Texas History
Fort Burrows
20.2 - The Legislative Branch
READ pgs 489 - 494
Main Idea: The legislative branch passes the laws that govern the state of Texas
The Texas Legislature has two houses. That
makes it a bicameral legislature. The House of
Representatives is the larger part. It has 150
members. Voters choose these members every
two years. The Senate is smaller. It has only 31
members. They are elected every four years.
The Legislature meets for 140 days every
two years. If there is a special need for it to
meet, the Governor can call a Special Session.
Then the Legislature can meet for no more than
30 days.
The leader of the House is called the
Speaker. He or She keeps order in the House.
The Speaker also has some power over how
bills are handled. A bill is a proposed law. The
diagram, on page 3, explains how a bill becomes
a law. The Lieutenant Governor plays a similar
role in the Senate.
Both the House and the Senate have
committees.
These groups of members are formed to deal
with all the bills about a specific topic. One
committee looks at education and another at
crime, for instance. Members of the committee
make changes to bills on their topic.
The Legislature has to pass budget bills.
Members try to figure out how much money the
state will receive from taxes and other sources.
They then decide how all the money will be
spent. They have to be sure to create a balanced
budget. That means that the state cannot spend
any more money than it takes in. This rule
forces the members to make choices between
different ways of using the money.
The Senate has a special power. It is called
Advise and Consent. The Governor can name
people to hold certain jobs in the State
Government, but they do not actually get that
job unless the Senate approves them.
Vocabulary –
bicameral - two chambers
bill - a proposed law
seniority - a high rank earned by long service
interim committees - legislatures that work on long-range plans, not during session
select committees - special groups of Legislatures that work on a specific issue
balanced budget - you do not spend more money than you earn
Example: Congress does not spend more money annually, than they collect in taxes
Native Texan Barbara Jordan 1936-1996, Houston Texas
 Texas’ 1st African American, State Senator ( 1966 )
 Texas’ 1st African American Woman to serve in the U.S. Congress ( 1973-79 )
Organization of the Legislature
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Texas History
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House of Representatives - Texas
 150 members ( 150 districts with about
the same # of Texas citizens)
 Members elected every two years
 Must be US citizen and Texan for 2 yrs
 Must live in district and be at least 21
years old
 Members elect the Speaker of the
House to run proceedings and appoint
committees
 Has 36 committees that review bills
( proposed laws )
 Session - once every 2 years, 140 days
 $7,200 per year plus meals and housing
while in Austin
 The Governor can call a special session
when needed ( for 30 days )
House of Representatives – U. S. A.
 House of Representatives – United
States 435 Members, ( different amount
from each of the 50 states )
 Members elected every two years
 Must live in the state and be 25 yrs old
 Must be a US citizen for 7 years
 Members elect the Speaker of the
House to run proceedings and appoint
committees
 Session – At least one time per year, no
limit time ( days in service )
 $ 165,200 annually and Representatives
are also eligible for lifetime benefits
after serving for five years, including a
pension, health benefits, and social
security benefits
Governor Salary $ 115, 345.00 annually
The Texas Senate
United States Senate
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31 members (31 Senate Districts)
Members elected every four years
Must be US citizen and Texan for 5 yrs
Must live in his or her district and be
at least 26 years old
The Lieutenant Governor leads the
Senate
Has 13 committees
Approves Governor’s appointments to
agencies
Session - once every 2 years, 140 days
$7,200 per year plus meals and housing
while in Austin
The Governor can call a special session
when needed ( for 30 days )
 100 members (2 from each State)
 Members elected every six years
 Must live in his or her State 9 years
and be at least 30 years old
 Vice President leads over the US
Senate
 $ 188,000 annually, In addition to their
salaries, Senators retirement and
health benefits identical to other
federal employees, and are fully vested
after five years of service
 Session – At least one time per year, no
limit time (days in service )
How Bills Become Law
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A bill can be introduced in either House of the Legislature
The heads of committees choose which bills to consider
A committee studies the bill
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Texas History
Fort Burrows
The House debates the bill and makes changes
A bill needs simple majority (more than 50%) to move to the other house
The other house will now debate the bill and make changes or accept as written
If changes are made it returns to the original house for approval
The bill becomes law if the Governor signs it or takes no action
The governor could veto the bill
The House and Senate can overturn a veto by 2/3 vote
Bill is introduced in either House or Senate.
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Committee studies the bill.
At Which time the public may be present.
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Members of House or Senate debate and discuss the bill.
The public may be present to support or to oppose.
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If passed by one chamber, the bill must also be passed by the other.
There, a similar procedure is repeated.
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If passed with amendments, bill is
returned to the original chamber. If
members approve of the changes, it is
sent to the Governor.
If no amendments are attached,
the Bill goes to Governor for signing.
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( Note: Changes approved in one part have to be approved by the other )
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The Governor either signs the bill and it
becomes law or takes no action and it becomes a
law on January 1st of the next year….
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If governor vetoes the bill, it does not become
law unless two-thirds of each house passes the
bill again, over-riding the Governor’s Veto….
The State Budget
 Legislative Budget Board
 The Legislative Budget Board presents its budget plan to the legislature
 Lieutenant Governor
 Speaker of the House
 Four Senators
 4 other Members
 Standing committees in the House and Senate review the plan and make changes
 Both Houses must approve the budget for it to become law
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 Texas Constitution requires a balanced budget. The state cannot spend more
than it takes in from taxes and other sources.
 1977, lawmakers passed, Sunset Act
 This act states - a state agency must cease to exist after 12 years unless the
legislature votes to renew
 This allows lawmakers to change or get rid of an agency
Approving Appointments
• Committees use their budget power to keep tabs on government agencies
• The Senate has the power to advise and consent
• It must approve the governor’s choice of individuals before they can head state
agencies
1.
The Texas Legislature is ______________. It has two chambers: the house of
Representatives and the Senate.
A. bicentennial
B. bisected
C. bicameral
D. dual-cameral
2.
Select committees deal with
A. issues that were not resolved by the interim committees
B. special problems or issues the Legislature work on
C. issues that relate to discrimination
D. pet projects of the House and Senate members
3.
How does a bill become a law ?
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4.
What power does the Legislature have over the Governor ?
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5.
What is the function of Legislative Budget Board ?
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