A South Texas Democrat will still have input into spending decisions made by the Texas Legislature. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced last week that he has appointed state Senator Juan Hinojosa to the Senate Finance Committee. Hinojosa had served on that committee for more than a decade before being passed over by Patrick in 2020 for fellow South Texas Democrat Eddie Lucio, Junior of Brownsville. When Lucio decided to retire, Patrick again turned to Hinojosa, who will be the committee's vice-chairman.