The Texas Legislature

1
The Texas Legislature

• Chapter 23
• OConnor and Sabato
• American Government Continuity and Change

2
The Texas Legislature

• In this chapter we will cover
• 1. The Roots of the Legislative Branch
• 2. The State Constitution and the
  Legislative Branch of Government
• 3. Legislative Membership Representing the
  Public
• 4. How the Texas Legislature is Organized
• 5. The Lawmaking and Budgeting Function of the
  Legislature
• 6. How the Legislature Makes Decisions
• 7. The Legislature and the Governor

3
Roots of the Legislature in Texas

• Roots in Mexican legislature (Mexican provinces
  of Tejas and Chohuila)
• 1836 Texas independence - Constitution of
  Republic of Texas calls for bicameral Congress
• 1846 Texas joins Union - Republic of Texas
  legislature dissolved and first Texas Legislature
  convenes
• Legislature dominated by Anglos
• During Reconstruction African Americans in
  Texas Legislature (1869/1874 then reduced in s)
  
• End of Reconstruction meant the end of
  representation for African Americans

4
State Constitution the Legislative Branch of
Government

• Texas legislature bicameral (Senate has 31
  members and House of Representatives has 150)
• Constitution sets term limits, compensation, and
  requirements for office
• Legislative session every two years
• Constitution provides for regular and special
  sessions

5
Legislative Membership Representing the Public

• Issues of representation include
• -Nature of representation
• -How to achieve representation
• -Equality of representation
• Determining representation
• -Districts and redistricting
• -Reelection rates membership turnover

6
Legislative Membership Representing the Public

• Demographics of representation
• occupation
• education
• religion
• gender
• race
• age
• political party
• ideology

7
Organization of Texas Legislature

• Leaders
• Lieutenant Governor
• Speaker
• Committees (subunit of the legislature)
• Types of committees
• standing
• procedural
• joint
• conference
• interim

8
Organization of Texas Legislature

• Power and Influence
• Legislative Party Caucus (same party
  identification)
• Leadership/Opposition the House
• Texas Constitution requires that legislature
  elect one of their members to be head of House
  called the Speaker (influence and power)
• Leadership and Opposition - the Senate
• Constitution calls for lieutenant governor to be
  leader of the Senate (influence and power)
• Lieutenant governor in Texas is a very powerful
  position

9
Ideological Voting Pattern in the Texas House of
Representatives
10
Lawmaking Budgeting in the Texas Legislature

• Bills and Resolutions
• Rules of the process whereby a bill becomes a law
  adopted by legislative chambers embody
  constitutional limits
• Bills are filed, committeed, read, calendared,
  filibustered, amended, engrossed, and signed

11
Basic Steps in the Texas Legislative Process
12
Lawmaking Budgeting in the Texas Legislature

• Budgeting process
• Texas has biennial budget
• Role of the Governor and Legislative Budgeting
  Board
• Balanced budget requirement
• Budgeting process includes consideration of
  balanced budget requirement, comptrollers
  revenues estimates, proposed budget by governor
  and the LBB, spending limits, and governors line
  item veto authority

13
How the Legislature Makes Decisions

• decision process complex involving many players
  (voters, lobbyists, judges, media, etc.)
• Growth and dependency on support staff is focal
  point of institutionalization of legislatures
• Lobbyist influence and role is of special concern
  in the development of public policy
• Campaign finances and election lines become
  blurred

14
The Legislature the Governor

• In Texas governors may be weak in terms of
  executive branch control but strong players in
  the legislative process
• The Governor and special sessions
• Governors veto power over legislation
• In Texas governors veto rarely overridden due
  to nature and timing veto power