The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of Texas. The
legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member
House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in
Austin. It is a powerful arm of the Texas government not only because of its
power of the purse to control and direct the activities of state government and
the strong constitutional connections between it and the Lieutenant Governor
of Texas, but also due to Texas's plural executive.
The Legislature is the constitutional successor of the Congress of the
Republic of Texas since Texas's 1845 entrance into the Union. The Legislature
held its first regular session from February 16 to May 13, 1846.
Structure and operations The Texas Legislature meets in regular
session on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. The Texas
Constitution limits the regular session to 140 calendar days. The lieutenant
governor, elected statewide separately from the governor, presides over the
Senate, while the Speaker of the House is elected from that body by its
members. Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their
respective houses and have a large impact on lawmaking in the state.
Only the governor may call the Legislature into special sessions,
unlike other states where the legislature may call itself into
session. The governor may call as many sessions as he or she desires. For
example, Governor Rick Perry called three consecutive sessions to address
the 2003 Texas congressional redistricting. The Texas Constitution
limits the duration of each special session to 30 days; lawmakers may
consider only those issues designated by the governor in his "call," or
proclamation convening the special session.
Any bill passed by the Legislature takes effect 90 days after its passage unless
two-thirds of each house votes to give the bill either immediate effect or
earlier effect. The Legislature may provide for an effective date that is
after the 90th day. Under current legislative practice, most bills are
given an effective date of September 1 in odd-numbered years.
Although members are elected on partisan ballots, both houses of the Legislature
are officially organized on a nonpartisan basis, with members of both
parties serving in leadership positions such as committee chairmanships. As of
2015, a majority of the members of each chamber are members of the Republican
Party. Qualification for service
The Texas Constitution sets the qualifications for election to each
house as follows: A senator must be at least 26 years of
age, a citizen of Texas five years prior to election and a resident of the
district from which elected one year prior to election. Each senator serves a
four-year term and one-half of the Senate membership is elected every two
years in even-numbered years, with the exception that all the Senate seats are
up for election for the first legislature following the decennial
census in order to reflect the newly redrawn districts. After the initial
election, the Senate is divided by lot into two classes, with one class having
a re-election after two years and the other having a re-election after four
years. A representative must be at least 21
years of age, a citizen of Texas for two years prior to election and a resident
of the district from which elected one year prior to election. They are elected
for two-year terms, running for re-election in even-numbered years.
Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has term limits.
Salary of legislative officials State legislators in Texas make $600 per
month, or $7,200 per year, plus a per diem of $150 for every day the
Legislature is in session. That adds up to $33,800 a year for a regular session,
with the total pay for a two-year term being $41,000.
Makeup of the Texas Senate Makeup of the Texas House of
Representatives Support agencies
The Texas Legislature has five support agencies that are within the legislative
branch of state government. Those five agencies are:
Texas Legislative Budget Board; Texas Legislative Council;
Texas Legislative Reference Library; Texas State Auditor; and
Texas Sunset Advisory Commission Scandals
On May 14, 2007, CBS Austin affiliate KEYE reported on the rampant multiple
voting by members of the Texas House of Representatives during a voting session.
The report noted how representatives would race to the nearest empty seats to
register votes for absent members on the legislature's automated voting machines.
Each representative would vote for the nearest absent members, apparently
regardless of party affiliation. This practice was in direct violation of a
Rule of the Texas Legislature; however, no house member had ever been
disciplined for the practice. The then-Speaker of the House Tom Craddick,
responsible for enforcement of the rule, issued a statement that discipline for
violations of the rule is left to the individual house members.
See also Sunset Advisory Commission
References Further reading
"Citizen Handbook". The Senate of Texas. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
Texas Legislature from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 13 April 2005.
Stanley K. Young, Texas Legislative Handbook.
Univ. of Tex., The Legislative Branch in Texas Politics, [1].
See also: Texas Government Newsletter External links
Texas Legislature Online Texas House of Representatives
Texas Senate Reference Library of Texas
Open Government Texas from the Sunlight Foundation
Texas at Project Vote Smart Texas Politics – The Legislative Branch
Texas Government Newsletter and Voter's Guide to the Texas Legislature
Billhop – Texas Legislative Wiki