On Friday, the Texas House Republican Caucus voted to approve new bylaws by which the Caucus will select a candidate for Speaker of the Texas House. Under the new rules, the Republican candidate for Speaker will not have to rely on any votes from Democratic members of the Texas House, as long as Republicans hold the majority in the chamber.

On November 8, 2017, the Republican Party of Texas released aRepublican Caucus Speaker Selection Commitment Form asking all Republican candidates for the Texas House to commit to supporting the choice of the Texas House Republican Caucus.

To see the full list of candidates who signed the Speaker Commitment Form, please visit: https://txgop.us/HouseUnited

Republican Party of Texas Chair James Dickey issued the following statement:

“These new bylaws are a significant step forward in the direction of unity for our Party and help pave the way for our Republican House members to form a consensus on the race for Speaker. Unity does not mean uniformity. The result is hopefully one which builds more bridges on issues where we do agree and burns fewer bridges on issues where we can’t agree. This is positive news for Republicans across Texas.

“Thank you to the Republican House members who voted for the bylaws change and to Republican Caucus Chair Tan Parker for facilitating these meetings. Thanks also goes to all the candidates who have completed our RPT Republican Caucus Speaker Selection form. Their commitments to transparency and unity are greatly appreciated.”