TheTexas State Legislature is thestate legislature of theU.S. state ofTexas. The Texas Legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Texas Legislature meets every two years in regular session, starting on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years, and sessions can last up to 140 days. It is a powerful arm of theTexas government not only because of itspower of the purse to control and direct the activities of state government and the strong constitutional connections between it and thelieutenant governor of Texas, but also due to Texas'splural executive.
In the 89th Legislature (2025), Republicans hold 88 of the 150 seats in the House and 20 of the 31 seats in the Senate.[1]
The Texas Legislature meets every other year, starting on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. Texas is one of only four states — and the largest — that doesn’t hold annual legislative sessions."Texas Legislature".Wikipedia. RetrievedOctober 13, 2025. Only the governor can call the Legislature into special sessions; the Legislature cannot call itself. Each special session is limited to 30 days, and lawmakers may only consider the issues listed by the governor, though the governor can add more topics during the session.
TheTexas Constitution limits the regular session to 140 calendar days. As of 2025, Dan Patrick serves as the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, presiding over the Senate. Dustin Burrows is the Speaker of the House. Both have significant influence over committee assignments and lawmaking in their chambers.
Only the governor can call the Legislature into special sessions; the Legislature cannot call itself. Each special session is limited to 30 days, and lawmakers can only consider the issues listed by the governor, though the governor can add more during the session.
In Texas, only the governor can call the Legislature into special sessions; the Legislature cannot call itself."Texas Legislature".Wikipedia. RetrievedOctober 13, 2025. The governor may call as many sessions as desired. For example, GovernorRick Perry called three consecutive sessions to address the2003 Texas congressional redistricting. Each special session is limited to 30 days, and lawmakers can only consider the issues listed by the governor, though the governor can add more during the session."Texas Legislature".Wikipedia. RetrievedOctober 13, 2025.
By default, bills take effect 90 days after passage, but the Legislature can vote for an earlier date if two-thirds of each chamber agrees."Texas Legislature".Wikipedia. RetrievedOctober 13, 2025. The Legislature may provide for an effective date that is after the 90th day. Most bills are set to take effect on September 1 in odd-numbered years, which marks the start of Texas’ fiscal year."Texas Legislature".Wikipedia. RetrievedOctober 13, 2025. Lawmakers can actually submit bills before a session even starts. The most important bills, like the state budget bills HB1 and SB1 usually get the lowest numbers to show they are a top priority.
Many bills can be pre-filed before a session begins, with lower numbers reserved for high-priority bills like HB1 and SB1, which are each chamber’s version of the state budget."Texas Legislature".Wikipedia. RetrievedOctober 13, 2025.
Most lawmakers in both chambers are Republicans, reflecting the party’s continued control of the Texas Legislature.
The Texas Constitution sets the qualifications for election to each house as follows:[2]
A senator must be at least 26 years of age, a resident of Texas for five years prior to election and a resident of the district from which elected one year prior to election. Each senator serves a four-year term and one-half of the Senate membership is elected every two years in even-numbered years, with the exception thatall the Senate seats are up for election for the first legislature following the decennial census in order to reflect the newly redrawn districts (this takes place in years ending in "2"). After the initial election, the Senate is divided by lot into two classes, with one class having a re-election after two years and the other having a re-election after four years.
A senator has to be at least 26 years old, must have lived in Texas for five years before the election, and must have lived in the district they’re running in for at least one year. Senators serve four-year terms, and about half of them are elected every two years. After each census, all Senate seats are up for election to adjust for the new district lines. After that, the Senate is split into two groups by lottery: one group faces re-election after two years, the other after four years.
A representative must be at least 21 years of age, a citizen of Texas for two years prior to election and a resident of the district from which elected one year prior to election. They are elected for two-year terms, running for re-election in even-numbered years.[3]
Neither may, for the time they were originally elected, hold any civil office under the State that was created during that term, nor for any such office whose compensation was increased during such time. Furthermore, judges (and their clerks) and any person holding a "lucrative office" under the United States, this State or a foreign government, cannot, while remaining in those offices, be a member of the Legislature; tax collectors and those entrusted with public money must receive a discharge for those funds before they are eligible to the Legislature.[4]
State legislators in Texas make $600 per month according to the Texas Constitution.[1] Each member also receives a per diem of $221 for each day of a regular or special session.[2]
"The Texas Constitution, Article 3, Section 24,"Statutes of Texas
"Texas Ethics Commission – Per Diem Rules,"Ethics.state.tx.us
State legislators in Texas make $600 per month, or $7,200 per year, plus a per diem of $221 for every day the Legislature is in session (also including any special sessions). That adds up to $38,140 a year for a regular session (140 days), with the total pay for a two-year term being $45,340.[5][6] Legislators receive a pension after eight years of service, starting at age 60.[7]
In 1971, it was revealed that Houston banker and insurance company managerFrank Sharp and his companies granted $600,000 in loans from his bank to state officials who would, in turn, purchase stock in National Bankers Life, to be resold later at a huge profit. Many statewide office holders and members of the legislature were implicated. House SpeakerGus Mutscher Jr. along with a handful of other legislators would be fined and put on probation. While most of those involved did not face legal punishments, many were voted out of office due to their connection to the scandal. The scandal also led to the introduction of stricter campaign finance laws and open record requirements in Texas. The incident led to the introduction of manycampaign finance andopen record reforms.
In 1989,Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim, co-founder of the chicken production companyPilgrim's Pride entered theTexas Senate and handed out $10,000US checks to nine of the state senators two days before the body was scheduled to vote on a bill to make major changes to the stateworkers' compensation system. Pilgrim was not a supporter of the bill, and defended his actions by saying the checks were campaign contributions, not an attempt at bribery.[8] The episode was called "Chickengate" and led to changes in the state's ethics laws.
On April 10, 2023, a complaint against Republican Rep.Bryan Slaton was made public, alleging that Slaton had an "inappropriate relationship" with an intern. The Texas House General Investigating Committee investigated the alleged incident and found that Slaton had provided alcohol to a 19-year-old legislative aide before the two had sexual relations at Slaton's apartment in Austin.[9] The committee, composed of three Republicans and two Democrats, unanimously recommended Slaton's expulsion from the House. Slaton resigned from the House on May 8, 2023, but unless expelled he would have been entitled to his salary and per diem under Texas law until a successor was elected. On May 9, 2023, the House expelled Slaton by a vote of 147–0.[10]
The Slaton case is notable because he was the first member of the Texas House expelled since 1927. It highlighted issues around workplace conduct and ethics in the state legislature, leading to renewed calls for stricter rules and oversight.[1][2][11]
^"Chapter 50, Ethics Commission Rules". Ethics.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
^"Legislators With Benefits, Even When They Stray". The New York Times. April 12, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
^"Texas Businessman Hands Out $10,000 Checks in State Senate (Published 1989)". July 9, 1989. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
^Svitek, Zach Despart, James Barragán and Patrick (April 10, 2023). "Complaint alleges Rep. Bryan Slaton had "inappropriate relationship" with an intern". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
^Downen, Robert (May 9, 2023). "Texas House expels Bryan Slaton, first member ousted since 1927". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
^"Citizen Handbook". The Senate of Texas. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
^Texas Legislature from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 13 April 2005.
^Stanley K. Young, Texas Legislative Handbook (1973).
^Univ. of Tex., The Legislative Branch in Texas Politics, [1] (last accessed Oct. 8, 2006) (stating that "The Texas Legislature is the most powerful of the three main branches of government[,]" primarily because it is "less weak than the other branches").
Stanley K. Young,Texas Legislative Handbook (1973).
Univ. of Tex.,The Legislative Branch inTexas Politics,[3] (last accessed Oct. 8, 2006) (stating that "The Texas Legislature is the most powerful of the three main branches of government[,]" primarily because it is "less weak than the other branches").
