Texas’ new House speaker hopes to avoid culture wars and focus on these issues instead

As the leadership of the Texas House of Representatives changes hands for the first time in a decade, incoming Republican speaker Dennis Bonnen says he wants to keep the focus on priorities important to everyday Texans and away from explosive culture war issues such as the so-called “bathroom bill” that roiled the Legislature two years ago.

In an interview outlining his priorities for the 86th Legislature that convened Tuesday in Austin, the Angleton legislator said one of his goals will be to spare Texans from the agony of standing in long lines to get a drivers license. Texans across the state have complained of waiting outside for hours at Texas Department of Public Safety centers to get their license.

“We’ve got to fix that problem,” Bonnen said, adding that he wants House members “to dig into that issue” and “make sure we get a solution.” The DPS has taken steps to try to ease the problem but Bonnen said constituents in his southeast Texas district and elsewhere “want to know why we can’t do a better job of providing an important service to our constituents.”

Bonnen, 46, who was sworn in Tuesday to replace outgoing speaker Joe Straus, emerged as the consensus speaker in October after a number of candidates for the post stepped aside and united behind the veteran lawmaker. He had initially opted not to seek the job but said he yielded to appeals from colleagues to help the House avoid a “divisive” and debilitating speakers race.

The incoming speaker was interviewed by the Star-Telegram late last week before taking command of the Republican-controlled House on the condition that his comments not be published until after his swearing-in.

Restating an objective he outlined immediately after emerging as the likely speaker, Bonnen said his top goals in the 2019 session will center on repairing school finance and confronting run-away property taxes.

In 2017, Texas drew national attention in a divisive showdown over unsuccessful legislation restricting transgender access to public restrooms. Versions of the “bathroom bill” ultimately failed in both the regular session and a special session.

Asked if the bathroom bill is likely to emerge during this session, Bonnen replied: “I sure hope not. When you have a failed school finance system … and homeowners crying for help over their property taxes, we need to focus on those issues.”

Bonnen was a key member of Straus’ leadership team and is a close friend of the former speaker. He is also a close friend of another top Straus lieutenant — Republican Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth — and strongly suggested in the interview that Geren is likely to play a prominent role on the Bonnen team.

“Charlie Geren is a dear friend of mine. He has been my desk mate for a long time,” Bonnen said. “I love him dearly and the Texas House can’t be successful without Charlie Geren being a part of it.”

Geren, who started his 10th two-year term as House members were sworn in, played a pivotal role in helping Straus become speaker in 2009 and has served as chairman of the House Administration Committee, which oversees the inner workings of the House. Bonnen said he is not ready to reveal what role Geren or other members will play until he announces committee assignments.

Bonnen describes as himself as a “House guy” and professes unwavering devotion to a legislative chamber where he has served more than half his life. He was 24 and only a few years out of college when he entered the House in 1997. His older brother, Greg, a neurosurgeon, is also a House member.

“I love being a member of the House,” he said, noting that he has turned down chances to run for Congress or the State Senate in order to continue his service as state representative. “I love the institution of the Texas House.”

Straus and two Democratic speakers — Gib Lewis of Fort Worth and Pete Laney of Hale Center in West Texas — led the House for 10 years but Bonnen said he has no longterm plan for trying to match or surpass their longevity record.

“I’m not going to limit myself but I don’t have a plan of being speaker for 10 years,” he said, adding that “it depends on what happens” and noting that “members have a lot more to say about what that plan is than I do.” He also said that his wife “will be more than happy” when he ends his career in the House.

Bonnen sounded a harmonious message, saying that he plans to work closely with the various House factions as well as the state’s two other top leaders — Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the presiding officer of the Senate — to achieve results for Texas’ 28 million-plus citizens.

Bonnen, pointing to the Legislature’s long-standing tradition of bipartisanship, said Democrats will play a “significant role” in the House and will have “a fair representation” of committee chairs.

Bonnen also goes into the session with pledges of cooperation from the Freedom Caucus, a group of Tea Party-style lawmakers including several from Tarrant County who consistently rebelled against Straus’ leadership. Freedom Caucus members “are going to have a fair and open opportunity to have their voices heard on the House floor,” Bonnen said.

During the 2017 session, Bonnen was a staunch defender of House positions during dust-ups with the Patrick-led Senate, actions that contributed to his reputation as a legislative tough guy. “I’m very passionate about the people I represent and I’m very passionate about the Texas House,” he acknowledged, “and I will work hard to defend the positions and the perspectives of the Texas House every day.”

At the same, Bonnen said he and Patrick have formed “a positive relationship’” and have had productive meetings and conversations in advance of the session. “We’re off to a great start and I see no reason that good start won’t continue to be a very positive finish,” he said.

This story was originally published January 8, 2019 at 3:41 PM.