Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Senate committee assignments for the 86th legislative session earlier today. The leaders of the committees are as follows:

• Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), Chair
• Sen. Pat Fallon (R-Denton County), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo), Chair
• Sen. Jose Rodriguez (D-Alice), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-Fort Worth), Chair
• Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville), Vice-Chair

• Sen. John Whitmire (R-Hillsboro), Chair
• Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Houston), Chair
• Sen. Eddie Lucio II (D-Brownsville), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound), Chair
• Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Harris County), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, (R-Brenham), Chair
• Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), Chair
• Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville), Chair
• Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury), Chair
• Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Dawn Buckingham (R-Lakeway), Chair
• Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Harris County), Chair
• Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), Chair
• Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville), Chair
• Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels), Chair
• Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), Vice-Chair

• Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), Chair
• Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), Vice Chair

Committees in both the House and the Senate are an integral part of the legislative process. Once a bill has been introduced on the floor it is referred to a committee where committee chairs have the power to hold hearings on the bill in order to get testimony and make amendments or to hold the bill hostage and not have it move forward in the legislative process at all.

The above is only a list of committee chair and vice-chair assignments a full list of assignments can be found here.