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

AUSTIN — The 89th legislative session began Tuesday with members of the Texas House electing Rep. Dustin Burrows as their new speaker after a month-long divisive battle among Republicans. Burrows won the speaker's race by a vote of 85-55.

On this date in Texas history, the UT women's basketball team remained undefeated with a comeback win at Texas Tech.

The 89th Texas Legislative session kicked off with the swearing-in of new Speaker David Burrows, a republican from Lubbock.

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.

As the new House Speaker Rep. Burrows (R-Lubbock) will have a critical role in deciding the legislative priorities during the new session.

Forty-nine of the 62 Democrats ended up supporting Burrows, handing the six-term lawmaker the speaker’s gavel and one of the most influential roles in Texas government. AUSTIN— When Democratic lawmakers cast their votes for speaker of the Texas House on Tuesday,

As the 89th Texas Legislative Session convened Tuesday, the most critical item on the agenda was the highly contested Speaker of the House race, which had become

Texas has a powerful new House speaker after years of escalating Republican infighting. Dustin Burrows won the job on Tuesday with the support of Democrats who favored him over a challenger backed by the GOP’s emboldened hard right.

Dustin Burrows is elected Speaker of the Texas House, signaling potential bipartisanship in addressing state issues.

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.

Like so many other Texas parents, Serena struggled to find affordable, high-quality child care so she could go to work. For a year, she was stuck on the waitlist for the state’s child care scholarship program,