Have a question for Ballotpedia staff?
Click here to live chat with one of our writers between 9am-5pm CST.




Texas State Senate

From Ballotpedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Texas State Senate


General Information
Type:   Upper house
Term limits:   None
2012 session start:   No regular session in 2012
Website:   Official Senate Page
Leadership
Senate President:   David Dewhurst, (R)
Structure
Members:  31
   Democratic Party (12)
Republican Party (19)
Length of term:   4 years
Authority:   Art III, Sec 1-43, Texas Constitution
Salary:   $7,200/year + per diem
Elections
Last Election:  November 2, 2010 (16 seats)
Next election:  November 6, 2012 (31 seats)
Redistricting:  Texas Legislature has control

Contents

The Texas Senate is the upper house in the Texas State Legislature. It consists of 31 members. According to the Texas Constitution, Texas senators serve four-year terms without term limits.

One-half of the Senate membership is elected every two years in even-numbered years, with the exception that all 31 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.[1] Texas state senators are not subject to term limits. Each member represents an average of 811,147 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[2] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 672,640 residents.[3]

Sessions

Article III of the Texas Constitution establishes when the Texas 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 the Governor of Texas.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the Senate will not be in regular session.

2011 (82nd Legislature)

See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions

In 2011, the Senate will be in session from January 11 through May 30. [4]

2010

See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions

In 2010, the Senate did not meet in regular session.[5]

2009 (81st Legislature)

In 2009, the Senate met in session from January 13 through June 1. [6]

Elections

2012

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Texas State Senate will consist of a Primary Election on March 6, 2012 and a General Election on November 6, 2012. All 31 Senate seats will be up for election in 2012.

2010

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Texas State Senate was held on November 2, 2010 in 16 of Texas's 31 senate districts. The 16 districts where electoral contests took place in 2010 were: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, and 29. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was January 4, 2010, the primary election day was on March 2, and the primary runoff was held April 13.

In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $11,219,972 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [7]

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

Qualifications

To be eligible to serve in the Texas State Senate, a candidate must be:[8]

  • A U.S. citizen
  • 26 years old before the general election
  • A five-year resident of Texas before the general election
  • A district resident for 1 year prior to the general election

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
NevadaMassachusettsColoradoNew MexicoWyomingArizonaMontanaCaliforniaOregonWashingtonIdahoTexasOklahomaKansasNebraskaSouth DakotaNorth DakotaMinnesotaIowaMissouriArkansasLouisianaMississippiAlabamaGeorgiaFloridaSouth CarolinaIllinoisWisconsinTennesseeNorth CarolinaIndianaOhioKentuckyPennsylvaniaNew JerseyNew YorkVermontVermontNew HampshireMaineWest VirginiaVirginiaMarylandMarylandConnecticutConnecticutDelawareDelawareRhode IslandRhode IslandMassachusettsNew HampshireMichiganMichiganAlaska

If there is a vacancy in the Senate, the Governor must call a special election to fill the vacant seat[9]. A Governor's proclamation to a special election must be delivered to local elections authorities representing the vacant seat no later than 36 days before the scheduled election[10].

The Secretary of State can declare a candidate duly elected in a special election if there is no opposition[11].

Senators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2011, members of the Texas Legislature are paid $7,200/year. Legislators receive $150/day per diem which is set by the Ethics Commission.[12]

The $7,200/year that Texas legislators are paid as of 2011 is the same as they were paid during legislative sessions in 2010 and 2007. Per diem has increased from $139/day in 2007 to $168/day in 2010 and decreased to $150/day in 2011.[13][14]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Texas legislators assume office at the beginning of the legislative session (January). Special elections will be different and subject to case-by-case basis.

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Party As of May 2012
     Democratic Party 12
     Republican Party 19
Total 31

82nd Legislature

The following map displays party control of districts throughout the Texas State Senate after the 2010 general elections:

81st Legislature

The following map displays party control of districts throughout the Texas State Senate:

Leadership

Similar to many states, the Lieutenant Governor serves as President of the Senate, but in Texas this position can be given a great deal of power. The Senate adopt the rules at the beginning of each legislative session which sets out how much power the President of the Senate will have.

Under current rules, the Lieutenant Governor decides all parliamentary questions, sets up standing and special committees and can appoint committee chairs along with individual members. The Lieutenant Governor also sets the order in which bills are considered and is given a strong leadership role.[15]

Current leadership

Position Representative Party
President of the Senate David Dewhurst Republican
State Senate President Pro Tempore Steve Ogden Republican

2010 Leadership

Position Representative Party
President of the Senate David Dewhurst Republican
State Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Duncan Republican

List of current members

State legislatures where heading into the November 2, 2010 elections
the Republican Party is in the majority in both chambers
Nevada State LegislatureMassachusetts General CourtColorado General AssemblyNew Mexico State LegislatureWyoming State LegislatureArizona State LegislatureMontana State LegislatureCalifornia State LegislatureOregon State LegislatureWashington State LegislatureIdaho State LegislatureTexas State LegislatureOklahoma State LegislatureKansas State LegislatureNebraska State Senate (Unicameral)South Dakota State LegislatureNorth Dakota State LegislatureMinnesota State LegislatureIowa State LegislatureMissouri State LegislatureArkansas State LegislatureLouisiana State LegislatureMississippi State LegislatureAlabama State LegislatureGeorgia State LegislatureFlorida State LegislatureSouth Carolina State LegislatureIllinois State LegislatureWisconsin State LegislatureTennessee State LegislatureNorth Carolina State LegislatureIndiana State LegislatureOhio State LegislatureKentucky State LegislaturePennsylvania State LegislatureNew Jersey State LegislatureNew York State LegislatureVermont State LegislatureVermont State LegislatureNew Hampshire State LegislatureMaine State LegislatureWest Virginia State LegislatureVirginia State LegislatureMaryland State LegislatureMaryland State LegislatureConnecticut State LegislatureConnecticut State LegislatureDelaware State LegislatureDelaware State LegislatureRhode Island State LegislatureRhode Island State LegislatureMassachusetts State LegislatureNew Hampshire State LegislatureMichigan State LegislatureMichigan State LegislatureAlaska State Legislature
District Representative Party Home Town Took Office
1 Kevin Eltife Republican Tyler 2004
2 Bob Deuell Republican Greenville 2003
3 Robert Nichols Republican Jacksonville 2007
4 Tommy Williams Republican The Woodlands 2003
5 Steve Ogden Republican Bryan 1997
6 Mario Gallegos Democratic Houston 1995
7 Dan Patrick Republican Houston 2007
8 Florence Shapiro Republican Plano 1993
9 Chris Harris Republican Arlington 1991
10 Wendy Davis Democratic 2008
11 Mike Jackson Republican La Porte 1999
12 Jane Nelson Republican Lewisville 1993
13 Rodney Ellis Democratic Houston 1990
14 Kirk Watson Democratic Austin 2007
15 John Whitmire Democratic Houston 1983
16 John Carona Republican Dallas 1996
17 Joan Huffman Republican 2008
18 Glenn Hegar Republican Katy 2007
19 Carlos Uresti Democratic San Antonio 2006
20 Juan Hinojosa Democratic Mission 2002
21 Judith Zaffirini Democratic Laredo 1987
22 Brian Birdwell Republican Granbury 2011
23 Royce West Democratic Dallas 1993
24 Troy Fraser Republican Horseshoe Bay 1997
25 Jeff Wentworth Republican San Antonio 1993
26 Leticia Van de Putte Democratic San Antonio 1999
27 Eddie Lucio Democratic Brownsville 1991
28 Robert Duncan Republican Lubbock 1997
29 Jose R. Rodriguez Democratic El Paso 2011
30 Craig Estes Republican Wichita Falls 2001
31 Kel Seliger Republican Amarillo 2004

Senate committees

Texas State Senate
Senate Committees

Administration • Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Business & Commerce • Criminal Justice
Economic Development • Education
Finance • Government Organization
Health & Human Services • Higher Education
Intergovernmental Relations
International Relations and Trade
Jurisprudence • Natural Resources
Nominations • State Affairs
Transportation & Homeland Security
Veteran Affairs & Military Installations

House Committees

The Texas State Senate has 18 standing committees, 3 subcommittees, and 2 select committees. The following is a list of the standing committees:

History

Quorum-busting

There have been 3 cases of quorum-busting in Texas Senate history so far. The first one took place in 1870, with the Rump Senate. Then came the Killer Bees[16] in 1979, and the Texas Eleven. The Texas Eleven were a group of Democrats that left the state in 2003 to prevent redistricting legislation, following the example of the Texas House Killer Ds.[17]


External links

Portions of this article have been taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright Notice can be found here.

References

  1. ↑ Texas Constitution, Article 3, Section 3
  2. ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
  3. ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
  4. ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
  5. ↑ 2010 session dates for Texas legislature
  6. ↑ 2009 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
  7. ↑ Follow the Money: "Texas Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
  8. ↑ Qualifications for running for Texas Senate
  9. ↑ Texas Legislature "Texas Election Code"(Referenced Statute 3.003 (3))
  10. ↑ Texas Legislature "Texas Election Code"(Referenced Statute 3.003 (3)(b)-(c))
  11. ↑ Texas Legislature "Texas Election Code"(Referenced Statute 2.055 (3)(b)-(c))
  12. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
  13. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
  14. ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
  15. ↑ Duties of the Lt. Gov. of Texas
  16. ↑ The Killer Bees were a group of 12 Senators who hid out in Austin in 1979 to keep the Senate from reaching a quorum.
  17. ↑ History of the Texas State Senate
v • d • e
Republican majority Current members of the Texas State Senate
Senate President: David Dewhurst, (R)
Democratic (12) • Republican (19) • Texas State Senate • Texas House of Representatives
v • d • e
State legislatures
Legislatures
Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
2012
2011
2010
2009
Features of
state legislatures
State senates
State houses
Leadership positions
Retrieved from "http://www.ballotpedia.info/wiki/index.php/Texas_State_Senate"
Personal tools