The document discusses the legislative framework of the Texas government. It explains that Texas has a bicameral legislature like 48 other states, with a 31-member Senate and 150-member House of Representatives. Representatives serve 2-year terms and senators serve 4-year terms. The legislature holds regular sessions every odd-numbered year for up to 140 days, and special sessions can be called by the governor for up to 30 days to consider specific matters. Legislative districts are redrawn after each census to equalize populations, though this process can be politically contentious. The document provides details on qualifications, elections, and roles of Texas legislators.

1. The Texas Legislature
GOVT 2306
Chapter 7

2. Legislative Framework
 Texas, like 48 other states, uses a bicameral lawmaking body
to enact bills and adopt resolutions.
 The smaller chamber in Texas is called the Senate (with 31
members); the lower chamber is called the House (with 150
members).
 Election and Terms of Office
 Representatives serve 2-year terms and senators serve 4-year
terms—each beginning in January of odd-numbered years.
 There is no limit on the number of terms a member may serve.
 If a member of the legislature dies, resigns, or is expelled
(removed) from office, the vacancy is filled by special election.

3. Legislative Framework
 Sessions
 A regular session of the legislature is held every odd-numbered
year and lasts for a maximum of 140 days
 Special sessions, which can be called only by the governor, can
last up to 30 days.
 During a special session, the legislature may consider only those
matters placed before it by the governor.
 There is no limit as to how many special sessions can be called.
 Limits on the length of sessions reflect the distrust that people
have in their legislative body and a general fear of change
 Gov. Clements – “all kinds of bad things can happen when the
legislature is in session.”

4. Legislative Framework
 Districting
 Redistricting, reflective of population changes, is supposed to be
done immediately following the decennial (10 yr.) census.
 Redrawing of boundaries after the federal census to create districts
with approximately equal population
 Conducted the first odd-numbered year after the decennial census
 In Texas, the first legislative and congressional elections in
districts based on the 2010 census will be conducted in
November 2012 for offices filled in January 2013.
 Redistricting was completed in November 2011, but was halted in
March 2012 by the U.S. District Court of West Texas
 An interim plan was announced in March 2012

5. Legislative Framework
 Districting
 Issues with redistricting
 Can take away areas of constituent who has provided strong voter
support to a particular legislator
 May add an area of constituents who produce little support and much
opposition for a legislator
 May produce a new district that includes the residences of two or more
representatives or senators
 Only one of whom can be reelected to represent the district
 Can be used for gerrymandering purposes
 Drawing the boundaries of a district to include or exclude certain groups of
voters and thus affect election outcomes

6. Legislative Framework
 Districting
 Ideal District Plans (2011)
 Texas Census Population (2010) – 25,145,561
 Texas Congressional Districts – 36
 Ideal Population – 698,488
 Texas State Senate Districts – 31
 Ideal Population – 811,147
 Texas State House Districts – 150
 Ideal Population – 167,637
 Texas State Board of Education – 15
 Ideal Population – 1,676, 371

7. Legislative Framework
 Districting
 State Legislative Districts
 The Texas Constitution stipulates, “the legislature shall, at its first
session after the publication of each United States decennial census,
apportion the State into Senatorial and Representative districts.”
 Federal courts applied the “one man, one vote” principle to Texas, but
every redistricting has been followed by complaints about
gerrymandering.
 If the legislature fails to redistrict, then the Legislative Redistricting
Board does the necessary redistricting.
 All members of the Texas Legislature are elected in single-member
districts.
 Area that elects only 1 representative to serve on a policymaking body
 Texas enacted this in 1971

10. Check my SlideShare page
(rfair07) for more lectures
Lectures posted for:
 United States History before 1877
 United States History after 1877
 Texas History
 United States (Federal) Government
 Texas Government
 To download a copy of this PowerPoint presentation, please
go to: https://gumroad.com/l/uqZPJ 
 If you would like a copy of all the Texas Government lectures
posted in PDF format, please check out
at:https://gumroad.com/l/GXhg 

11. Legislative Framework
 Districting
 U.S. Congressional Districts
 In the year after a federal census, the Texas Legislature is supposed to
draw new district lines for its U.S. congressional districts (from which
representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives are elected).
 Per the 2000 census, Texas’ 32 congressional districts should have an ideal
population of 651,619
 After the 2010 census, Texas will have 36 congressional districts with an
average of 698,488 per district
 This process is not as simple as it seems and often presents political
challenges to lawmakers.
 2003 redistricting plan by Tom DeLay

13. Legislators
 Members of the Texas Legislature may not hold another
government office and must meet specific constitutional
requirements.
 However, the biographical data for members of recent Texas
legislatures suggest informal qualifications that restrict
opportunities for election to either of the two chambers.

14. Legislators
 Qualifications and Characteristics
 Except for state residency and age, the qualifications are the same
for both chambers.
 Citizenship, qualified voting status, and district residency of one year
apply to both chambers.
 To be elected to the House, one must have lived in Texas for at least 2 years
and be at least 21 years of age.
 Election to the Senate requires one to have lived in Texas for 5 years and to
be at least 26 years old.
 The minimum age requirements are usually well below the actual age of
most first-time members.
 Legislators tend to be Anglo, Protestant, male, between 35 and 50
years of age, native born, attorneys or businesspersons, with limited
prior legislative service.

15. Legislators
 Gender and Ethnic Classifications
 Ethnic and racial minorities may be underrepresented, but their
numbers continue to increase.
 Women are also underrepresented.
 Political Party Affiliation
 Though most legislators were still Democrats in 1999, by 2003
both chambers had gone under Republican control for the first
time since Reconstruction.
 Since that year, each chamber has produced more “party-line”
votes
 Democrats voting one way on an issue and Republicans voting the
other way.

16. Legislators
 Education and Occupation
 In government, as in business, most positions of leadership call for
college credentials.
 Nearly all members of the Texas Legislature claim at least some time
in college and most have at least one degree.
 Members of the legal profession have a dominant influence because
they are more available to be candidates for office.
 Lawyer-legislators often face conflict-of-interest charges.
 Lesser numbers of real estate and insurance people, and some
farmers, ranchers, and teachers have also served.
 Medical personnel, engineers, and accountants have held few
legislative seats.
 Laborers have held almost none.

17. Legislators
 Religious Affiliation
 The religious affiliation of each legislator is not a matter of record,
but it appears that Catholic senators and representatives are
most numerous, followed (in order) by Baptists, Methodists, and
Episcopalians.
 Religious affiliation has some significance because many top
issues today relate to spiritual or moral values.

18. Legislators
 Legislative Experience
 Experience is measured in terms of turnover
 (first-termers replacing experienced members who have retired or lost
an election) and tenure (years served in a legislative chamber).
 For the ten recent Texas legislatures (72nd–81st), the average
turnover in the House was 26 or about 17 percent of the
membership every 2 years.
 In the Senate, it was 4.4 or about 14 percent.
 Turnover tends to be higher for the first legislature following
redistricting.
 To date, all efforts to adopt term limits have been unsuccessful.

19. Compensation
 Texas’s legislators receive low pay, reasonable allowances,
and a relatively generous retirement pension after a minimum
period of service.
 Pay and Per Diem Allowance
 Legislative salaries are relatively low because voters must
approve any increase.
 A legislator’s salary is current $7,200 per year plus a per diem,
currently set at $168.00 for every day spent in actual service on
legislative business.
 The $7,200 annual salary has not been increased since 1975.

20. Check my SlideShare page
(rfair07) for more lectures
Lectures posted for:
 United States History before 1877 / after 1877
 Texas History
 United States (Federal) Government / Texas Government
 Slide 20 of 56
 To download a full copy of this PowerPoint presentation,
please go to: https://gumroad.com/l/uqZPJ 
 If you would like a copy of all the Texas Government lectures
posted in PDF format, please check out
at:https://gumroad.com/l/GXhg 