Nichols, Hughes appointed to newly-formed special committee to ‘Protect All Texans’

EAST TEXAS – Two East Texas lawmakers were recently appointed to the Senate Special Committee to Protect All Texans. Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) will serve as chair of the committee, while Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) will be a member of the committee. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named them, along with several other members to be charged with studying five areas: school safety, mental health, social media, police training and firearm safety. The committee does not include Democratic Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents the Uvalde area. Patrick said he asked Nichols to hold his hearing on June 23 or a date shortly after in order to give the community of Uvalde time to complete all funeral services. He is also asked to coordinate with the House of Representatives Chair to hold their hearings on the same date, if possible, to accommodate both invited and public witnesses.