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| Texas State Legislature | |
| General information | |
| Type: | State legislature |
| Term limits: | None |
| Session start: | No regular legislative session |
| Website: | Official Legislature Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Dan Patrick (R) |
| House Speaker: | Dustin Burrows (R) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 31 (Senate), 150 (House) |
| Length of term: | 4 years (Senate), 2 years (House) |
| Authority: | Art 3, Texas Constitution |
| Salary: | $7,200/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last election: | November 5, 2024 |
| Next election: | November 3, 2026 |
| Redistricting: | Texas Legislature has control |
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of Texas. The legislature meets at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. In Texas, the legislature is considered "the dominant branch of state government," according to the Texas State Historical Association.[1]
It is composed of the upper chamber, the Texas State Senate, and the lower chamber, the Texas House of Representatives.
Texas entered the Union in 1845. The first legislature met from February 16 to May 13, 1846.
Texas has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.
The current make-up of the Texas Legislature is as follows: There are 31 Senators in the Texas State Senate.
As of the 2020 Census, Texas state senators represented an average of 941,396 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 815,110 residents.
| As of January 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 11 | |
| Republican | 18 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 2 | |
| Total | 31 | |
Click here for a list of members of this chamber.
Republicans won control of the Texas State Senate in 1996. In 2024, they won a 20-11 majority.
The table below shows the partisan history of the Texas Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. 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 State Senate election results: 1992-2024
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 | '24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| Republicans | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
There are 150 representatives in the Texas House of Representatives.
As of the 2020 Census, Texas state representatives represented an average of 194,555 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 168,456 residents.
| As of January 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 62 | |
| Republican | 88 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 150 | |
Click here for a list of members of this chamber.
Republicans won control of the Texas House of Representatives in 2002. In 2024, they won an 88-62 majority.
The table below shows the partisan history of the Texas House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. 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 election results: 1992-2024
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 | '24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 91 | 89 | 82 | 79 | 78 | 62 | 63 | 69 | 74 | 51 | 55 | 52 | 55 | 67 | 67 | 64 | 62 |
| Republicans | 58 | 61 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 76 | 99 | 95 | 98 | 95 | 83 | 83 | 86 | 88 |
Elections for the Texas State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and the primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline was December 8, 2025.
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and the primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline was December 8, 2025.
Elections for the Texas State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was March 5, 2024, and the primary runoff was May 28, 2024. The filing deadline was December 11, 2023.
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was March 5, 2024, and the primary runoff was May 28, 2024. In 2024, minor party county conventions were held on March 16, 2024, and district conventions were held on March 24, 2024. The filing deadline was December 11, 2023.
Elections for the Texas State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for March 1, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for May 24, 2022. The filing deadline was December 13, 2021.
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for March 1, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for May 24, 2022. The filing deadline was December 13, 2021.
Elections for the office of Texas State Senate 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.
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.
Elections for the Texas State Senate took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on March 6, 2018.[2] 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, 2017.[3]
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2018. An open primary election took place on March 6, 2018.[4] 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, 2017.[5]
Elections for the Texas State Senate 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.[6]
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.[7]
Elections for 15 of the 31 seats in the Texas State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. 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.
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.
Elections for the office of Texas State Senate took place in 2012. The primary election was held on May 29, 2012, and the general election was held on November 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was March 9, 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. The candidate filing deadline was March 9, 2012.
Elections for the office of Texas State Senate took place in 2010. The primary election was held on March 2, 2010, and the general election was held on November 2, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was January 4, 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 candidate filing deadline was January 4, 2010.
Article III of the Texas Constitution establishes when the Legislature 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. Current law establishes the start of session to be noon on the second Tuesday in January of all odd numbered years.[8] Section 5 goes on to say that the Legislature can also be convened by the Governor of Texas. Sessions are limited to 140 days.
In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 14, 2025, and adjourn on June 2, 2025.
| Click [show] for past years' session dates. | ||
|---|---|---|
2024[edit]
In 2024, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2023[edit]In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 10, 2023, and adjourn on May 29, 2023. 2022[edit]
In 2022, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2021[edit]In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 12, 2021, and adjourn on May 31, 2021. 2020[edit]
In 2020, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2019[edit]In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 8, 2019, through May 27, 2019. 2018[edit]
In 2018, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2017[edit]
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.
2016[edit]
In 2016, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2015[edit]
In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 13 through June 1. Major issues in 2015[edit]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.[16] 2014[edit]
In 2014, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2013[edit]
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.[17] Major issues in 2013[edit]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.[18] Wallace Hall impeachment[edit]
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.[19] Hall, as an individual citizen, filed FOIA requests with the university system after his inquiries via his role as a Regent were rebuffed.[20] According to his accusers, Hall filed requests of more than 800,000 pages, which some Texas administrators called an unnecessary burden.[21][22] However, a letter from university chancellor Francisco Cigarroa in February 2014 said that Hall likely requested fewer than 100,000 pages.[23][24] 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."[25] 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.[26][27] The lack of lawsuit disclosure by Hall was not unique -- more than 9,000 lawsuits were not disclosed by other appointed Texas officials.[28][29] Perry's spokesperson said the investigations sent a "chilling message" to gubernatorial appointees.[30] He added that the investigation was "extraordinary political theater."[31] 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.[32] 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.[33] The committee censured Hall but did not impeach him. 2012[edit]
In 2012, the legislature did not hold a regular session. 2011[edit]
Regular session[edit]In 2011, the legislature was in session from January 11 through May 30.[34]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[edit]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.[35] 2010[edit]
In 2010, the legislature did not hold a regular session.[36] 2009[edit]In 2009, the legislature met in session from January 13 through June 1.[37] |
| Texas on |
The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[38]
Texas is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[38][39]
The legislature is constitutionally required to adopt a balanced budget. The governor must sign a balanced budget into law.[38]
The Texas Constitution sets the qualifications for election to each house as follows:
Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has term limits.
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Click a district to compare boundaries.
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." |
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.[41]
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:[41]
The Texas Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and "that they preserve whole counties when population mandates permit."[41]
Texas renewed its state legislative district boundaries in June 2023 for use in 2024 and until the 2030 census. These districts were the same as those enacted by the state in October 2021. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed HB 1000 — establishing state House district boundaries — on June 12, 2023, and he allowed SB 375 — establishing state Senate district boundaries — to become law without his signature on June 18, 2023.[42][43]
The Texas Tribune's James Barragan wrote in January 2023 that Senate Legislative Redistricting Committee Chairwoman Joan Huffman (R) said the state was re-doing the redistricting process "to ensure that Legislature had met its constitutional requirement to apportion districts in the first regular session after the publishing of the results of the federal census, which is done every 10 years. Because of the pandemic, census numbers were not released until after the end of the last regularly scheduled legislative session on May 31, 2021. Redistricted maps were passed in a subsequent special session that year."[44] Texas had originally enacted new state legislative districts on October 25, 2021.
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. As far as the large cities, 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. However, Harris County -- of which Houston is the seat -- grew by 20%, suggesting suburban growth.[45]
In 2012, Texas held elections under interim maps drawn by a federal court after the Legislature's passed maps were thrown out by a panel of three federal judges on Voting Rights Act grounds. The panel drew up its own maps, but the federal court struck down those as well, substituting its own so that the elections could proceed.
| State legislative salaries, 2025[46] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $7,200/year | $221/day |
When calculating a legislators pension, their normal salary is artificially inflated to $125,000. This goes back to 1981, when lawmakers linked their salaries to those of state judges. Since then, they raised judges' salaries while removing the caps on their own pensions, pushing the maximum benefit up to 100% of a judge's salary.
In 2011, this resulted in an average state employee pension of $17,526 annually. The maximum pension a legislator can earn is $125,000, of which Rep. Tom Craddick (R) will be the first to qualify for when he retires. [47]
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.[48][49]
The Texas legislature has the authority to propose amendments to the Texas Constitution. Proposed amendments must be approved in a joint resolution of both the Texas State Senate and the Texas House of Representatives. The joint resolution can originate in either the House or the Senate.
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.
In the Texas state government, Joint Committees are comprised of members of both the Texas State Senate and the Texas House of Representatives, and sometimes civilian members of executive agencies, commissions, and councils. Joint committees are created by the Lieutenant Governor Speaker of the House through special proclamation. Under normal circumstances, joint committees in Texas are created to operate in the interim of legislative sessions, and rarely during a session. All joint committees in Texas are classified as select committees, and do not carry over between legislative sessions.[50]
The Texas Legislature had one joint committee:
Texas Senate: From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Texas State Senate for five years while the Republicans were the majority for 17 years. Texas was under Republican trifectas for the final 11 years of the study.
Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.
Texas House: From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Texas State House of Representatives for the first 11 years while the Republicans were the majority for the last 11 years. Texas was under Republican trifectas for the final 11 years of the study.
Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Texas, the Texas State Senate and the Texas House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
Texas was one of eight states to demonstrate a dramatic partisan shift in the 22 years studied. A dramatic shift was defined by a movement of 40 percent or more toward one party over the course of the study period. Texas started out with Democratic trifectas but shifted to Republican trifectas by the end of the study.
The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Texas state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Prior to Republican trifectas, which started in 2003, the SQLI rating for Texas stayed consistently in the 30s, except for its lowest ranking of 40 in 1994 during a Democratic trifecta. Within a few years of the Republican trifectas that ranking moved up, and Texas finished 11th, its highest ranking, in 2012.
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:
The Texas Constitution provides one mechanism for amending the state's constitution—legislatively referred constitutional amendments. Texas requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.
According to Article 17, the state Legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot for voters to decide. A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Texas State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 100 votes in the Texas House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Texas State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
| Elections | Texas State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
|---|---|---|---|