Texas Senate

Last updated

Texas Senate
88th Texas Legislature
Seal of State Senate of Texas.svg
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 10, 2023
Leadership
Dan Patrick (R)
since January 20, 2015
Charles Schwertner (R)
since May 29, 2023
Majority Leader
Angela Paxton (R)
since September 16, 2023
Minority Leader
Carol Alvarado (D)
since January 8, 2020
Structure
Seats31
Texas Senate May 2024.svg
Political groups
Majority
  •    Republican (19)

Minority

Length of term
4 years (with one 2-year term each decade)
AuthorityArticle 3, Texas Constitution
Salary$7,200/year + per diem
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
November 8, 2022
(31 seats)
Next election
November 5, 2024
(15 seats)
RedistrictingLegislative control
Meeting place
Austin, Texas (2018) - 084.jpg
State Senate Chamber
Texas State Capitol
Austin, Texas
Website
Texas State Senate

The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, they compose the state legislature of the state of Texas.

Contents

There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 940,000 per constituency, based on the 2020 U.S. Census. Elections are held in even-numbered years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

There are no term limits. Terms are four years in length, with one two-year term each decade. Senators are divided into two groups based in part on the intervening Census:

As such, every two years, about half of the Texas Senate is on the ballot.

The Senate meets at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The Republicans currently control the chamber, which is made up of 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats.

Leadership

The Lieutenant Governor of Texas serves as the President of the Senate. Unlike most lieutenant governors who are constitutionally designated as presiding officers of the upper house, the Lieutenant Governor regularly presides over the chamber rather than delegate this role to the President Pro Tempore. The Lieutenant Governor's duties include appointing chairs of committees, committee members, assigning and referring bills to specific committees, recognizing members during debate, and making procedural rulings. The Lieutenant Governor may also cast a vote should a Senate floor vote end in a tie. If the Senate votes to dissolve itself into the Committee of the Whole, in which all members are part of the Committee, the President Pro-Tempore presides over the proceedings, with the Lieutenant Governor acting as a regular voting member. Due to the various powers of committee selection and bill assignment, the Lieutenant Governor of Texas is considered one of the most powerful lieutenant governorships in the United States.

Unlike other state legislatures, the Texas Senate does not include majority or minority leaders. Instead, the President Pro Tempore is considered the second most powerful position, and can be reserved to any political party in the chamber regardless if the party is a majority or not. Presidents Pro Tempore are usually the most senior members of the Senate. The President Pro Tempore presides when the Lieutenant Governor is not present or when the legislature is not in regular session.

Leaders

PositionNamePartyResidenceDistrict
Lieutenant Governor/President of the Senate Dan Patrick Republican Houston Elected Statewide
President Pro Tempore Charles Schwertner Republican Georgetown 5

History

Quorum-busting

There have been at least three cases of quorum-busting in Texas Senate history. The first case was in 1870, with the Rump Senate, followed by the 1979 Killer Bees [1] and finally the "Texas Eleven" in August 2003 during the controversial mid-decade redistricting plan at the time. [2]

Committee structure

The following represents the Senate committee structure for the 88th Legislature (numbers in parentheses are the number of committee members, as appointed by the President of the Texas Senate). [3]

In addition to these committees, there are also six joint committees composed of members of both the State Senate and House:

Current composition

1219
DemocraticRepublican
AffiliationParty
(shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
2011–121912310
2013–141912310
2015-162011310
2017–182011310
2019–201911310
2021–221813310
2023–241912310
Latest voting share
Senate districts and party affiliation after the 2022 election
Republican Party
Democratic Party TxSen2022Comp.svg
Senate districts and party affiliation after the 2022 election
  Republican Party
  Democratic Party

Current members, 2023–2025

DistrictImageSenatorPartyResidenceFirst electedNext election
1 Bryan Hughes by Gage Skidmore.jpg Bryan Hughes Rep Mineola 20162026
2 Senator Bob Hall.png Bob Hall Rep Edgewood 20142026
3 Robert Nichols Rep Jacksonville 20062026
4 BrandonCreightonPachydermClbConroeTX16OCT2018.jpg Brandon Creighton Rep Conroe 2014†2026
5 Schwertner (cropped).jpg Charles Schwertner Rep Georgetown 20122026
6 Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado.png Carol Alvarado Dem Houston 2018†2024
7 Paul Bettencourt.jpg Paul Bettencourt Rep Houston 20142024
8 Angela Paxton (53805316919) (cropped).jpg Angela Paxton Rep McKinney 20182024
9 Kelly Hancock.jpg Kelly Hancock Rep Fort Worth 20122026
10 Phil King Open Congress Austin 2023.jpg Phil King Rep Weatherford 20222024
11 Mayes Middleton by Gage Skidmore.jpg Mayes Middleton Rep Friendswood 20222026
12 Tan Parker Rep Flower Mound 20222024
13 Borris Miles Dem Houston 20162026
14 Sarah Eckhardt 2021.png Sarah Eckhardt Dem Austin 2020†2024
15 Senator Molly Cook.png Molly Cook Dem Houston 2024†2024
16 Nathan Johnson Dem Dallas 20182024
17 Joan Huffman.jpg Joan Huffman Rep Houston 2008†2024
18 Lois Kolkhorst.jpg Lois Kolkhorst Rep Brenham 2014†2026
19 Roland Gutierrez (cropped).jpg Roland Gutierrez Dem San Antonio 20202026
20 Juan Hinojosa 2008.jpg Juan Hinojosa Dem McAllen 20022024
21 Judith Zaffirini 2009 CROPPED.jpg Judith Zaffirini Dem Laredo 19862026
22 Brian Birdwell, 2019.jpg Brian Birdwell Rep Granbury 2010†2026
23 Hasan Ansari with Hon. State Senator Royce West (cropped).JPG Royce West Dem Dallas 19922024
24 Pete Flores.jpg Pete Flores Rep Pleasanton 20222026
25 Donna Campbell.jpg Donna Campbell Rep New Braunfels 20122024
26 Senator Jose Menendez.jpg Jose Menendez Dem San Antonio 2015†2026
27 Morgan LaMantia Open Congress Austin 2023.jpg Morgan LaMantia Dem Brownsville 20222024
28 Charles Perry Rep Lubbock 2014†2026
29 Cesar Blanco Open Congress Austin 2023.jpg Cesar Blanco Dem El Paso 20202024
30 Drew Springer.jpg Drew Springer Rep Muenster 2020†2024
31 Kevin Sparks Rep Midland 20222026

† Elected in a special election

Notable past members

Past composition of the Senate

The Senate was continuously held by Democrats from the end of the Reconstruction era until the Seventy-fifth Texas Legislature was seated in 1997, at which point Republicans took control. The Republican Party has maintained its control of the Senate since then.

Obsolete districts

See also

Notes

  1. This committees has six members: the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor (who serve as joint chairs), the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees, and one Senator appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; the Committee in turn hires and oversees the State Auditor of Texas.
  2. This committee has ten members: the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor (who serve as joint chairs), the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees, three Senators appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and two Representatives appointed by the Speaker.
  3. This committee has six members: the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, two Senators appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and one Representative appointed by the Speaker.
  4. This committee has 14 members: the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor (who serve as joint chairs), the Chair of the House Administration Committee, six Senators appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and five Representatives appointed by the Speaker.

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References

  1. "12 Texas State Senators, Claiming Political Victory, Come Out of Hiding". New York Times. May 23, 1979. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  2. Fikac, Peggy, August 21, 2003, Senators' 1870 walkout also drew GOP's wrath Reconstruction-era tiff led to arrests and one expulsion, San Antonio Express-News
  3. "Wednesday, January 11, 2023 - 2nd Day".
  4. "Texas State Auditor's Office - Legislative Audit Committee".
  5. "Legislative Budget Board".
  6. "Legislative Reference Library |". lrl.texas.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  7. "Texas Legislative Council". tlc.texas.gov.

30°16′28″N97°44′24″W / 30.274537°N 97.739906°W / 30.274537; -97.739906