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Texas Senate

The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The Republicans currently control the chamber, which is made up of 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats.

Contents

Leadership

The Lieutenant Governor of Texas serves as the President of the Senate. The lieutenant governor's duties include presiding over the Senate, appointing chairs of committees, committee members, assigning and referring bills to specific committees, recognizing members during debate, and making procedural rulings. The lieutenant governor may also cast a vote should a Senate floor vote end in a tie. If the Senate votes to dissolve itself into the Committee of the Whole, in which all members are part of the committee, the President Pro-Tempore resides over the proceedings, with the Lieutenant Governor acting as a regular voting member. Due to the various powers of committee selection and bill assignment, the lieutenant governor is arguably considered more powerful than the Governor of Texas[citation needed], and is considered one of the most powerful lieutenant governorships in the United States.

Unlike other state legislatures, the Texas Senate does not include majority or minority leaders. Instead, the President Pro Tempore is considered the second most powerful position, and can be reserved to any political party in the chamber regardless if the party is a majority or not. President Pro Tempores are usually the most senior members of the Senate. The President Pro Tempore preside when the lieutenant governor is not present or when the legislature is not in regular session.

The President of the Senate is Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. The President Pro Tempore is Republican Robert Duncan of District 28 (Lubbock).

Senator John Whitmire, a Democrat from Houston, is the Dean of the Senate, meaning he is the most senior member, having served for 26 years. Senator Chris Harris, a Republican from Arlington, is the most senior member of his party, and the fourth overall member in terms of seniority.

For the 81st Legislative Session there are only two new, or freshmen, senators, Wendy Davis, a Democrat from Fort Worth, and Joan Huffman, a Republican from Houston.

Leaders

Position Name Party Residence District
Lieutenant Governor/President of the Senate David Dewhurst Republican Austin
President Pro Tempore Robert Duncan Republican Lubbock 28

History

Quorum-busting

Further information: Texas Eleven, Rump Senate

There have been at least three cases of quorum-busting in Texas Senate history. The first case was in 1870, with the Rump Senate, followed by the 1979 Killer Bees, and finally the Texas Eleven in the summer of 2003, who were following the example of the Texas house Killer Ds.[1]

Committee Structure

The following represents the Senate committee structure for the 81st Legislature.

In addition, the House and Senate operate the permanent joint committee known as the Legislative Budget Board (LBB).

Current composition

Affiliation Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
End of previous legislature 20 11 31 0
Begin 19 12 31 0
March 8, 2010 18 12 30 1
July 2, 2010 19 12 31 0
Latest voting share 61.3% 38.7%

The Texas Senate started at 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats until Kip Averitt resigned, creating a vacancy that was filled by Republican Brian Birdwell of Granbury, who took office officially on July 2, 2010. Birdwell's win restores the Texas Senate to its original composition at the start of the 81st legislature.

List of members

Senator Party District Home Town Took Office
Kevin Eltife Republican 1 Tyler 2004
Bob Deuell Republican 2 Greenville 2003
Robert Nichols Republican 3 Jacksonville 2007
Tommy Williams Republican 4 The Woodlands 2003
Steve Ogden Republican 5 Bryan 1997
Mario Gallegos, Jr. Democratic 6 Houston 1995
Dan Patrick Republican 7 Houston 2007
Florence Shapiro Republican 8 Plano 1993
Chris Harris Republican 9 Arlington 1991
Wendy Davis Democrat 10 Fort Worth 2009
Mike Jackson Republican 11 La Porte 1999
Jane Nelson Republican 12 Flower Mound 1993
Rodney Ellis Democratic 13 Houston 1990
Kirk Watson Democratic 14 Austin 2007
John Whitmire Democratic 15 Houston 1983
John Carona Republican 16 Dallas 1996
Joan Huffman Republican 17 Southside Place 2008
Glenn Hegar Republican 18 Katy 2007
Carlos I. Uresti Democratic 19 San Antonio 2006
Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa Democratic 20 McAllen 2002
Judith Zaffirini Democratic 21 Laredo 1987
Brian Birdwell Republican 22 Granbury 2010
Royce West Democratic 23 Dallas 1993
Troy Fraser Republican 24 Horseshoe Bay 1997
Jeff Wentworth Republican 25 San Antonio 1993
Leticia R. Van de Putte Democratic 26 San Antonio 1999
Eddie Lucio, Jr. Democratic 27 Brownsville 1991
Robert L. Duncan Republican 28 Lubbock 1997
Eliot Shapleigh Democratic 29 El Paso 1997
Craig Estes Republican 30 Wichita Falls 2001
Kel Seliger Republican 31 Amarillo 2004

Past notable members

See also

References

  1. ^ Fikac,Peggy, August 21, 2003, [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=0FD1538CCF2D0E85&p_docnum=1 Senators' 1870 walkout also drew GOP's wrath Reconstruction-era tiff led to arrests and one expulsion], San Antonio Express-News

External links

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See: Table of Texas counties or List

Coordinates: 30°16′28″N 97°44′24″W / 30.274537°N 97.739906°W

Categories: Government of Texas | State upper houses in the United States | Texas Legislature

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