AUSTIN, Texas — The Republican-led Texas Senate voted Wednesday to undercut Democrats’ power in a move championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
The action, taken after Democrats picked up another seat in the November election, effectively limits their say in which bills come to the floor.
The rule change means that the chamber’s 18 Republicans will be able to advance legislation without the backing of any Democrats, who are in the minority. The shift puts the GOP in better position to pass potentially contentious policies on abortion, guns and other issues that usually spur a partisan divide.
“We’re the majority. Elections matter,” Patrick said Wednesday during an Austin conference hosted by Texas Public Policy Foundation. “If we don’t change the rules today … the Democrats would be controlling the Senate.”
Democrats objected. They warned the change will reduce collaboration and could lead to bad legislation.
“You are lowering the bar,” said Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio. “We are watering down what has been a very deliberative body by making this change.”
The Senate voted 18-13 along party lines to lower the threshold of support needed to bring a bill to the floor. Instead of 19 members, now 18 will be needed to advance legislation — matching the current count of GOP senators. Republican Pete Flores lost his Senate seat to Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, in the November election.
It’s the second time Patrick has successfully overseen a change in the rules to keep Republicans in control of the flow of legislation in the chamber.
In 2015 he helped persuade lawmakers to abandon a longstanding “two-thirds rule,” which for many decades required the backing of 21 senators before a bill could be brought to the floor.
