Rep. Mitch Little also says he supports any effort to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries, which would require a special session.
DALLAS — The 89th Regular Legislative Session is over, but lawmakers are still waiting to hear if they’ll have to return to Austin for a special session.
Texas Republicans have a growing interest in redrawing the lines for the state’s 38 congressional districts. The goal would be to add more seats for Republicans so the GOP can hold on to its narrow majority in the U.S. House.
But redrawing those lines in the middle of the decade without new census figures requires Governor Greg Abbott to call lawmakers back for a special session. The governor has, so far, given no indication if he’s inclined to do so.
There is concern that a redistricting effort could spread Republican voters too thin, creating vulnerability for some members.
Rep. Mitch Little, R-District 65, thinks it is a promising idea for Texas lawmakers to reshape those political boundaries.
“We have enough room in this state to add seats. We’ve got to do it. It’s not just for Texas. It’s for the United States of America, too. I think there’s a lot of pressure from Washington to try to add these seats. It’s going to be a good thing for Republicans, certainly,” Little relayed, adding that he thinks Republicans would pick up seats in South Texas.
Many Republicans say the session that just ended was the most conservative ever.
Still, Rep. Little says Republicans aren’t doing enough to secure the border, cut spending, and end corporate welfare.
In a recent national interview with conservative political strategist Steve Bannon, Rep. Little claimed Texas Republicans have been “compromising” too much.
When discussing those comments with us, Little explained that he was referring to Republicans compromising their values within the party.
“You can trace a direct line from that compromise to the increased size of the budget. We’re still having exploding budget growth in the state of Texas. Until we’ve got spending under control, we’re going to struggle to get our hands around the property tax issue,” Rep. Little explained on Inside Texas Politics. “Texas should be out of the business of Texas’ business and let the economy grow on its own.”
A business attorney with Scheef & Stone, Rep. Little just completed his first session in the Texas House.
And he tells us he’s most proud of HB 4623, a bill he authored that holds school districts and employees accountable for sexual misconduct by removing a district’s sovereign immunity.
“We have a sexual abuse epidemic in our public school system. On any given day, you can see three or four newly reported news stories about teachers sexually abusing students in the state of Texas,” Little said. “This is going to remove that shield of sovereign immunity and cause those school districts to actually put some skin in the game and be accountable to the people who are entrusting their kids to go to school there.”
Little also tells us he is considering a run for Texas Attorney General, a position that’s opening up because current AG Ken Paxton is running for U.S. Senate.
Little was on the team of super lawyers who defended Paxton against impeachment charges in 2023.
“I’m serious about the state of Texas getting the best lawyer it can get. As I’ve told other people, I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet. It would be a major upheaval to my life, my law firm, my family,” he said.