(C) Texas Tribune This story was originally published by Texas Tribune and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Blast - April 30, 2025 [1] ['The Texas Tribune'] Date: 2025-05 3 days until Election Day for local elections 16 days for the House to pass legislation that originated in the House 33 days until sine die Now, HB 366 heads to the Senate. Phelan’s bill is similar in substance to Senate Bill 893 , by Sen. Nathan Johnson , D-Dallas, which unanimously passed that chamber last month. There were also some Republicans who opposed the bill on its merits, even though they typically side with leadership. Those are members like Gary Gates of Richmond, who said attaching a criminal punishment to the bill was wrong. Only three of the 22 House Republicans who received campaign funds from Tim Dunn of Texans United for a Conservative Majority supported HB 366. Those were Caroline Fairly of Amarillo, Marc LaHood of San Antonio and Denise Villalobos of Corpus Christi. Fairly and Villalobos have backed leadership on every vote The Blast has tracked, and LaHood has strayed only twice. Of the 11 pro-Cook members who supported HB 366, 10 have joined leadership on every single vote since the speaker election. Opponents included members like Don McLaughlin of Uvalde and Ellen Troxclair of Lakeway, who had toed the leadership line on every key vote since Burrows won the gavel. In total, 19 members who have voted with the “reform” caucus only half the time opposed HB 366. Even Cook, who has mostly fallen in with leadership, opposed the bill. Since January, the band of leadership critics has fallen to no more than two dozen members. Today, 40 members opposed HB 336, some saying it clamps down on free speech, others claiming it will ensnare people who normally wouldn’t need to issue a disclosure, despite Phelan’s insistence otherwise. HB 366 marks the 10th vote that The Blast has tracked this session for gauging the temperature of House Republican unity. Apart from the speaker’s race, the votes include the House rules, floor debate rules, whether to adjourn for long weekends and more. Of the 52 Republicans who voted for Rep. David Cook for speaker on the second ballot, 39 (or three-quarters) opposed HB 366. Two more had excused absences during the HB 366 vote . The members who opposed House Bill 366 closely tracked the list of members who voted against Speaker Dustin Burrows in the leadership race, more than on other votes The Blast has tracked this session. Former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan ’s bill about altering images in political ads riled up many members who are opposed to leadership. But the bill did something that no other matter has been able to do this session. It nearly reunited the Republican “reform” caucus. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one . BRIAN HARRISON’S PUBLIC SHAMING Members of the Texas House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee pilloried Rep. Brian Harrison today. Like the pillories of old, it was Harrison trapped on stage in public as the chair, vice chair and a freshman Republican shamed Harrison over his conduct in recent months. Harrison, a Republican from Midlothian, has been a vocal critic of leadership known for “grandstanding” on the microphone, as several members have put it. He’s managed to irritate many of his Republican colleagues, including some who are politically aligned with his unyielding brand of conservatism. The public shaming began when Harrison opened the floor to questions on his first bill of the session, House Bill 872, which would shift the burden of proof from the plaintiff to corporations when a shareholder alleges that the corporation improperly used environmental, social and governance criteria. Vice Chair Ann Johnson, D-Houston, accused Harrison of trying to “overregulate” corporations. “My question is, you spend all your time at this mic, saying performative statements and not actually trying to affect public policy,” Johnson said, before saying it’s up to people who oppose his “political extremism” to stop him. “My question is, I hope you enjoy it.” Rep. Paul Dyson, a freshman Republican from Bryan, at one point suggested Harrison didn’t understand what his bill does. He said it could benefit climate activists who could take a corporation to court and force the burden of proof onto them. “To the extent your concern is sincere and not just grandstanding, I’d be happy to work with you on language to make sure that the language is sufficiently narrowly tailored,” Harrison said, eliciting a laugh from Dyson. “Oh, I can guarantee you, I don’t grandstand. I think it’s a little different from what you do,” Dyson said. A few moments later, Chair Jeff Leach, R-Allen, asked Harrison to put his phone away while speaking to the committee. “What are you — are you tweeting? Are you texting?” Leach asked, saying Harrison was pulling out his phone each time the committee livestream camera cut to Dyson. “I’m not paying any attention to the cameras. You’re paying attention to the cameras,” Harrison shot back. Many in the Capitol speculate that Harrison has been turning up the outrage before the House cameras because he plans to run for higher office. Even Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggested Harrison “just wants to make news” by opposing the budget. In his final tense exchange with Harrison, Leach unleashed some pent up frustrations: [END] --- [1] Url: https://thetexastribune.beehiiv.com/p/the-blast-april-30-2025-892c9037e2fdb24c Published and (C) by Texas Tribune Content appears here under this condition or license: Used with Permission: https://www.texastribune.org/republishing-guidelines/. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/texastribune/