October 17, 2017      5:59 PM

In bid for Speaker, Rep. King proposes changes to committee selection and how bills are brought to the floor

"In recent decades the power over legislation has moved more and more away from members and into the Office of the Speaker,” King said

In his bid to be the next presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives, Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, is proposing term limits for speaker and chairmen, some changes to how committees are chosen, and arguing that any bill with two-thirds support should be brought to the floor even if it hasn’t been voted on in committee.

In a letter that we are now told was sent to all the district offices of members on Oct 11, Rep. King said his goal "is to empower individual members and increase transparency in our rules and procedures."

There was no comment from Speaker Joe Straus’ office. Straus has said, though, that he is running for another term and is happy to have competition for the job.

By Scott Braddock

Copyright October 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved