Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows announced his committee assignments. Here’s how some of the LGBTQ members of the Legislature will serve this session.
State Rep. Venton Jones from Dallas has been appointed vice-chair of the House Corrections Committee and a member of the House Appropriations Committee by Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows.
Jones, in his second term serving in the Texas House, was also named this session’s Democratic Whip by his party. In that capacity, his job is to make sure members of his party vote according to party platform.
State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, also of Dallas, will serve on the Insurance Committee, Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence and Local and Consent Calendars as well as the subcommittee on Family and Fiduciary Relationships.
State Rep. Mary Gonzalez, El Paso, is the longest-serving LGBTQ member of the Legislature. She was appointed vice chair of the Appropriations Committee and also as a member of Natural Resources.
The newest LGBTQ members of the House are state Reps. Josie Garcia, San Antonio, and Lauren Simmons, Houston. Garcia will serve on Energy Resources, Natural Resources and Redistricting. Simmons was assigned to Appropriations and Public Health.
— David Taffet