Texas Legislature
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The Texas Legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Texas Legislature meets every two years in regular session, starting on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years, and sessions can last up to 140 days. 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.
In the 89th Legislature (2025), Republicans hold 88 of the 150 seats in the House and 20 of the 31 seats in the Senate.<ref>Texas Legislative Reference Library. "Party affiliation of members, 89th Legislature." Retrieved 2025.</ref>
| Chamber | Republican | Democratic | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | 20 | 11 | 31 |
| House | 88 | 62 | 150 |
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 every other year, starting on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. Texas is one of only four states — and the largest — that doesn’t hold annual legislative sessions.Template:Cite web Only the governor can call the Legislature into special sessions; the Legislature cannot call itself. Each special session is limited to 30 days, and lawmakers may only consider the issues listed by the governor, though the governor can add more topics during the session.
The Texas Constitution limits the regular session to 140 calendar days. As of 2025, Dan Patrick serves as the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, presiding over the Senate. Dustin Burrows is the Speaker of the House. Both have significant influence over committee assignments and lawmaking in their chambers.
Only the governor can call the Legislature into special sessions; the Legislature cannot call itself. Each special session is limited to 30 days, and lawmakers can only consider the issues listed by the governor, though the governor can add more during the session.
In Texas, only the governor can call the Legislature into special sessions; the Legislature cannot call itself.Template:Cite web The governor may call as many sessions as desired. For example, Governor Rick Perry called three consecutive sessions to address the 2003 Texas congressional redistricting. Each special session is limited to 30 days, and lawmakers can only consider the issues listed by the governor, though the governor can add more during the session.Template:Cite web
By default, bills take effect 90 days after passage, but the Legislature can vote for an earlier date if two-thirds of each chamber agrees.Template:Cite web The Legislature may provide for an effective date that is after the 90th day. Most bills are set to take effect on September 1 in odd-numbered years, which marks the start of Texas’ fiscal year.Template:Cite web Lawmakers can actually submit bills before a session even starts. The most important bills, like the state budget bills HB1 and SB1 usually get the lowest numbers to show they are a top priority.
Many bills can be pre-filed before a session begins, with lower numbers reserved for high-priority bills like HB1 and SB1, which are each chamber’s version of the state budget.Template:Cite web
As of 2025, most members of both the Senate and House are Republicans.Template:Cite web
Qualifications for service
The Texas Constitution sets the qualifications for election to each house as follows:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- A senator must be at least 26 years of age, a resident of Texas for 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 (this takes place in years ending in "2"). 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.<ref>Texas House of Representatives – Frequently Asked Questions</ref>
- Neither may, for the time they were originally elected, hold any civil office under the State that was created during that term, nor for any such office whose compensation was increased during such time. Furthermore, judges (and their clerks) and any person holding a "lucrative office" under the United States, this State or a foreign government, cannot, while remaining in those offices, be a member of the Legislature; tax collectors and those entrusted with public money must receive a discharge for those funds before they are eligible to the Legislature.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Salary of legislative officials
State legislators in Texas make $600 per month, or $7,200 per year, plus a per diem of $221 for every day the Legislature is in session (also including any special sessions). That adds up to $38,140 a year for a regular session (140 days), with the total pay for a two-year term being $45,340.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Legislators receive a pension after eight years of service, starting at age 60.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Makeup
Senate
| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Republican Party | 20 |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Democratic Party | 11 |
| Total |
31 | |
House of Representatives
| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Republican Party | 88 |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Democratic Party | 62 |
| Total |
150 | |
Support agencies
The Texas Legislature has five support agencies that are within the legislative branch of state government.
Those five agencies are as follows:
- Texas Legislative Budget Board
- Texas Legislative Council
- Texas Legislative Reference Library
- Texas State Auditor
- Texas Sunset Advisory Commission
Scandals
- In 1971, it was revealed that Houston banker and insurance company manager Frank Sharp and his companies granted $600,000 in loans from his bank to state officials who would, in turn, purchase stock in National Bankers Life, to be resold later at a huge profit. Many statewide office holders and members of the legislature were implicated. House Speaker Gus Mutscher Jr. along with a handful of other legislators would be fined and put on probation. While most of those involved did not face legal punishments, many were voted out of office due to their connection to the scandal. The incident led to the introduction of many campaign finance and open record reforms.Template:Main
- In 1989, Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim, co-founder of the chicken production company Pilgrim's Pride entered the Texas Senate and handed out $10,000 US checks to nine of the state senators two days before the body was scheduled to vote on a bill to make major changes to the state workers' compensation system. Pilgrim was not a supporter of the bill, and defended his actions by saying the checks were campaign contributions, not an attempt at bribery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The episode was dubbed "Chickengate" and led to changes in the state's ethics laws.
- On April 10, 2023, a complaint against Republican Rep. Bryan Slaton was made public, alleging that Slaton had an "inappropriate relationship" with an intern. The Texas House General Investigating Committee investigated the alleged incident, and found that Slaton had provided alcohol to a 19-year old legislative aide before the two had sexual relations at Slaton's apartment in Austin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The committee, composed of three Republicans and two Democrats, unanimously recommended Slaton's expulsion from the House. Slaton resigned from the House on May 8, 2023, but unless expelled he would have been entitled to his salary and per diem under Texas law until a successor was elected. On May 9, 2023, the House expelled Slaton by a vote of 147–0.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
Further reading
- "Citizen Handbook". The Senate of Texas. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- Template:Handbook of Texas. Retrieved 13 April 2005.
- Stanley K. Young, Texas Legislative Handbook (1973).
- Univ. of Tex., The Legislative Branch in Texas Politics, [1] (last accessed Oct. 8, 2006) (stating that "The Texas Legislature is the most powerful of the three main branches of government[,]" primarily because it is "less weak than the other branches").
- See also: Texas Government Newsletter
External links
- Texas Legislature Online
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas Senate
- 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
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