Dade Phelan
| Matthew McDade "Dade" Phelan | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 12, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Dennis Bonnen |
|---|---|
Texas State Representative
for District 21 (Jasper, Jefferson, and Orange counties) | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Allan Ritter |
| Born | September 18, 1975 Beaumont, Texas, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Kim W. Phelan |
| Children | Ford, Mack, Hank and Luke Phelan |
| Residence | Beaumont, Texas |
| Alma mater | Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School |
| Occupation | Real estate developer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Matthew McDade Phelan (pronounced FEE-lun, born September 18, 1975) is a real estate developer from Beaumont, who is the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives while representing District 21 (located in the southeastern corner of the state, an area commonly known as the Golden Triangle) Phelan is the first Speaker to come from that portion of Texas. Unlike the U.S. House of Representatives, where the party in the majority elects the Speaker of the House without cross-over voting allowed, the Speaker of the Texas House is typically elected mostly by Democrats and liberal Republicans, even though the Republican Party holds the majority. The same scenario exists as well in neighboring Louisiana.
In late May 2023, Phelan was slurring his speech while presiding over a session on the House floor, apparently because he was intoxicated. Independent news services reported that "Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan slurred speech on House floor," replete with video.[1]
Illustrating how he is a Judas politician, Phelan three days later led an ambush impeachment of the popular and recently elected conservative Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on May 27, 2023. The vote against Paxton was a stunning 121 to 23, with 60 Republicans joining the majority to impeach. Paxton was immediately suspended from his duties upon the House impeachment. The matter now heads to the state Senate, which is 19-12 Republican, presided over by the Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, a political associate of Paxton who has not spoken out on the matter. The Senate membership includes Angela Paxton, Ken Paxton's wife. Senate rules require twenty-one senators to convict.
Contents
Censured
The Republican Party of Orange County, which is located in Dade Phelan's district, formally censured him in 2023. Subsequently, the Republican Party of Ellis County also censured Phelan.[2]
Background
In 1994, Phelan graduated from the Roman Catholic Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School in Beaumont. In 1998, he received a degree in business from the University of Texas at Austin. He is affiliated with his family-owned Phelan Investments, a fourth-generation real estate company.[3]
He was a staff member for former state Senator Tommy Williams, former U.S. Representative Dick Armey, and former District 21 State Representative Democrat Mark Stiles. Then Governor Rick Perry twice named Phelan to the Lower Neches Valley Authority; he was the board president in 2013.[3]
Phelan and his wife, Kim, an attorney,[4] reside in Jefferson County with their four boys.[3]
Career
Phelan succeeded former Democrat Representative Allan Ritter, first elected in 1998 but changed parties in 2010. Ritter did not seek reelection in 2014.
Prior to his election as Speaker by his colleagues, Phelan served previously as the chairman of the House Committee on State Affairs, vice chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, and the Calendars, Appropriations, and Election committees. He also sat on the Select Committee on Ports, Innovation and Infrastructure.[5]
The liberal Texas Monthly magazine named him one of the best legislators of 2019.[6]
In May 2023, state Attorney General Ken Paxton called for Phelan's resignation after the Speaker appeared inebriated while presiding over the House.[1] Paxton also said that Phelan has repeatedly blocked many conservative measures in the House which were already approved in the state Senate under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.[7] However, the call for Phelan's resignation came after the House Committee on General Investigating announced that Paxton was the subject of an ongoing investigation into misuse of his office.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.kwtx.com/video/2023/05/23/texas-house-speaker-dade-phelan-slurred-speech-house-floor/
- ↑ https://texasscorecard.com/local/ellis-county-gop-censures-house-speaker-dade-phelan/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Texas House of Representatives: Representative Phelan, Dade. Texas House of Representatives. Retrieved on February 12, 2021.
- ↑ Kim Phelan in Beaumont, TX. Bizapedia.com. Retrieved on February 12, 2021.
- ↑ Jolie McCullough (July 18, 2019). After defeats in 2019, a group of Texas lawmakers is teaming up to push criminal justice reform. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved on December 4, 2020.
- ↑ Carlos Sanchez, R. G. Ratcliffe, and Christopher Hooks (June 18, 2019). 2019: The Best and Worst Legislators. Texas Monthly.
- ↑ J. D. Rucker (May 23, 2023). Ken Paxton Calls on Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan to Resign After "Debilitating Intoxication". Retrieved on May 24, 2023.
