The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral The Texas Senate is the Upper house of the Texas Legislature. The Texas House of Representatives is the Lower house of the Texas Legislature. The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer speaker or chairman of a Senate. David Dewhurst (born August 18, 1945) is the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Texas. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House Thomas Russell “Tom” Craddick (born September 19, 1943) is the first Republican to serve as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Texas State Capitol, located in Austin Texas, is the fourth building to serve as the seat of Texas government In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the legislative body of any of the country's 50 states. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Texas Senate with 31 members, and the lower Texas House of Representatives with 150 members. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral An upper house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Lower house. The Texas Senate is the Upper house of the Texas Legislature. A lower house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Upper house. The Texas House of Representatives is the Lower house of the Texas Legislature. The Legislature meets at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The Texas State Capitol, located in Austin Texas, is the fourth building to serve as the seat of Texas government In Texas, the legislature is arguably considered the most powerful arm of the Texas Government due to its power of the purse to control and direct the activities of state government, as well the strong constitutional connections between the legislature and the Lieutenant Governor of Texas. The Government of Texas wants of a state government as well as governments at the county and municipal levels The power of the purse is the ability of one group to Manipulate and control the actions of another group by withholding Funding, or putting stipulations on the use The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States of America.

The Legislature replaced the Congress of the Republic of Texas following Texas' entrance into the United States in 1845. mThe Congress of the Republic of Texas was the national legislature of the Republic of Texas established by the Constitution of the Republic of Texas in 1836 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The first session of the legislature met from February 16 to May 13, 1846. The First Texas Legislature convened from 16 February to 13 May 1846 in regular session Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. For the game see 1846 (board game. Year 1846 ( MDCCCXLVI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display

Structure and operations

The legislature meets in regular session on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. ^[1] The Texas Constitution limits the regular session to 140 calendar days. The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of the U The Lieutenant Governor, elected statewide separate from the Governor, presides over the Senate, while the Speaker of the House is elected from that body by its members. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States of America. Governors of Texas The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their respective houses and have a large impact on lawmaking in the state.

Only the Governor may call the Legislature into special sessions (the legislature may not call itself into session, as is the case in some other states), and the governor may call as many sessions as he wishes. For example, Governor Rick Perry called three consecutive sessions in 2003 to address congressional redistricting. James Richard "Rick" Perry (born March 4, 1950) is a Republican Politician and the current Governor of Texas Redistricting, a form of redistribution, is the process of changing of political Borders in the United States 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). The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of the U

Both houses of the Legislature are officially organized on a bipartisan basis, with members of both parties serving in leadership positions such as committee chairmanships. Currently (2007), a majority of the members of each chamber are members of the Republican Party.

Texas Senate in session

Qualification for service

The Texas Constitution sets the qualifications for election to each house as follows:

• A senator must be at least 26 years of age, a citizen of Texas 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 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.

• 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.

Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has term limits. Term limits to offices in the United States: Historical background Term limits or Rotation in office, dates back to the American

Scandals

• On May 14, 2007, CBS Austin affiliate KEYE reported on the rampant multiple voting by members of the Texas House of Representatives during a voting session. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. KEYE-TV, channel 42 is a CBS affiliate in Austin Texas, USA. It is owned by the Four Points Media Group, LLC (which in turn is owned by The Texas House of Representatives is the Lower house of the Texas Legislature. ^[2] The report noted how representatives would race to the nearest empty seats to register votes for absent members on the legislature's automated voting machines. Each representative would vote for the nearest absent members, apparently regardless of party affiliation. This practice was in direct violation of a Rule of the Texas Legislature; however, no house member had ever been disciplined for the practice. The then-Speaker of the House, responsible for enforcement of the rule, issued a statement that discipline for violations of the rule is left to the individual house members.

Makeup of the Texas House of Representatives

Main article: Texas House of Representatives

See also: Eightieth Texas Legislature

Note: The resignation of Robert Puente (D-San Antonio) created a vacancy, making the total representative count 149 instead of 150. The Texas House of Representatives is the Lower house of the Texas Legislature. The Eightieth Texas Legislature met in regular session beginning 9 January 2007. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. His seat will be filled by a special election on May 10, 2008.

Makeup of the Texas Senate

Main article: Texas Senate

References

• "Citizen Handbook". The Senate of Texas. Retrieved 13 April 2005. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople
• Texas Legislature from the Handbook of Texas Online. The Handbook of Texas (ISBN 0-87611-151-7 is a comprehensive Encyclopedia of Texas geography history and historical persons published by the Texas Retrieved 13 April 2005. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople
• 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").

External links

• Texas Legislature Online
• Texas House of Representatives
• Texas Senate
• Reference Library of Texas
• Project Vote Smart - State Senate of Texas
• Project Vote Smart - State House of Texas
• Texas Politics - The Legislative Branch
• Billhop - Texas Legislative Wiki