Texas House of Representatives
General Information
Party control:	Republican
Session start:[1]	January 12, 2021
Session end:[1]	May 31, 2021
Term length:	2 years
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Legislature-dominant
Salary:	$7,200/year + per diem
Members
Total:	150
Democrats:	66
Republicans:	83
Other:	0
Vacancies:	1
Leadership
Speaker:	Dade Phelan (R)
Elections
Last election:	November 3, 2020
Next election:	November 8, 2022

The Texas House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Texas State Legislature. Alongside the Texas State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the Texas state government and works alongside the governor of Texas to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Texas House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Texas House of Representatives meets in the state capitol building in Austin, Texas.

Texas enacted new state legislative districts on October 25, 2021. The Senate Redistricting Committee released a draft of a Senate legislative map on September 18, 2021. A Senate panel advanced the proposal to the full Senate for debate on September 28, 2021. The Senate approved an amended version in a 20-11 vote on October 4.^[2] On October 13, 2021, the full House approved an amended version of the map introduced on September 30 with a vote evenly split along party lines.^[3] The House and Senate approved maps for each other's districts on October 15, 2021. The House approved the Senate map by an 81-60 vote, and the Senate approved the House map by an 18-13 vote.^[4] Gov. Abbott signed both maps into law on October 25, 2021.^[5]These maps take effect for Texas' 2022 legislative elections. Click here for more information about redistricting after the 2020 census.

All 150 House seats were up for election in 2020. The chamber's Republican majority remained 83-67. Click to read more »

Texas has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

This page contains the following information on the Texas House of Representatives.

• Which party controls the chamber
• The chamber's current membership
• Partisan control of the chamber over time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• A district map
• How redistricting works in the state
• Legislation currently under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list of committees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Texas House of Representatives as of November 2021:

Party		As of November 2021
	Democratic Party	66
	Republican Party	83
	Vacancies	1
Total		150

Members

Leadership

The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body.^[6]

Current leadership and members

• Speaker of the House: Dade Phelan (R)

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$7,200/year	$221/day. Set by ethics commission. Unvouchered.

Swearing in dates

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Texas legislators assume office at the beginning of the legislative session, which starts at noon on the second Tuesday in January in the year after the election.^[7]

Membership qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in the Texas House of Representatives, a candidate must be:^[8]

• A U.S. citizen
• 21 years old before the general election
• A two-year resident of Texas before the general election
• A district resident for 1 year prior to the general election

Historical party control

Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Texas House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 91-58 majority. Republicans flipped the chamber in 2002 and, by 2020, expanded their majority to 83-67. The table below shows the partisan history of the Texas House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Texas House of Representatives Party Control: 1992-2020

Year	'92	'94	'96	'98	'00	'02	'04	'06	'08	'10	'12	'14	'16	'18	'20
Democrats	91	89	82	79	78	62	63	69	74	51	55	52	55	67	67
Republicans	58	61	68	71	72	88	87	81	76	99	95	98	95	83	83

Republicans gained control of the state House in 2002 after gaining 16 seats. The partisan balance of the chamber moved 14 seats in favor of Republicans in the four elections leading up to the 2002 elections. Between 2002 and 2008, Democrats were able to take back 12 seats. After 2008, the chamber was nearly split at a 76-74 Republican majority. Republicans' largest gains would occur as a result of the 2010 elections, when they picked up 23 seats. Democrats gained 16 seats between 2010 and 2020.

Trifecta history

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2021, Texas was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 1992-1994
• Republican trifecta: 2003-2021
• Divided government: 1995-2002

Texas Party Control: 1992-2021
Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Nineteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
Governor	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Elections

Elections by year

Texas state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. Texas holds elections for its legislature in even years.

2022

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022

Elections for the Texas House of Representatives will take place in 2022. The general election is on November 8, 2022. A primary is scheduled for March 1, 2022, and a primary runoff is scheduled for May 24, 2022. The filing deadline is December 13, 2021.

2020

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for March 3, 2020, and a primary runoff was scheduled for July 14, 2020. The filing deadline was December 9, 2019.

In the 2020 elections, Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives maintained their 83-67 majority.

Texas House of Representatives
Party		As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	67	67
	Republican Party	83	83
Total		150	150

2018

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2018

Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on March 6, 2018.^[9] A primary runoff election took place on May 22, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was December 11, 2017Candidate filing deadline.^[10]

In the 2018 elections, the Republican majority in the Texas House of Representatives was reduced from 93-55 to 83-67.

Texas House of Representatives
Party		As of November 6, 2018	After November 7, 2018
	Democratic Party	55	67
	Republican Party	93	83
	Vacancy	2	0
Total		150	150

2016

See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.^[11] All 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

Heading into the election, Republicans held a 99-50 majority with one vacancy. Republicans lost five seats in the election, giving them a 95-55 majority.

Texas House of Representatives
Party		As of November 7, 2016	After November 8, 2016
	Democratic Party	50	55
	Republican Party	99	95
	Independent	1	0
Total		150	150

Click [show] to see election information dating back to 2000

2014 See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2014 Elections for all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. Those candidates who did not receive 50 percent or more of the vote in their party primary on March 4 faced an additional May 27 primary runoff. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 94-55 majority with one vacancy. Republicans gained four seats in the election, giving them a 98-52 majority. Texas House of Representatives Party As of November 3, 2014 After November 4, 2014      Democratic Party 55 52      Republican Party 94 98      Vacancy 1 0 Total 150 150 2012 See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2012 Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives took place in 2012. The primary election was held on May 29, 2012, and the general election was held on November 6, 2012. A primary runoff election was scheduled for July 31, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was December 19, 2011. All 150 seats were up for election. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 100-48 majority with two vacancies. Republicans lost five seats in the election, giving them a 95-55 majority. Texas House of Representatives Party As of November 5, 2012 After the 2012 Election      Democratic Party 48 55      Republican Party 100 95      Vacancy 2 0 Total 150 150 The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election. 2012 Margin of Victory, Texas House of Representatives District Winner Margin of Victory Total Votes Top Opponent District 107 Kenneth Sheets 1.7% 50,886 Robert Miklos District 105 Linda Harper-Brown 1.8% 43,353 Rosemary Robbins District 43 J.M. Lozano 3.1% 46,703 Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles District 144 Mary Ann Perez 6.5% 23,904 David Pineda District 117 Philip Cortez 7.6% 41,611 John Garza District 78 Joe Moody 7.7% 42,080 Dee Margo District 23 Craig Eiland 7.9% 56,410 Wayne Faircloth District 114 Jason Villalba 8.3% 62,732 Carol Kent District 134 Sarah Davis 9.3% 80,424 Ann Johnson District 45 Jason Isaac 11.2% 62,656 John Adams 2010 See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2010 Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives took place in 2010. The primary election was held on March 2, 2010, and the general election was held on November 2, 2010. The runoff election was held on April 13, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was January 4, 2010. All 150 seats were up for election in 2010. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 76-73 majority with one vacancy. Republicans gained 22 seats in the election, giving them a 98-51 majority with one vacancy. Texas House of Representatives Party As of November 1, 2010 After the 2010 Election      Democratic Party 73 51      Republican Party 76 98      Vacancy 1 1 Total 150 150 In 2010, the candidates for state House raised a total of $78,482,292 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were:[12] 2010 Donors, Texas House of Representatives Donor Amount Texans for Lawsuit Reform $5,176,786 Texans for Insurance Reform $2,591,865 Associated Republicans of Texas $2,133,555 House Democratic Campaign Cmte $1,950,747 Perry, Bob J $1,733,500 Taylor, Van $950,000 Joe R Straus III Campaign $889,000 Texas Association of Realtors $814,570 Annies List $778,860 Perry, Doylene $567,500 2008 See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2008 Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 4, 2008, and a general election on November 4, 2008. During the 2008 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $71,266,729. The top 10 contributors were:[13] 2008 Donors, Texas House of Representatives Donor Amount Texans For Lawsuit Reform $2,833,416 Perry, Bob J $2,016,500 Texans For Insurance Reform $1,571,316 Stars Over Texas PAC $1,232,000 Texas Association Of Realtors $1,030,082 Texas Republican Party $1,020,977 House Democratic Campaign Cmte $992,700 Texas Parent PAC $951,997 Blue Texas $920,000 Butt, Charles C $710,075 2006 See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2006 Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 7, 2006, and a general election on November 7, 2006. During the 2006 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $65,368,501. The top 10 contributors were:[14] 2006 Donors, Texas House of Representatives Donor Amount Texans For Lawsuit Reform $2,402,797 Texas Republican Legislative Campaign Cmte $2,161,162 Perry, Bob J $1,848,750 Texans For Insurance Reform $1,375,219 Stars Over Texas PAC $943,967 Texas Association Of Realtors $815,098 Durrett, Larry K & Jackie $611,500 AT&T $599,093 H-E-B Grocery $588,818 Associated Republicans Of Texas $578,367 2004 See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2004 Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 9, 2004, and a general election on November 2, 2004. During the 2004 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $44,062,003. The top 10 contributors were:[15] 2004 Donors, Texas House of Representatives Donor Amount Texans For Lawsuit Reform $1,616,026 Texans For Insurance Reform $1,493,274 Perry, Bob J $823,500 Leibowitz, David McQuade $574,980 Stars Over Texas PAC $552,785 Texas Medical Association $444,413 SBC Communications $424,124 Texas Association Of Realtors $384,727 Texas Trial Lawyers Association $383,758 Askew, Neal & Anita $371,000 2002 See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2002 Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 12, 2002, and a general election on November 5, 2002. During the 2002 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $37,274,594. The top 10 contributors were:[16] 2002 Donors, Texas House of Representatives Donor Amount Texas Democratic Party $643,807 Texans For A Republican Majority/TRMPAC $447,133 Texans For Lawsuit Reform $442,083 Perry, Bob J $401,000 Texas Association Of Realtors $394,077 Texas Dental Association $345,400 Texas Medical Association $286,371 Texas Bell $280,500 Barger, John $260,659 Republican National State Elections Cmte $249,000 2000 See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2000 Elections for the office of Texas House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on March 14, 2000, and a general election on November 7, 2000. During the 2000 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $20,074,748. The top 10 contributors were:[17] 2000 Donors, Texas House of Representatives Donor Amount Texas Democratic Party $1,702,238 Texas Republican Party $1,158,221 Associated Republicans Of Texas $365,598 Texas Bell Employee PAC $361,207 National Republican Congressional Cmte $311,769 Texas Association Of Realtors $289,377 Texas Trial Lawyers Association $264,466 Perry, Bob J $261,500 Texas Automobile Dealers Association $252,090 Texas Dental Association $233,007

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Texas State Legislature, the governor must call a special election to fill the vacant seat.^[18] A governor's proclamation to hold a special election must be delivered to local elections authorities representing the vacant seat no later than 36 days before the scheduled election.^[19]

The secretary of state can declare a candidate duly elected in a special election if there is no opposition.^[20]

See sources: Texas Elec. Code § 203.001 et. seq.

District map

See also: Texas state legislative districts

The state of Texas has 150 state House districts. Each district elects one representative.

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Texas

In Texas, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Texas State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.^[21]

If the state legislature is unable to approve a state legislative redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines (the backup commission is not involved in congressional redistricting). This backup commission, established in 1948, comprises the following members:^[21]

1. Lieutenant governor
2. Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
3. Attorney general
4. State comptroller
5. Commissioner of the General Land Office

The Texas Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and "that they preserve whole counties when population mandates permit."^[21]

2020

See also: Redistricting in Texas after the 2020 census

Texas enacted new state legislative districts on October 25, 2021. The Senate Redistricting Committee released a draft of a Senate legislative map on September 18, 2021. A Senate panel advanced the proposal to the full Senate for debate on September 28, 2021. The Senate approved an amended version in a 20-11 vote on October 4.^[22] On October 13, 2021, the full House approved an amended version of the map introduced on September 30 with a vote evenly split along party lines.^[23] The House and Senate approved maps for each other's districts on October 15, 2021. The House approved the Senate map by an 81-60 vote, and the Senate approved the House map by an 18-13 vote.^[24] Gov. Abbott signed both maps into law on October 25, 2021.^[25]These maps take effect for Texas' 2022 legislative elections.

District map after 2020 redistricting

This map takes effect for Texas' 2022 legislative elections.

2010

See also: Redistricting in Texas after the 2010 census

Texas received its local census data on February 17, 2011. The state grew 20.6%, with Hispanics making up at least 2/3 of that growth. The growth rate in the largest cities was as follows: Houston grew by 7.5 percent, San Antonio grew by 16.0 percent, Dallas grew by 0.8 percent, Austin grew by 20.4 percent, and Fort Worth grew by 38.6 percent. Harris County grew by 20%, which suggested suburban growth.^[26]

The Texas State Senate released a proposed map of its 31 districts on May 11, 2011. The Senate and House plans were passed by the Texas Legislature on May 21, 2011, and were signed by Gov. Rick Perry (R) on June 17, 2011. Attorney General Greg Abbott submitted Texas' redistricting maps to a panel of three federal judges in Washington DC on July 19, 2011, as required under the Voting Rights Act. The DC federal court rejected Texas' senate and house maps on November 8, 2011, denying the state's request for preclearance summary judgment.^[27] The Texas House of Representatives approved new district maps during a June 2013 special session. The maps passed the Texas State Senate and were signed into law by Gov. Perry on June 26, 2013.^[28][29]

Sessions

Legislation

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Texas House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the House to the Senate and legislation that has already been approved by both chambers and signed by the governor. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in Texas by year

2021

See also: 2021 Texas legislative session and Dates of 2021 state legislative sessions

In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 12, 2021, and adjourn on May 31, 2021.

2020

See also: Dates of 2020 state legislative sessions

In 2020, the legislature did not hold a regular session.

2019

See also: 2019 Texas legislative session and Dates of 2019 state legislative sessions

In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 8, 2019, through May 27, 2019.

2018

See also: Dates of 2018 state legislative sessions

In 2018, the legislature did not hold a regular session.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2017 See also: Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 10, 2017, through May 29, 2017. A special session was held from July 18 to August 15. Click [show] to read about the 2017 special session. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called a 30-day special session after the legislature failed to pass sunset legislation that would prevent the shutdown of five government agencies, including the Texas Medical Board. Abbot’s special session proclamation and supplemental call allowed for a more broad range of matters to be taken up during the special session. Among the 20 items on Abbott’s special session agenda was legislation related to bathroom usage, changes to property taxes, school finance, and mail-in ballot fraud.[30][31] On July 18, two sunset bills were approved in Senate committee after Republicans took measures to move the legislation past debate and straight into committee. Shortly after midnight on July 20, SB 20 and SB 60 were given final approval by the Senate, allowing for additional agenda items to be taken up by the chamber.[32][33] On August 11, the House gave final approval on the two Senate bills, and Abbott signed both bills that day.[34] Legislation on mail-in ballot fraud and school finance did end up being signed by Abbott. The Senate and House were unable to agree on key thresholds for when local governments would require voter approval to raise property taxes. The Senate passed a bill on bathroom usage, but the House did not take up the subject in committee. On the final day of the special session, the House voted in favor of the Senate's version of HB21. The bill originally put $1.8 billion into public schools, but the Senate Education Committee voted days earlier to reduce that amount by $1.5 billion. The bill also set up a commission to further study the issue in advance of more significant changes to school finance during the 2019 legislative session. The Texas Freedom Caucus played a role in the legislature’s failure to renew the Texas Medical Board during the regular session. On May 11, the caucus used procedural tactics in the House rules (blocking legislation not expected to generate debate from being fast tracked) to prevent votes on more than 100 pieces of legislation, including bills renewing the medical board and other state agencies. The caucus released a statement in support of a special session and the agenda items established for the special session.[35][36] 2016 See also: Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2015 See also: Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 13 through June 1. Major issues in 2015 Major issues during the 2015 legislative session included transportation funding, especially funding of the Texas Department of Transportation. A bill meant to help alleviate funding issues within the agency died in the last legislative session, leaving the issue to the 2015 legislative session. Officials from the agency told lawmakers they needed an additional $4 billion a year to maintain the state's current traffic levels.[37] 2014 See also: Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2013 See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 8 to May 27. Thirty minutes after the regular session ended, Governor Rick Perry (R) called legislators back for a special session starting that evening.[38] Tweets from @texastribune / texas-legislators Major issues in 2013 Along with the necessity of creating a new budget, some of the biggest issues included Medicaid and school funding, a water shortage, and reforming the school finance system.[39] Wallace Hall impeachment See also: Wallace Hall impeachment trial After he was appointed in 2011, University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall began looking into what he believed to be clout scandals within the University of Texas system. Hall investigated the university's forgivable-loans program and admissions policies and preferential treatment to politically-connected individuals.[40] Hall, as an individual citizen, filed FOIA requests with the university system after his inquiries via his role as a Regent were rebuffed.[41] According to his accusers, Hall filed requests of more than 800,000 pages, which some Texas administrators called an unnecessary burden.[42][43] However, a letter from university chancellor Francisco Cigarroa in February 2014 said that Hall likely requested fewer than 100,000 pages.[44][45] In addition, Cigarroa wrote: "During testimony before the Select Committee, some early witnesses implied that the U.T. System has not protected the privacy rights of students, staff, and patients. This is simply not true."[46] An effort was begun in June 2013 by members of the Texas State House to try and impeach Hall from his position as Regent. Some legislators justified the impeachment on the grounds that Hall did not disclose several lawsuits that he was involved in when he originally completed his Regent background check. Hall updated Governor Rick Perry's (R) office in April 2013 with the full list.[47][48] The lack of lawsuit disclosure by Hall was not unique -- more than 9,000 lawsuits were not disclosed by other appointed Texas officials.[49][50] Perry's spokesperson said the investigations sent a "chilling message" to gubernatorial appointees.[51] He added that the investigation was "extraordinary political theater."[52] Texas state legislators had never previously tried to remove an appointed official. Only two elected officials in the history of Texas have ever been successfully impeached.[53] Texas State House Speaker Joe Straus (R) authorized the Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations to investigate the possibility of drafting articles of impeachment.[54] The committee censured Hall but did not impeach him. 2012 See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2011 (82nd Legislature) See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions Regular session In 2011, the legislature was in session from January 11 through May 30.[55]Major themes throughout the session were fixing a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall, state and congressional redistricting, and immigration reform. While redistricting maps were passed for the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas State Senate, and the State Board of Education, the legislature failed to pass a congressional map within the regular session. Special session The 82nd Legislative Session officially ended Monday, May 30, 2011. Due to a lack of progress on key legislative items, Governor Rick Perry (R) called a special session which began first thing Tuesday, May 31, 2011. Of primary concern in the special session was passing supporting legislation needed to balance the budget. Even though a budget bill passed both the House and Senate during the regular session, a last-minute filibuster by Democratic Senator Wendy Davis halted the passing of an essential school finance bill that was required to balance the budget. The Texas Constitution requires a balanced budget, so a special session was called. Balancing the budget was not the only item on the special session agenda. Medicaid reform, immigration, and congressional redistricting were amongst the issues to be addressed.[56] 2010 See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions In 2010, the legislature did not hold a regular session.[57] 2009 In 2009, the legislature met in session from January 13 through June 1.[58]

About legislative sessions in Texas

The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[59] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

Article III of the Texas Constitution establishes when the Texas State Legislature, of which the House of Representatives is a part, is to be in session. Section 5 of Article III states that the Legislature shall meet every two years at times to be established by law. Section 5 goes on to say that the Legislature can also be convened by the governor of Texas.

Legislative roles and procedures

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, and procedures for filling membership vacancies.

Veto overrides

See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Texas are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 100 of the 150 members in the Texas House of Representatives and 21 of the 31 members in the Texas State Senate. Texas is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

Authority: Article 4, Section 14 of the Texas Constitution.

"Every bill which shall have passed both houses of the Legislature shall be presented to the Governor for his approval. If he approve he shall sign it; but if he disapprove it, he shall return it, with his objections, to the House in which it originated, which House shall enter the objections at large upon its journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the members present agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, with the objections, to the other House, by which likewise it shall be reconsidered; and, if approved by two-thirds of the members of that House, it shall become a law; but in such cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the members voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively."

Role in state budget

See also: Texas state budget and finances

Texas on

Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets • Civil liberties • Education • Elections • Energy • Environment • Healthcare • Pensions

The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[60]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies beginning in June.
2. Agencies submit their budget requests to the governor between July and September.
3. Agency hearings are held between July and October.
4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature by the date of the State of the State address.
5. The legislature typically adopts a budget in May. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year begins in September.

Texas is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.^[60]

The legislature is constitutionally required to adopt a balanced budget. The governor must sign a balanced budget into law.^[60]

Committees

See also: List of committees in Texas state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Texas House of Representatives has 34 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Texas Constitution can be amended:

See also: Article 17 of the Texas Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Texas

Texas Constitution
Preamble
Articles
1 • 2 3 (1-43) • 3 (44-49) • 3 (50-67) 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17

• As laid out in Article 17, in order for a proposed constitutional amendment to go before the people, the Texas State Legislature must propose the amendment in a joint resolution of both the Texas State Senate and the Texas House of Representatives.

• The joint resolution can originate in either branch of the legislature. The resolution must be adopted by a vote of at least two-thirds of the membership of each house of the legislature. That amounts to a minimum of 100 votes in the House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Senate.
• Amendments may be proposed in either regular or special sessions.
• Joint resolutions endorsing a proposed amendment must include the text of the proposed constitutional amendment and specify an election date. These joint resolutions may include more than one proposed amendment.
• If more than one proposition is under consideration on a ballot, the Texas Secretary of State conducts a random drawing to assign each proposition a ballot number.
• If voters reject an amendment, the legislature can resubmit it. For example, after Proposition 2 was rejected in August 1991, the legislature re-adopted it and re-submitted it for that year's November ballot, where it was approved as Texas Proposition 13 (1991).
• The ballot wording of a proposition is specified in the joint resolution adopted by the Legislature, which has broad discretion in this matter. Texas courts have heard challenges to proposed ballot wording but have generally ruled that "ballot language is sufficient if it describes the proposed amendment with such definiteness and certainty that voters will not be misled."^[61]
• The Legislature may call an election for voter consideration of proposed constitutional amendments on any date, as long as election authorities have sufficient time to provide notice to the voters and print the ballots.
• A brief explanatory statement of the nature of each proposed amendment, along with the ballot wording for each amendment, must be published twice in each newspaper in the state that prints official notices. The first notice must be published 50 to 60 days before the election. The second notice must be published on the same day of the subsequent week. The secretary of state must send a complete copy of each amendment to each county clerk, who must post it in the courthouse at least 30 days prior to the election.
• The secretary of state drafts the ballot explanation. This must be approved by the Attorney General of Texas.
• Constitutional amendments take effect when the official vote canvass confirms statewide majority approval, unless a later date is specified. Statewide election results are tabulated by the secretary of state and must be canvassed by the governor 15 to 30 days following the election.

2021 measures:

Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2021 ballot by the legislature.

See also: Texas 2021 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures were certified for the ballot.

• Texas Proposition 1, Authorize Charitable Raffles at Rodeo Venues Amendment (2021)
• Texas Proposition 2, Authorize Counties to Issue Infrastructure Bonds in Blighted Areas Amendment (2021)
• Texas Proposition 3, Prohibition on Limiting Religious Services or Organizations Amendment (2021)
• Texas Proposition 4, Changes to Eligibility for Certain Judicial Offices Amendment (2021)
• Texas Proposition 5, State Commission on Judicial Conduct Authority Over Candidates for Judicial Office Amendment (2021)
• Texas Proposition 6, Right to Designated Essential Caregiver Amendment (2021)
• Texas Proposition 7, Homestead Tax Limit for Surviving Spouses of Disabled Individuals Amendment (2021)
• Texas Proposition 8, Homestead Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouses of Military Fatally Injured in the Line of Duty Amendment (2021)

See also

Elections	Texas State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022 Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020 Texas House of Representatives elections, 2018	Texas State Legislature Texas State Senate Governor of Texas Texas Supreme Court	State legislative elections, 2022 State legislative elections, 2021 State legislative elections, 2020 State legislative elections, 2019 State legislative elections, 2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures

Footnotes

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