Texas Commissioner of Insurance Mike Geeslin announced today that he will not seek another term. His current term ends Feb. 1st but he stated he will stay on for a transition period. Governor Perry has not made any announcement about a replacement for this appointed position.
Speaker Joe Straus has appointed Rep. Will Hartnett (R-Dallas) to serve as the master of discovery in the election contest filed by Republican Dan Neil against Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) in House District 48. Hartnett previously served as master of discovery in the 2005 election contest between former state Rep. Talmadge Heflin and current state Rep. Hubert Vo, both of Houston.
Governor Rick Perry announced several new assignments in the governor’s office. Former Perry campaign manager Rob Johnson is going into the governor’s office as a senior advisor. Jeff Boyd will be the governor’s general counsel; Brandy Marty will be the director of Budget, Planning and Policy; Milton Rister will serve as director of Administration; and Sarah Floerke was named deputy legislative director and House liaison.