Texas House of Representatives
General Information
Party control:	Republican
Session start:	No regular legislative session
Session end:	No regular legislative session
Term length:	2 years
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Legislature-dominant
Salary:	$7,200/year + per diem
Members
Total:	150
Democrats:	62
Republicans:	88
Other:	0
Vacancies:	0
Leadership
Speaker:	Dustin Burrows (R)
Elections
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Next election:	November 3, 2026

TheTexas House of Representatives is thelower chamber of theTexas State Legislature. Alongside theTexas State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the Texas state government and works alongside thegovernor 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 inAustin, Texas.

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

• Which partycontrols the chamber
• The chamber'scurrent membership
• Partisan control of the chamberover time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• Adistrict map
• Howredistricting works in the state
• Legislation currently under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list ofcommittees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Texas House of Representatives as of February 2026:

Members

Leadership

The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body.^[1]

Leadership and members

• Speaker of the House:Dustin Burrows (R)

Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries

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.^[3][4]

Membership qualifications

See also:State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in theTexas House of Representatives, a candidate must be:^[5]

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

Historical party control

Republicans won control of the Texas House of Representatives in 2002. In2024, 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'sParty Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Trifecta history

Astate 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 2023, Texas was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 1992-1994
• Republican trifecta: 2003-2023
• Divided government: 1995-2002

Elections

Elections by year

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

2026

See also:Texas House of Representatives elections, 2026

Elections for theTexas House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is onNovember 3, 2026. The primary isMarch 3, 2026, and the primary runoff isMay 26, 2026. The filing deadline wasDecember 8, 2025.

2024

See also:Texas House of Representatives elections, 2024

Elections for theTexas House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was onNovember 5, 2024. The primary wasMarch 5, 2024, and the primary runoff wasMay 28, 2024. In 2024, minor party county conventions were held onMarch 16, 2024, and district conventions were held onMarch 24, 2024. The filing deadline wasDecember 11, 2023.

Heading into the 2024 elections, Republicans held an 86-63 majority with one vacancy. After the election, the Republican majority was 88-62.

2022

See also:Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022

Elections for theTexas 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.

In the 2022 elections, Republicans increased their majority from 83-65 with two vacancies to 86-64.

2020

See also:Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office ofTexas 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 theTexas House of Representatives maintained their 83-67 majority.

2018

See also:Texas House of Representatives elections, 2018

Elections for theTexas House of Representatives took place in 2018. Anopen primary election took place on March 6, 2018.^[6] Aprimary runoff election took place on May 22, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline wasDecember 11, 2017.^[7]

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

2016

See also:Texas House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for theTexas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held onNovember 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.^[8] All150 seats in theTexas 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.

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 theTexas 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. Thesignature 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 onNovember 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 onNovember 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:[9] 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:[10] 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:[11] 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:[12] 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:[13] 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:[14] 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 theTexas State Legislature, thegovernor must call a special election to fill the vacant seat.^[15] A governor's proclamation to hold a special election must be delivered to county judges in the legislative district no later than 36 days before the scheduled election.^[16]

Thesecretary of state can declare a candidate duly elected in a special election if there is no opposition.^[17]

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 theTexas State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by thegovernor.^[18]

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:^[18]

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

TheTexas Constitution requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and "that they preserve whole counties when population mandates permit."^[18]

2020

See also:Redistricting in Texas after the 2020 census

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) signedHB 1000 — establishing state House district boundaries — on June 12, 2023, and he allowedSB 375 — establishing state Senate district boundaries — to become law without his signature on June 18, 2023.^[19][20]

The Texas Tribune's James Barragan wrote in January 2023 that Senate Legislative Redistricting Committee ChairwomanJoan 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."^[21] Texas had originally enacted new state legislative districts on October 25, 2021.

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.^[22]

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 GeneralGreg Abbott submitted Texas' redistricting maps to a panel of three federal judges in Washington DC on July 19, 2011, as required under theVoting 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.^[23] 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.^[24][25]

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 byBillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in Texas by year

2025

See also:2025 Texas legislative session andDates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 14, 2025, and adjourn on June 2, 2025.

About legislative sessions in Texas

TheTenth Amendment of theU.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[55] 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 theTexas 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 thegovernor 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 includesveto overrides,the role of the legislature in the state budget, andprocedures 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.

Authority:Article 4, Section 14 of theTexas Constitution.

Role in state budget

See also:Texas state budget and finances

Texason

Check outBallotpedia 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:^[56]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies beginning inJune.
2. Agencies submit their budget requests to thegovernor betweenJuly and September.
3. Public hearings are held betweenJuly and October.
4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to thestate legislature by thedate of the State of the State address.
5. The legislature typically adopts a budget inMay. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year begins inSeptember.

Texas is one of 44 states in which the governor hasline item veto authority.^[56][57]

The legislature is constitutionally required to adopt a balanced budget. The governor must sign a balanced budget into law.^[56]

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 26 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 forreferring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states,initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are alsomany other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Texas Constitution can be amended:

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

TheTexas 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.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

According toArticle 17, the state Legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot for voters to decide.Atwo-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for theTexas State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 100 votes in theTexas House of Representatives and 21 votes in theTexas State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

See also

Elections	Texas State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
Texas House of Representatives elections, 2026 Texas House of Representatives elections, 2024 Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022 Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020	Texas State Legislature Texas State Senate Governor of Texas Texas Supreme Court	State legislative elections, 2026 State legislative elections, 2025 State legislative elections, 2024 State legislative elections, 2023 State legislative elections, 2022 State legislative elections, 2021 State legislative elections, 2020 State legislative elections, 2019	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• Texas House of Representatives

Footnotes

	v • e State ofTexas Austin (capital)
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