| 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 |
GOVT2305: American Government 2
Video 11: The Texas Legislature
Video 11: The Texas Legislature
Announcements and Agenda
Agenda
This Video: The Texas Legislature
- Brief history of Texas and discussion of Texas Demographic - Constitutional basis - Comparison to US Congress - Interesting features - Current events
Brief history of Texas
Texas was a part of Mexico until 1836
- Texas part of Spanish Empire until 1821 - Mexican Texas and the Texas Revolution - Texas Republic 1836-1845 - Annexation by United States 1845 - Civil War and Reconstruction 1861-1870
Texas Demographics
Texas is a large, diverse, and growing state
- population 31 million in 2024
- population 29.36 million in 2020
- 2nd largest state by area
- 2nd largest state by population
Majority-minority state
Texas is a majority-minority state1
- Hispanic or Latino: 11,441,717 (39.8% in 2024) - White (not Hispanic or Latino): 11,584,597 (39.6% in 2024) - Black or African-American: 3,552,997 - Two or more races: 5,133,738 - Asian: 1,585,480 - Some other race: 3,951,366 - American Indian and Alaska Native: 278,948 - Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 33,611
Texas Lanugage diversity
Language Other Than English Spoken at Home in Texas: 35.4% ± 0.2%
- Spanish 28.2% - Other Indo-European 2.7% - Asian and Pacific Island languages 3.3% - Other languages 1.2%Language Other Than English Spoken at Home in United States: 22.5% ± 0.1%
Ballots statewide are printed in English and Spanish
Harris County (Houston) ballots are printed in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese
Over 145 languages spoken in Houston by native speakers
The Texas Legislature
The Texas Legislature: Constitutional Basis
US Constitution Article I
- establishes the Congress - lists Congressional powers - structure of Congress - bicameral - Congress not subject to executiveTexas 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
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. |
Representation in Texas
Texas is a majority-minority state2
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 278,948 - Asian: 1,585,480 - Black or African-American: 3,552,997 - Hispanic or Latino: 11,441,717 - Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 33,611 - White (not Hispanic or Latino): 11,584,597 - Some other race: 3,951,366 - Two or more races: 5,133,738
Representation in Texas
2023 State Legislature
- 70% male - 54% white - white male: nearly half
Representation in Texas
Questions
Does it seem likely that this is because people want to elect white males or because they want to elect Republicans and white males dominate the Republican primaries?
Is this more of a long run problem for voters or for the Republican Party?
Why are minority voters willing to vote for white male Republicans over minority Democrats?
Is this a problem for the Democratic Party?
Authorship and License
Do not submit to Quizlet, Chegg, Coursehero, or other similar commercial websites.
Author: Tom Hanna
Website: tomhanna.me
Graphics Credit: Unless otherwise noted graphics are from Norton Publishers
- License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
