The Texas legislature is a bicameral legislature consisting of an upper chamber (the Texas Senate) and a lower chamber (the Texas House of Representatives). The Texas Senate consists of 31 members who serve 4-year, staggered terms (meaning half of the chamber is up for re-election every two years). The Texas House of Representatives consists of 150 members who serve 2-year terms. Texas legislators represent single-member election districts.
To serve in the Texas legislature, you must be a U.S. citizen, registered to vote, and meet the additional qualifications included in the table below.
| Chamber | Age | Residency |
|---|---|---|
| Texas House of Representatives | 21 years of age | 1 year in the district
2 years in the state |
| Texas Senate | 26 years of age | 1 year in the district
5 years in the state |
Even though our legislature is considered the most powerful part of our state government, its structure and powers reflect the belief in limited government, and it continues to function in a similar manner to the way that it did in the 1800s, based on the citizen legislature model that was popular at the time.
Citizen Legislatures
A citizen legislature is a legislature primarily made up of citizens who have full-time occupations besides serving in government. “The benefit of a citizen legislature, at least in theory, is that lawmakers bring a variety of career and life experiences to the lawmaking process; unlike career politicians, they must live with the laws they create when they return” (Messerly and Rindels, 2019 ). Common characteristics associated with citizen legislatures include
- meeting part-time (i.e., for a certain number of months every year/every other year)
- low compensation (with the goal of preventing the emergence of career politicians and ensuring only those who want to “give back to society” will run for office)
- small legislative staff sizes / no legislative staff
The Texas Legislature has all of these characteristics! it meets for approximately six months every two years; Texas state legislators are among the lowest-paid in the nation, receiving $600/month ($7,200/year) and $190 per diem (to cover lodging, food, and transportation) during regular sessions; and Texas state legislators have limited staff.