GOVT2306: Texas Government
Lecture 5: Texas Legislature

Instructor: Tom Hanna, Summer 2025

2025-07-21

Agenda and Announcements

Agenda

  • Today (Monday, July 21)

      - Lecture: Texas Legislature
  - Activity/Discussion: State Constitutional Priorities

  • Tomorrow (Tuesday, July 22)

      - Lecture: Local Government
  - Activity/Discussion: Special Legislative Session
  - Module 2 Quiz

Due Tuesday

  • Journals

      - Chapter 4: Voting and Elections
  - Chapter 5: Political Parties
  - Chapter 6: Interest Groups
  - Chapter 7: The Legislature

  • Module 2 Study Guide

The Texas Legislature: Constitutional Basis

  • US Constitution Article I

      - establishes the Congress
  - lists Congressional powers
  - structure of Congress - bicameral
  - Congress not subject to executive

  • Texas Constitution Article III

      - establishes the legislature
  - lists legislative powers
  - structure of legislature - bicameral
  - limits length of sessions
  - limits salaries of legislators
  - legislature is subject to comptroller of public accounts

Why a legislature?

  • What is a legislatures primary responsibility?

  • Why do we choose representatives to fill this role?

      - Why does representation matter?
  - Why a large legislature instead of a smaller council?
  - Why two chambers: House and Senate?

  • What is important in a representative?

      - What are the most important qualities?
  - What are the least important qualities?

Texas’s Legislature Terms and Sessions

Description Texas U.S..Congress
Term Length - House 2 years 2 years
Term Length - Senate 4 years 6 years
Term Limits None None
Legislature Type Part-time (Citizen) Full-time
Session Frequency Biennial Almost always in session
Session Length 140 days every two years Approx. 191 days a year

Salaries, Compensation, and Staff

Description Texas U.S..Congress
Base salary $2,700 $174,000
Per diem $224 proposed
Other reimbursement -- Travel to home district
Number of members 181 535
Number of staffers Over 2,000 ~6,535
Staff Location Austin and home district Washington, DC and home district

Senate Qualifications

Description Texas U.S..Senate
Senator U.S. citizen, a qualified voter, at least 26-years-old. at least 30 years old, a United States citizen for at least nine years
Senator Residency In Texas for the previous five years, and in the district for one year before being elected. a resident of the state they represent at the time of election

House Qualifications

Description Texas U.S..House.of.Representatives
House Member U.S. citizen, a qualified voter of the state, and at least 21-years-old. at least 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least seven years.
House Member Residency In Texas for the two previous years, and in the district for one year before being elected. an inhabitant of the state he or she represents.

Authorship and License

Creative Commons License