How will the proposed overhaul of Texas Senate rules reshape the state's upcoming decisions on education and healthcare?

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It would likely shift the decisive power on education and healthcare away from the incoming lieutenant governor and toward the Senate’s Republican majority, making major policy change harder unless it attracts cross-chamber support. In practice, the fight is about who controls committee assignments, bill referrals, floor scheduling and budget leverage. Those tools largely determine whether proposals get hearings, are amended, stalled or reach a final vote. If senators transfer those powers to a majority leader, Vikki Goodwin would have less ability to elevate her priorities, even though she campaigned on public-school funding and broader healthcare access. That matters most for education. Texas is heading into major debates over the voucher program, per-student public school funding and possible efforts to repeal or narrow education savings accounts. The Senate’s leadership structure will shape whether voucher expansion keeps moving, whether school finance bills get serious consideration, and how the Senate approaches a House expected to be more supportive of public-school funding increases. Healthcare would be affected in a similar way. Bills to expand Medicaid, a long-blocked issue in Texas, have already been filed. Expansion could bring billions in federal funding and cover roughly 1 million additional Texans, but Senate gatekeepers would decide whether those proposals receive hearings or die early. Committee control also affects narrower health issues, including THC regu…

Dan Patrick Backs Stripping Powers From Vikki Goodwin After 6-Point Texas Loss

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Dan Patrick Backs Stripping Powers From Vikki Goodwin After 6-Point Texas Loss

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