Representative Steve Toth and Other Conservative House Members Announce “Contract with Texas”
April 18, 2024
A group of Conservative Republican Representatives in the Texas House have introduced the “Contract with Texas,” a letter calling for the next Speaker of the House to implement 12 reforms “to advance the cause of liberty.”
The Contract includes the following proposed reforms:
Only solicit support for Speakership from Republican members
End the practice of awarding Democrats with committee chairmanships
Ensure all GOP legislative priorities receive a floor vote before any Democrat bills
Replace the current liberal Parliamentarians with staff committed to only offering advice on adherence to House rules, not to advancing their personal ideology
Limit the Speaker to two terms to reduce their power over individual members
Ensure there are no longer any Democrat-majority committees
Stop parliamentary abuse by requiring only substantial adherence to House rules to keep hyper-technical points of order from killing good legislation
Allow audio/video recording of all House proceedings, including point of order debates
Start substantive work as soon as Session begins to end delays that kill priority legislation
Reform the Calendars Committee to increase transparency and accountability
Select a Republican as Speaker Pro Tempore
Decentralize power by prohibiting the distribution of political funds from the Speaker
As one of the drafters and original signers of the Contract, Representative Toth (HD 15) said that the purpose is to see “real reform in the 89th Texas Legislative Session with a House that is actually run by Republicans and actually passes Republican priorities.”
As of today, the Contract with Texas has been signed by 25 current representatives and candidates with momentum increasing daily.
Click here to read the contract with Texas and see if YOUR representative has signed on.