Texas Legislature

Texas State Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
HousesSenate
House of Representatives
History
FoundedMarch 10, 1836 (1836-03-10)
Leadership
Dan Patrick (R)
since January 20, 2015
Dade Phelan (R)
since January 12, 2021
Structure
Seats181
31 Senators
150 Representatives
Senate political groups
  •   Republican (19)
  •   Democratic (12)
House political groups
Elections
Last Senate election
November 8, 2022
Last House election
November 8, 2022
Next Senate election
November 5, 2024
Next House election
November 5, 2024
Meeting place
Texas State Capitol
Austin
Website
https://capitol.texas.gov

The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful arm of the Texas government not only because of its power of the purse to control and direct the activities of state government and the strong constitutional connections between it and the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, but also due to Texas's plural executive.

The Legislature is the constitutional successor of the Congress of the Republic of Texas since Texas's 1845 entrance into the Union. The Legislature held its first regular session from February 16 to May 13, 1846.

The Legislature has completed its 88th session, and the next session is the 89th session, scheduled to convene on January 14, 2025, at noon (CST) after the 2024 Texas elections.[1]

  1. ^ "Texas legislative sessions and years". Legislative Reference Library of Texas. Government of Texas. Retrieved August 17, 2023.