Title: Chapter 4 - Texas Legislature (Trailblazer Trek).html
Course: Civic Action Project (CAP): Connecting Government Concepts to Your Community > Section: Texas Government Trailblazer Treks

🏛️ TCC Texas Government Trailblazer Trek: The Texas Legislature

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🏛️ Chapter 4: The Texas Legislature 🤠

Explore the lawmaking branch of Texas government and how bills become laws

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181 Members
📜
Lawmaking
🗳️
Representation

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1

Introduction to the Texas Legislature

Learn about the lawmaking branch of Texas government and its constitutional foundation.

🌟 150 points available
2

Structure and Function

Explore the bicameral system with the Senate and House of Representatives.

🌟 180 points available
3

Legislative Sessions

Understand regular and special sessions of the Texas Legislature.

🌟 150 points available
4

Redistricting

Learn how legislative districts are drawn and the controversies involved.

🌟 180 points available
5

Qualifications for Service

Discover the requirements to become a Texas legislator.

🌟 150 points available
6

Demographic Composition

Examine the makeup of the Texas Legislature by party, gender, and age.

🌟 150 points available
7

The Legislative Process

Follow a bill's journey from introduction to becoming law.

🌟 200 points available
8

Compensation and Immunities

Learn about legislator pay, benefits, and constitutional protections.

🌟 150 points available
9

Key Terms and Glossary

Master the essential vocabulary of Texas legislative process.

🌟 120 points available
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🏛️

Introduction to the Texas Legislature

🎯 Learning Objectives

- Outline the function, structure, and responsibilities of the Texas legislature

This chapter examines the Texas State Legislature—the lawmaking branch of Texas government. The Texas State Capitol, located in downtown Austin, Texas, houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature.

🏛️ Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol building and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature.
🔍 Click to explore: What is the Texas Legislature?

+30 points! 🎉 You've discovered an important insight!

The Texas Legislature is the lawmaking branch of Texas government, responsible for creating the laws that govern the state. It is described in Article 3 of the Texas Constitution and serves as the constitutional successor of the Congress of the Republic of Texas after Texas's 1845 entrance into the Union. The Legislature held its first regular session from February 16 to May 13, 1846.

🔍 Click to explore: What are the legislature's main duties?

+30 points! 🌟 Main duties revealed!

The duties of the legislature include consideration of proposed laws and resolutions, consideration of proposed constitutional amendments for submission to the voters, and appropriation of all funds for the operation of state government. All bills for raising revenue considered by the legislature must originate in the House of Representatives. The House alone can bring impeachment charges against a statewide officer, which charges must be tried by the Senate.

❓ Where must all bills for raising revenue originate?
The Texas Senate
The House of Representatives
The Governor's Office
Either chamber equally
❓ Which chamber has the sole power to bring impeachment charges?
The House of Representatives
The Texas Senate
The Governor
The Texas Supreme Court
✅ Complete Section 1
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🏗️

Structure and Function of the Texas Legislature

🎯 Learning Objectives

- Describe the function and structure of the Texas legislature

The structure of any institution or organization matters a great deal. The structure can determine how well an institution fulfills its duties and responsibilities. Article 3 of the Texas Constitution describes the legislative department (branch) of Texas.

🏛️ Bicameral Legislature
Texas Legislature utilizes a bicameral (two branches or chambers) system with the Texas Senate being the upper house, and the Texas House of Representatives the lower house. Every other state has a bicameral legislature except for Nebraska. One of the benefits of a bicameral legislature is that it forces either chamber to compromise on legislation before passing it onto the governor.

Texas Senate (Upper House)

31
Senators

Each district has an ideal 2010 census population of 811,147

Texas House (Lower House)

150
Representatives

Each district has an ideal 2010 census population of 167,637

🔍 Click to explore: What are single-member districts?

+35 points! 🎉 District system explained!

Texas uses single-member districts, meaning each member of the Texas Legislature represents one legislative district. This is also true of congressional seats. Every ten years, after the U.S. census, the state legislative districts and congressional districts are redrawn to maintain proportional representation. This is also called reapportionment when it is done at the national level because all 435 seats have to be approximately equal in size. This causes some states to lose or gain seats every ten years based on their changing population.

🔍 Click to explore: Who leads each chamber?

+35 points! 🌟 Leadership structure revealed!

Although members are elected on partisan ballots, both houses of the Legislature are officially organized on a nonpartisan basis, with members of both parties serving in leadership positions such as committee chairmanships. The Lieutenant Governor (currently Dan Patrick), elected statewide separately from the governor, presides over the Senate, while the Speaker of the House (currently Dade Phelan from the Beaumont area) is elected from that body by its members. Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their respective houses and have a large impact on lawmaking in the state.

❓ How many total members serve in the Texas Legislature?
150 members
100 members
181 members
200 members
❓ Which state is the only one with a unicameral (one-chamber) legislature?
Texas
Nebraska
California
New York
✅ Complete Section 2
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📅

Legislative Sessions

Understanding when and how the Texas Legislature meets is crucial to understanding how laws are made in Texas.

📅 Biennial Sessions
The Texas Legislature uses biennial sessions which means they meet once every odd-numbered years, for 140 days. The Texas Legislature meets in regular session on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. The Texas Constitution limits the regular session to 140 calendar days.
🔍 Click to explore: What are special sessions?

+30 points! 🎉 Special sessions explained!

Only the governor may call the legislature into special sessions, unlike other states where the legislature may call itself into session. The governor may call as many sessions as he or she desires. For example, Governor Rick Perry called three consecutive sessions to address the 2003 Texas congressional redistricting. The Texas Constitution limits the duration of each special session to 30 days; lawmakers may consider only those issues designated by the governor in his "call," or proclamation convening the special session (though other issues may be added by the Governor during a session).

Regular Session

140
Days Maximum

Meets every odd-numbered year starting the second Tuesday in January

Special Session

30
Days Maximum

Called only by the Governor; limited to issues designated by the Governor

🔍 Click to explore: Why do the Framers prefer slower legislation?

+30 points! 🌟 Legislative philosophy revealed!

Much like the Framers of the U.S. Constitution, the men who wrote the Texas Constitution recognized the benefit of slowing down the legislative process. Moreover, there are a total of 181 members of the Texas Legislature: 31 Senators, and 150 members of the House. The different sizes of each chamber also play a role in how well they function. The bicameral structure forces compromise between chambers before legislation can proceed.

❓ How often does the Texas Legislature meet in regular session?
Every year
Every odd-numbered year (biennially)
Every four years
Continuously throughout the year
❓ Who has the sole power to call special sessions in Texas?
The Lieutenant Governor
The Speaker of the House
The Governor
The Legislature itself
✅ Complete Section 3
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🗺️

Redistricting

🗺️ What is Redistricting?
Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Texas' 36 United States Representatives, 31 state senators, and 150 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census.

The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity based on the U.S. Supreme Court case of Reynolds v. Sims (1964).

🔍 Click to explore: Why does Texas have to redistrict?

+35 points! 🎉 Constitutional requirement revealed!

The federal constitution calls for reapportionment of congressional seats according to population from a decennial census (Section 2, Article I). Reapportionment is the division of a set number of districts among established units of government. For example, the 435 congressional seats are reapportioned among the 50 states after each decennial census according to the method of equal proportions. The Texas Constitution requires the legislature to redistrict Texas house and senate seats during its first regular session following publication of each United States decennial census (Section 28, Article III).

🔍 Click to explore: What is the Legislative Redistricting Board?

+35 points! 🌟 Backup system explained!

If Texas senate or house districts are not enacted during the first regular session following the publication of the decennial census, the Texas Constitution requires that the Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB), a five-member body of state officials including the lieutenant governor and speaker, meet and adopt its own plan. The LRB has jurisdiction only in the months immediately following that regular session. If congressional or State Board of Education districts are not enacted during the regular session, the governor may call a special session to consider the matter.

⚠️ Gerrymandering Controversy
There are conflicting opinions regarding the correlation between partisan gerrymandering and electoral competitiveness. In 2012, Jennifer Clark, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said, "The redistricting process has important consequences for voters. In some states, incumbent legislators work together to protect their own seats, which produces less competition in the political system. Voters may feel as though they do not have a meaningful alternative to the incumbent legislator."
🔍 Click to explore: What are majority-minority districts?

+35 points! ⚖️ Voting Rights Act explained!

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 mandates that electoral district lines cannot be drawn in such a manner as to "improperly dilute minorities' voting power." States may create majority-minority districts—districts in which minority groups compose a majority of the district's total population—to comply with Section 2. As of 2015, Texas was home to 18 congressional majority-minority districts. Proponents argue these districts prevent "cracking" (dividing a constituency between several districts to prevent it from achieving a majority in any one district). Critics contend they can result in "packing" (placing a voting group within a single district, minimizing its influence in other districts).

❓ How often are legislative districts redrawn?
Every 10 years after the U.S. census
Every 5 years
Every 2 years
Only when population increases
❓ Which Supreme Court case established that districts must have nearly equal populations?
Brown v. Board of Education
Reynolds v. Sims (1964)
Marbury v. Madison
Shelby County v. Holder
✅ Complete Section 4
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📋

Qualifications for Service in the Texas Legislature

🎯 Learning Objectives

- Discuss the qualifications for service in the Texas State Legislature

The following are the legal requirements in order for someone to meet the qualifications to become a member of the Texas Legislature.

🏛️ Texas Representative (House)

- U.S. Citizen
- 2 years as a resident of Texas
- 12 months as a resident of their District
- At least 21 years old
- 2-year terms with unlimited terms, no term limit

🏛️ Texas Senator

- U.S. Citizen
- 5 years as a resident of Texas
- 12 months as a resident of their District
- At least 26 years old
- 4-year terms with unlimited terms, no term limit

🔍 Click to explore: How do Senate elections work at the beginning of a new decade?

+30 points! 🎉 Senate election cycles revealed!

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 that all the Senate seats are up for election for the first legislature following the decennial census in order to reflect the newly redrawn districts. 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. This process protects the Senate's membership and the Senate as an institution serving as the more elite legislative chamber during normal election cycles.

🔍 Click to explore: Why are there different requirements for each chamber?

+30 points! 🌟 Design philosophy revealed!

The Senate is designed to be the more "elite" or deliberative body, which is why senators must be older (26 vs. 21) and have longer residency in Texas (5 years vs. 2 years). Senators also serve longer terms (4 years vs. 2 years), allowing them to take a longer-term view on policy matters. The House, with its shorter terms, is designed to be more responsive to the immediate will of the people.

❓ What is the minimum age requirement to serve in the Texas House of Representatives?
18 years old
21 years old
25 years old
30 years old
❓ How long is a Texas Senator's term?
2 years
4 years
6 years
8 years
✅ Complete Section 5
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👥

Demographic Composition of the Texas State Legislature

🎯 Learning Objectives

- Discuss the demographic composition of the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate

👥 "Pale, Male, and Stale"
It's often been said the Texas State Legislature is "pale, male, and stale." This may not be quite as accurate as in the past, but the Texas State Legislature is predominantly white, male, and middle-aged, making it far less diverse than Texas as a whole.
🔍 Click to explore: What is the partisan makeup?

+30 points! 🎉 Party composition revealed!

The Republican Party controls both the Texas State House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate. As of the 87th Legislative Session (January 2021):

Texas State House: 83 Republicans and 67 Democrats

Texas State Senate: 18 Republicans and 13 Democrats

🔍 Click to explore: What is the gender makeup?

+30 points! 🌟 Gender composition revealed!

The Texas State Legislature is predominantly male. Although their overall count is growing, women remain incredibly outnumbered in the 87th Texas Legislature—just 48 of 181 seats in the House and Senate are currently held by women:

• Approximately 25% of the Texas State House of Representatives is female (112 males, 38 females)

• Approximately 32% of the Texas State Senate is female (21 males, 10 females)

• Taken together, only 27% of the total membership of the Texas State Legislature is female (48 of 181 total members)

Notably, with the addition of Democrats Julie Johnson, Jessica González, and Erin Zwiener to the 86th Legislature in 2019, the number of legislators who identify as members of the LGBT community increased from two to five.

🔍 Click to explore: What is the age distribution?

+30 points! 📊 Age demographics revealed!

The age distribution of Texas legislators shows the legislature skews older:

• Under 30: 0 members

• 30-39: 16 members (all House)

• 40-49: 44 members (43 House, 1 Senate)

• 50-59: 59 members (44 House, 15 Senate)

• 60-69: 36 members (29 House, 7 Senate)

• 70 and over: 25 members (17 House, 8 Senate)

❓ Which party controls both chambers of the Texas Legislature?
Republican Party
Democratic Party
Neither—it's evenly split
Libertarian Party
❓ Approximately what percentage of the Texas Legislature is female?
50%
40%
27%
15%
✅ Complete Section 6
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📜

The Legislative Process: How a Bill Becomes a Law

🎯 Learning Objectives

- Analyze the Texas legislative process (aka How a Bill Becomes a Law)

The legislature meets every odd-numbered year to write new laws and to find solutions to the problems facing the state. This meeting time, which begins on the second Tuesday in January and lasts 140 days, is called the regular session.

🔍 Click to explore: How do legislators make decisions?

+35 points! 🎉 Decision-making factors revealed!

The people we elect to be lawmakers determine the rules we have to live by. So, it is good for us to understand what influences the decisions of lawmakers. We would like to believe that whatever they promised on the campaign trail will be what they deliver on in office. That is often not the case. We know that public opinion polls sometimes reflect how lawmakers will decide to vote on issues. We also know that interest groups play a role in how decisions are made. One of the biggest factors is probably political ideology—is the politician a conservative or a liberal? Partisanship might be a factor—is the politician a Republican or a Democrat?

📜 Introducing a Bill
A representative or senator gets an idea for a bill by listening to the people he or she represents and then working to solve their problem. A bill may also grow out of the recommendations of an interim committee study conducted when the legislature is not in session. The idea is researched to determine what state law needs to be changed or created to best solve that problem. A bill is then drafted by the legislator, often with the help of an interest group and with legal assistance from the Texas Legislative Council.
🔍 Click to explore: What happens in committees?

+35 points! 🌟 Committee process explained!

After a bill has been introduced, a short description of the bill, called a caption, is read aloud while the chamber is in session (first reading), and the presiding officer assigns the bill to a committee. The chair of each committee decides when the committee will meet and which bills will be considered. Public testimony is almost always solicited on bills, allowing citizens the opportunity to present arguments on different sides of an issue. A House committee must post notice at least five calendar days before a hearing during a regular session. After considering a bill, a committee may choose to take no action or may issue a report on the bill.

🔍 Click to explore: What is the "blocker bill" system?

+35 points! ⚖️ Senate procedure revealed!

At the beginning of each legislative session, a "blocker bill" is placed on the regular order of business. This bill will never be brought to the floor for action. Consequently, unless the sponsor of the bill has talked to the president of the Senate, indicating intent to suspend the rules and bring a bill to the floor, the bill will not be considered. Thus, the president of the Senate maintains a so-called "intent calendar," which determines the order of business in the Senate. In 2021, the Senate Rules required a vote of 18 members to suspend the rules so that a bill on the intent calendar could be considered on the floor.

When a bill comes up for consideration by the full House or Senate, it receives its second reading. The bill is read, again by caption only, and then debated by the full membership of the chamber. Any member may offer an amendment, but it must be approved by a majority of the members present and voting to be adopted.

🔍 Click to explore: What happens after both chambers pass a bill?

+35 points! 📋 Conference committees explained!

The Texas Constitution requires a bill to pass both chambers in identical form. If a bill is returned to the originating chamber with amendments, the originating chamber can either agree to the amendments or request a conference committee to work out differences. Conference committees are composed of five members from each house appointed by the presiding officers. Once the conference committee reaches agreement, a conference committee report is prepared and must be approved by at least three of the five conferees from each house. Conference committee reports must be approved or rejected without amendment.

✍️ Governor's Action
Upon receiving a bill, the governor has 10 days in which to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature. A two-thirds majority in each house is required to override the veto. If a bill is sent to the governor within 10 days of final adjournment, the governor has until 20 days after final adjournment to act. At this point, the governor's veto is absolute since the legislature has adjourned.
🔍 Click to explore: When do laws take effect?

+35 points! 📅 Effective dates explained!

Any bill passed by the Legislature takes effect 90 days after its passage unless two-thirds of each house votes to give the bill either immediate effect or earlier effect. The Legislature may provide for an effective date that is after the 90th day. Under current legislative practice, most bills are given an effective date of September 1 in odd-numbered years (September 1 is the start of the state's fiscal year).

❓ How many days does the governor have to act on a bill during a regular session?
10 days
30 days
5 days
60 days
❓ What majority is required to override a governor's veto?
Simple majority
Two-thirds majority in each house
Three-fourths majority
Unanimous vote
✅ Complete Section 7
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💰

Compensation, Privileges, and Immunities

🎯 Learning Objectives

- Discuss the basic compensation, privileges, and immunities of Texas legislators

💰 Legislator Salary
State legislators in Texas make $600 per month or $7,200 per year, plus a per diem set by the Ethics Commission in Rule 50.1. The per diem in the 2021-2022 biennium was $221 for every day the Legislature is in session (regular or special). This adds up to a total of $38,140 in a year with a regular session ($7,200 salary plus $30,940 per diem), and a two-year term paying a total of $45,340 ($14,400 salary plus $30,940 per diem).
🔍 Click to explore: What retirement benefits do legislators receive?

+30 points! 🎉 Retirement benefits revealed!

Legislators receive a pension after eight years of service, starting at age 60. A legislator's pension is based not on a legislator's salary of $600 a month, but on the current salary of a Texas state district court judge—a base salary of $140,000 per year. This means legislators receive a much more generous pension than their low official salary would suggest.

🔍 Click to explore: What is speech and debate immunity?

+30 points! 🌟 Constitutional protection revealed!

The Texas Constitution (Article III, Section 21) grants Texas state legislators a fundamental protection of free speech and debate. This immunity protects legislators from punitive executive or judicial action. The intent is to allow lawmakers to work independently and unimpeded by the threat of intervention from the other branches of government in the discharge of their legislative duties.

🔍 Click to explore: What arrest immunities do legislators have?

+30 points! ⚖️ Arrest protections explained!

Texas state legislators are also protected from arrest traveling to and from and during legislative sessions. Exceptions include treason, felony, or breach of the peace. This protection ensures legislators can attend sessions without fear of arrest for minor offenses that might be used to prevent them from voting.

❓ What is the annual salary of a Texas state legislator?
$7,200 per year
$50,000 per year
$100,000 per year
$140,000 per year
❓ After how many years of service can legislators receive a pension?
4 years
8 years
12 years
20 years
✅ Complete Section 8
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📚

Key Terms and Glossary

Master these essential terms to understand the Texas legislative process.

Biennial Sessions: In Texas, legislative sessions meet once every odd-numbered years, for 140 days.
Bill: A proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of the legislature and submitted to the clerk of the House or Senate.
Cracking: Occurs when a constituency is divided between several districts in order to prevent it from achieving a majority in any one district.
Gerrymandering: The process in which voting districts are redrawn in a way to favor one party during elections.
Legislative Budget: The state budget that is prepared and submitted by the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) and that is fully considered by the House and Senate.
Packing: Occurs when a constituency or voting group is placed within a single district, thereby minimizing its influence in other districts.
Redistricting: The process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives in the Texas House, Texas Senate, and U.S. House. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges in existing districts.
Single-Member District: A district in which one official is elected rather than multiple officials.
Special Session: A legislative session called by the governor that addresses an agenda set by him or her; lasts no longer than 30 days.
Voting Rights Act of 1965: Mandates that electoral district lines cannot be drawn in such a manner as to "improperly dilute minorities' voting power."
🔍 Click to explore: Why are these terms important?

+30 points! 🎉 Glossary mastery!

Understanding these terms is essential for comprehending how the Texas Legislature functions. Terms like "gerrymandering," "cracking," and "packing" describe the controversies surrounding redistricting. Terms like "biennial sessions" and "special session" explain when and how the legislature meets. Being familiar with this vocabulary will help you follow news about the Texas Legislature and understand your rights as a citizen.

❓ What is gerrymandering?
The process of counting votes in an election
The process of redrawing districts to favor one party
A type of legislative session
A constitutional amendment process
❓ What is "packing" in the context of redistricting?
Dividing a group across multiple districts
Placing a voting group within a single district to minimize its influence elsewhere
Adding more legislators to a committee
Increasing the size of legislative districts
✅ Complete Section 9

🏛️ TCC Texas Government Trailblazer Trek

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TCC Trailblazer Trek - Completion Report

Chapter 4: The Texas Legislature

A
95%
Student Name
Not Entered
Date
-
Time
-
Level Achieved
Explorer

Section | Topic | Status | Points
1 | Introduction to the Texas Legislature | ❌ | 0/150
2 | Structure and Function | ❌ | 0/180
3 | Legislative Sessions | ❌ | 0/150
4 | Redistricting | ❌ | 0/180
5 | Qualifications for Service | ❌ | 0/150
6 | Demographic Composition | ❌ | 0/150
7 | The Legislative Process | ❌ | 0/200
8 | Compensation and Immunities | ❌ | 0/150
9 | Key Terms and Glossary | ❌ | 0/120

Instructor Note: This report documents the student's completion of Chapter 4: The Texas Legislature in the TCC Trailblazer Trek interactive learning module. Students explored the structure, function, and processes of the Texas Legislature, including how bills become laws and the qualifications for service.

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