Laredo's Zaffirini one of only 4 democrats on 13-member Texas Senate Finance Committee

Outnumbered again: Zaffirini returns to senate finance committee

The Austin American Statesman is reporting this evening that Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst's has made his appointments to the powerful Senate Finance committee. While republicans outnumber democrats in the state senate by a margin of 31 to 19, their margin in the finance committee are very more lopsided. Of the 13 members on the committee, a whopping 9 of them are republicans while only 4 of them are democrats. Many democrats hope they can help to buffer the drastic cuts announced last week by the Texas house.  The Texas Senate Finance Committee : 

The chair, as expected, is Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who has headed the upper chamber’s budget-writing panel for the past several sessions. He said budget hearings would likely begin next Monday. Vice chair: Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen.

Members: Sens. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville; Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock; Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler; Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls; Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville; Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound; Dan Patrick, R-Houston; Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo; Florence Shapiro, R-Plano; Royce West, D-Dallas; John Whitmire, D-Houston; Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands; and Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo.

That’s the same committee that served two years ago

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