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Amarillo Gazette

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Texas House to review HB 5020 introduced by John Smithee on Thursday, April 3

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John Smithee, Texas State Representative of the 86th district (R) | https://www.facebook.com/JohnSmitheeHD86/

John Smithee, Texas State Representative of the 86th district (R) | https://www.facebook.com/JohnSmitheeHD86/

Rep. John Smithee introduced HB 5020 to the Texas House on Thursday, April 3 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.

More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’Relating to requirements for the exercise of the power of impeachment by the House of Representatives and providing that officers against whom articles of impeachment are preferred receive pay during the pendency of impeachment proceedings’’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

The bill outlines procedures for the Texas House of Representatives during impeachment proceedings. It allows the House or its committees to call upon persons or documents, compel testimony, and punish contempt similarly to state district courts. Impeachment proceedings must be thorough and impartial, with all testimony given under oath. Officers facing impeachment and their legal counsel have the right to attend hearings, review evidence, and examine witnesses at least seven days before the hearing. House members must have a minimum of 14 days to review impeachment records before voting. Additionally, the bill stipulates that suspended officials continue to receive pay during such proceedings. If passed swiftly, the act takes immediate effect; otherwise, it is effective Sept. 1, 2025.

John Smithee, chair of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence and member of the House Committee on State Affairs, proposed another seven bills during the 89(R) legislative session.

Smithee graduated from West Texas A&M with a BBA and again from Texas Tech University Law School with a JD.

John Smithee is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state's 86th House district. He replaced previous state representative Bob Simpson in 1985.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Other Recent Bills Introduced by Rep. John Smithee in Texas House During 89(R) Legislative Session

Bill NumberDate IntroducedShort Description
HB 450804/03/2025Relating to the administration of and procedures relating to early voting by personal appearance
HB 224804/02/2025Relating to the public information law
HB 368803/25/2025Relating to the issuance of certain anticipation notes and certificates of obligation
HB 7603/18/2025Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds to pay bail bonds
HB 7503/18/2025Relating to the release of defendants on bail, the duties of a magistrate in certain criminal proceedings, and the regulation of charitable bail organizations
HB 195703/14/2025Relating to an exemption from jury service for a person who is over the age of 65
HB 194503/14/2025Relating to the confidentiality of a public or private school employee's home address information in property tax appraisal records

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