Little.
State Representative Brook Landgraf noted, “Texans expect their government to operate with integrity, transparency, and accountability. This committee will play a key role in ensuring that expectation is met and that taxpayer resources are used responsibly.”
Other select committees created by Burrows include the House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, to be chaired by State Representative James Frank, and the House Select Committee on General Aviation, to be chaired by State Representative Keith Bell.
A full list of interim charges issued to House committees can be viewed here.
