Texas State Senate
General Information
Party control:	Republican
Session start:	No regular legislative session
Session end:	No regular legislative session
Term length:	2-4-4 year system
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Legislature-dominant
Salary:	$7,200/year + per diem
Members
Total:	31
Democrats:	11
Republicans:	18
Other:	0
Vacancies:	2
Leadership
President:	Dan Patrick (R)
Elections
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Next election:	November 3, 2026

TheTexas State Senate is theupper chamber of theTexas State Legislature. Alongside theTexas House of Representatives, 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 State Senate 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 State Senate meets in the state capitol building inAustin, Texas.

This page contains the following information on the Texas State Senate.

• 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 State Senate as of February 2026:

Members

Leadership

The lieutenant governor serves as president of the Senate. The Senate adopts rules at the beginning of each legislative session which set out how much power the president of the Senate will have.^[1]

Leadership and members

• Senate president:Dan Patrick (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 State Senate, a candidate must be:^[5]

• A U.S. citizen
• A qualified elector
• 26 years old before the general election
• A five-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 State Senate in 1996. In2024, 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'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 senators serve2-4-4 terms, where senators serve one two-year term and two four-year terms each decade. Texas holds elections for its legislature in even years.

2026

See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2026

Elections for theTexas State Senate 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 State Senate elections, 2024

Elections for theTexas State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was onNovember 5, 2024. The primary wasMarch 5, 2024, and the primary runoff wasMay 28, 2024. The filing deadline wasDecember 11, 2023.

Heading into the 2024 elections, Republicans held a 19-12 majority. After the election, the Republican majority was 20-11.

2022

See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2022

Elections for theTexas 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.

Heading into the 2022 elections, Republicans held an 18-13 majority. After the election, the Republican majority was 19-12.

2020

See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2020

Elections for the office ofTexas 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.

In the 2020 elections, the Republican majority in the Texas State Senate decreased from 19-12 to 18-13.

2018

See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2018

Elections for theTexas State Senate 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 State Senate was reduced from 21-10 to 19-12.

2016

See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for theTexas State Senate 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] A total of16 seats out of the 31 seats in theTexas State Senate were up for election in 2016.

Heading into the election, Republicans held a 20-11 majority. No changes occurred to the partisan balance of the chamber.

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

2014 See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2014 Elections for 15 of the 31 seats in theTexas State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Heading into the election, Republicans held an 18-12 majority with one vacancy. Republicans gained two seats in the election, giving them a 20-11 majority. Texas State Senate Party As of November 3, 2014 After November 4, 2014      Democratic Party 12 11      Republican Party 18 20      Vacancy 1 0 Total 31 31 2012 See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2012 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 onNovember 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was December 19, 2011. All 31 Senate seats were up for election in 2012. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 19-12 majority. No partisan change occurred in the election. Texas State Senate Party As of November 5, 2012 After the 2012 Election      Democratic Party 12 12      Republican Party 19 19 Total 31 31 The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election. 2012 Margin of Victory, Texas State Senate District Winner Margin of Victory Total Votes Top Opponent District 10 Wendy Davis 2.2% 287,759 Mark Shelton District 19 Carlos Uresti 18.8% 205,736 Michael Berlanga District 9 Kelly Hancock 20.1% 233,577 Pete Martinez District 20 Juan Hinojosa 23.1% 183,038 Raul Torres District 15 John Whitmire 24.7% 217,860 Bill Walker District 8 Ken Paxton 27.7% 286,147 Jack Ternan District 25 Donna Campbell 31.2% 354,167 John Courage District 11 Larry Taylor 32% 274,333 Jacqueline Acquistapace District 7 Dan Patrick 36.8% 287,319 Sam Texas District 29 Jose Rodriguez 37.2% 169,398 Dan Chavez 2010 See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2010 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 onNovember 2, 2010. The runoff election was on April 13, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was January 4, 2010. Sixteen seats were up for election. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 19-12 majority. No partisan change occurred in the election. Texas State Senate Party As of November 1, 2010 After the 2010 Election      Democratic Party 12 12      Republican Party 19 19 Total 31 31 In 2010, the candidates for state Senate raised a total of $11,219,972 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were:[9] 2010 Donors, Texas State Senate Donor Amount Perry, Bob J $544,500 Border Health $486,750 Texas Association of Realtors $426,548 Bius, Ben $273,790 Texas Medical Association $255,741 Time Warner $251,075 Texans for Lawsuit Reform $218,466 Independent Insurance Agents of Texas $207,232 AT&T $205,850 Associated General Contractors of Texas $180,408 2008 See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2008 Elections for the office of Texas State Senate 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 Senate candidates was $25,929,067. The top 10 contributors were:[10] 2008 Donors, Texas State Senate Donor Amount Texas Association Of Realtors $494,383 Perry, Bob J $430,500 Texans For Lawsuit Reform $389,416 Twenty-One PAC $305,000 Texas Medical Association $280,295 Butt, Charles C $262,655 Time Warner $211,524 Associated General Contractors Of Texas $200,253 Texans For Economic Development $190,000 Texas Democratic Party $186,742 2006 See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2006 Elections for the office of Texas State Senate 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 Senate candidates was $28,516,289. The top 10 contributors were:[11] 2006 Donors, Texas State Senate Donor Amount Texans For Lawsuit Reform $1,041,735 Perry, Bob J $597,000 Nichols, Robert $576,600 Texas Association of Mortgage Attorneys $430,000 Texas Association of Realtors $424,530 Williams Bailey Law Firm $385,000 Gates, Gary $369,623 Texas Medical Association $342,382 BG Distribution Partners $336,000 Patrick, Dan $316,671 2004 See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2004 Elections for the office of Texas State Senate 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 Senate candidates was $16,529,122. The top 10 contributors were:[12] 2004 Donors, Texas State Senate Donor Amount Edwards, Kirk $896,867 Seliger, Kel & Nancy $325,000 Texas Medical Association $271,481 Texas Association Of Mortgage Attorneys PAC $227,500 Texas Association of Realtors $210,366 Texas Trial Lawyers Association $200,848 Friends of Frank Madla $190,000 Williams Bailey Law Firm $164,500 Texas Optometric Association $158,000 Perry, Bob J $153,000 2002 See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2002 Elections for the office of Texas State Senate 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 Senate candidates was $23,504,855. The top 10 contributors were:[13] 2002 Donors, Texas State Senate Donor Amount Texans For Lawsuit Reform $643,807 Texas Association Of Realtors $447,133 Bentzin, Ben $442,083 Perry, Bob J $401,000 Texas Medical Association $394,077 Madla, Friends Of Frank $345,400 Hinojosa, Juan (Chuy) $286,371 Texas Dental Association $280,500 Texas Trial Lawyers Association $260,659 Estes, Craig L $249,000 2000 See also:Texas State Senate elections, 2000 Elections for the office of Texas State Senate 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 Senate candidates was $15,399,907. The top 10 contributors were:[14] 2000 Donors, Texas State Senate Donor Amount Texans For Lawsuit Reform $945,659 Texas Democratic Party $607,826 Texas Republican Party $443,296 Associated Republicans Of Texas $384,399 Texas Association Of Realtors $338,895 Perry, Bob J $206,000 Democratic Legislative Campaign Cmte $197,500 Texas Medical Association $164,717 Texas Trial Lawyers Association $157,503 Texas Dental Association $136,500

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 31 state Senate districts. Each district elects one senator.

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 State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House 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 Senate 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 State Senate has 16 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 State Senate elections, 2026 Texas State Senate elections, 2024 Texas State Senate elections, 2022 Texas State Senate elections, 2020	Texas State Legislature Texas House of Representatives 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 State Senate

Footnotes

	v • e State ofTexas Austin (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy