Examining Black History Of The Texas Senate The monuments and paintings of Confederate leaders that adorn the Texas Capitol became a subject of debate last year as Senate Republicans approved a bill that would have made it harder to remove or relocate historic monuments, including those memorializing Confederate figures. Those discussions resumed last month during a hearing of a Senate committee empaneled by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick charged with reviewing the history of the Confederate portraits in the Senate chamber. That committee, the Senate Chamber Review Committee, is composed of five Republicans and three Democrats, including the only two Black members of the Senate — Sens. Royce West, D-Dallas, and Borris Miles, D-Houston.