Adopting the Housekeeping Resolution for the House of Representatives of the 89th Legislature.
HR 144 adopts the housekeeping resolution for the Texas House of Representatives for the 89th Legislature. Rather than changing general state law, it sets internal operating rules for the House: it defines the Speaker’s authority, the Committee on House Administration’s responsibilities, employee policies, office and facility use, budgeting and accounting procedures, caucus rules, interim operations, workplace conduct standards, and complaint procedures. It also establishes or continues administrative practices such as office assignments, printing and records management, member operating accounts, committee staffing, and House Research Organization governance.
The resolution also includes several policy directives affecting House facilities and personnel, including rules on access to offices, panic buttons, audio/video resources, restroom access, alcohol restrictions, and workplace conduct training and complaint handling. It contains provisions requiring display of "In God We Trust" and the Ten Commandments in the House chamber, and it addresses pronoun use and biological sex in House employment policy. It further regulates caucus use of House resources and sets limits on political use of House funds and equipment.
Because HR 144 is a House resolution, its primary impact is on internal legislative administration rather than on the Texas Government Code or other statewide statutes. It governs how the House operates, how members and staff are paid and reimbursed, how office and committee budgets are managed, how complaints are handled, and how House facilities are used. It also sets rules for caucuses, interim committee work, and the House Research Organization, and it directs House Administration to implement policies on workplace conduct, restroom access, and certain religious displays within House space.
The available record shows no committee transcript and no recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of floor debate or formal opposition in the materials provided. Based on the text, the resolution appears to be a comprehensive internal rules package intended to organize House operations for the new legislature. The inclusion of workplace conduct, pronoun, restroom, and religious-display provisions suggests the resolution likely reflects both administrative priorities and broader ideological preferences of the House majority, but the provided context does not show measured support or opposition from specific members.
The most likely points of contention are the provisions on biological sex and pronouns, the multi-use restroom restriction based on biological sex, and the mandatory display of the Ten Commandments and "In God We Trust" in the chamber. These sections may draw objections from members concerned about discrimination, religious neutrality, or the use of legislative space for expressive policy statements. Other potentially disputed provisions include limits on political use of House resources, caucus funding and access rules, and the detailed complaint and discipline procedures for workplace conduct, though the provided materials do not identify specific opponents or amendments.