Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has directed lawmakers to study whether parts of southeastern New Mexico could be annexed into Texas, a move that has drawn swift criticism from New Mexico officials, who dismissed the idea as unrealistic and politically driven.
Burrows, a Republican, ordered a legislative committee on March 26 to examine "the constitutional, statutory, fiscal, and economic implications" of adding "one or more contiguous counties" of New Mexico to Texas. The directive is part of a broader set of interim priorities ahead of the state's next legislative session.
