Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, announced Friday that he would not seek reelection to the Texas House after 40 years in office, including stints chairing the criminal jurisprudence, judiciary and insurance committees.
“Representing the Texas Panhandle in the Texas Legislature has been a true honor and privilege for which my family and I will always be grateful,” Smithee said in a statement. “For us, this is not retirement. Becky and I both grew up in the Panhandle and raised our family here. We both hope to continue serving the people of our area in ways other than in elective office. I also hope to have more time to devote to our family, our church and my law practice.”
As chair of the criminal jurisprudence committee this year, Smithee, 74, oversaw the passage of a sweeping package tightening the state’s bail laws — a top priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s that finally made it through the Legislature this legislative session after years of dying in the House.
“I’ve never voted on any legislation more important than what we’re getting ready to consider, because it holds the very key to life or death of some very wonderful people, some very innocent people,” Smithee said during House consideration of the package.
Smithee was appointed chair of the criminal jurisprudence committee by Speaker Dustin Burrows this session even after voting against Burrows for speaker and previously running for the gavel himself in a challenge to then-Speaker Dade Phelan.
The longtime lawmaker earlier saw his profile rise during the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2023. Smithee gave a blistering 20-minute speech criticizing the impeachment process, emerging as an unlikely ally for the embattled attorney general. Out of the 85 House Republicans who voted, Smithee was one of 23 who opposed Paxton’s impeachment.
Smithee, an attorney, began his tenure in the Texas House in 1985, representing the solidly red House District 86, which includes Armstrong, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hartley, Oldham, Parmer and Randall counties.
In his announcement Friday, Smithee listed as accomplishments his involvement in bringing 9-1-1 service to Amarillo and the Panhandle; folding West Texas State University into the Texas A&M system; developing a transmission system that supported the growth of the state’s wind energy industry; and obtaining funding for the new state mental hospital in Amarillo and the Texas Tech Schools of Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine.
