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Texas Senate

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Texas Senate
89th Texas Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 14, 2025
Leadership
Dan Patrick (R)
since January 20, 2015
Charles Perry (R)
since June 2, 2025
Majority Leader
Tan Parker (R)
since January 14, 2025
Minority Leader
Carol Alvarado (D)
since January 8, 2020
Structure
Seats31
Political groups
Majority
  •   Republican (18)

Minority

Vacant

  •   Vacant (1)
Length of term
4 years (with one 2-year term each decade)
AuthorityArticle 3, Texas Constitution
Salary$7,200/year + per diem
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
November 5, 2024
(15 seats)
Next election
November 3, 2026
(16 seats)
RedistrictingLegislative control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber
Texas State Capitol
Austin, Texas
Website
https://senate.texas.gov

The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form a bicameral system for the state legislature of Texas.[1] The Senate has meetings at the Texas State Capitol in Austin for several occasions, such as budgeting, lawmaking, addressing important issues, or joint sessions.[2]

The Republicans currently control the chamber. With 1 vacant seat, there is currently a total of 18 Republicans and 12 Democrats making up the Senate. [citation needed]

The Senate is made up of 31 members, where each represents a single-member district across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 940,000 per constituency, based on the 2020 U.S. census. Texas Senate districts contain the second largest electorate per member for a legislature in the United States (slightly under the 988,000 per California State Senator). Elections are held in even-numbered years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.[3]

Senators serve four year terms, with no term limits. Senators are divided into two groups based in part on the intervening Census:[4]

  • In elections in years ending in "2" (the election after the Census), all 31 seats are up for election.
  • Once the Senate meets in session after said election, the Senators will participate in a drawing to determine their election cycle:
    • One-half will have a 2-4-4 cycle, whereupon the seat would stand for election after two years (the year ending in "4"), then again in four years (the year ending in "8"), then finally in another four years (coinciding with all seats standing for election in the year ending in "2").
    • The other half will have a 4-4-2 cycle, whereupon the seat would stand for election after four years (the year ending in "6"), then again in four years (the year ending in "0"), then finally in only two years (coinciding with all seats standing for election in the year ending in "2").

As such, every two years, almost half of the senate is up for election.

Leadership

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The Lieutenant Governor of Texas serves as the President of the Senate. Unlike most lieutenant governors who are constitutionally designated as presiding officers of the upper house, the Lieutenant Governor regularly presides over the chamber rather than delegate this role to the President Pro Tempore. The Lieutenant Governor's duties include 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 presides 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 of Texas is considered one of the most powerful lieutenant governorships in the United States.

Unlike other state legislatures, the Texas Senate does not have official majority or minority leaders. Instead, the President Pro Tempore is considered the second most powerful position, regardless of party affiliation. Presidents Pro Tempore are usually the most senior members of the Senate. The President Pro Tempore presides when the Lieutenant Governor is not present or when the legislature is not in regular session.

Leaders

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PositionNamePartyResidenceDistrict
Lieutenant Governor/President of the SenateDan PatrickRepublicanHoustonElected Statewide
President Pro TemporeCharles PerryRepublicanLubbock28[5]

History

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Quorum-busting

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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[6] and finally the "Texas Eleven" in August 2003 during the controversial mid-decade redistricting plan at the time.[7]

Committee structure

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The Lieutenant Governor appoints the members to the various standing committees. The exact number and size of these committees can change with any given session. In addition to the standing committees there can be issue specific special, joint, and interim committees.

The following represents the Senate standing committee structure for the 89th Legislature (numbers in parentheses are the number of committee members).[8]

  • Administration (7)
  • Border Security (5)
  • Business and Commerce (11)
  • Criminal Justice (7)
  • Economic Development (5)
  • Education K-16 (11)
  • Finance (15)
  • Health & Human Services (8)
  • Jurisprudence (5)
  • Local Government (7)
  • Natural Resources (8)
  • Nominations (9)
  • State Affairs (11)
  • Transportation (9)
  • Veteran Affairs (7)
  • Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (9)

In addition to these committees, there are also six joint committees composed of members of both the State Senate and House:

Current composition

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↓
12 19
Democratic Republican
Affiliation Party
(shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
2011–12 19 12 31
2013–14 19 12 31 0
2015–16 20 11 31 0
2017–18 20 11 31 0
2019–20 19 12 31 0
2021–22 18 13 31 0
2023–24 19 12 31 0
Begin 2025 20 11 31 0
June 18, 2025[13] 19 30 1
October 2, 2025[14] 18 29 2
January 31, 2026[15] 12 30 1
May 2, 2026[16] 19 31 0
May 26, 2026[17] 18 30 1
Latest voting share 60% 40%
Senate districts and party affiliation after the 2024 election
  Republican Party
  Democratic Party

Current members, 2025–2027

[edit]
District Name Party Born Occupation(s) Previous

elective office(s)

 Education Assumed office Next Election Residence
1 Bryan Hughes Republican July 21, 1969 (age 56) Attorney Texas House University of Texas at Tyler (BBA)

Baylor University (JD)

 January 10, 2017 2026 Mineola
2 Bob Hall Republican March 5, 1942 (age 84) U.S. Air Force Captain
Business Owner (Retired)		 None The Citadel (BS) January 13, 2015 2026(retiring) Edgewood
3 Robert Nichols Republican November 25, 1944 (age 81) Engineer Mayor of Jacksonville Lamar University (BS) January 9, 2007 2026 Jacksonville
4

Brett Ligon

 Republican October 6, 1968 (age 57) Attorney District Attorney of Montgomery County Texas A&M University (BA)

South Texas College of Law Houston (JD)

 May 19, 2026[a] 2026 Montgomery
5 Charles Schwertner Republican May 29, 1970 (age 56) Orthopedic Surgeon Texas House University of Texas at Austin (BS)

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (MD)

 January 8, 2013 2026 Georgetown
6 Carol Alvarado Democratic October 26, 1967 (age 58) Small Business Owner Texas House
Houston City Council		 University of Houston (BA, MBA) December 21, 2018[a] 2028 Houston
7 Paul Bettencourt Republican October 20, 1958 (age 67) President and CEO, Bettencourt Tax Advisors L.L.C. Tax Assessor-Collector of Harris County Texas A&M University (BS) January 13, 2015 2028 Houston
8 Angela Paxton Republican February 14, 1963 (age 63) Leadership Consoltant
Teacher		 None Baylor University (BS)

University of Texas, Clear Lake (MEd)

 January 8, 2019 2028 McKinney
9 Taylor Rehmet Democratic July 17, 1992 (age 33) Aerospace Machinist
U.S. Air Force		 None None February 19, 2026[a] 2026 Fort Worth[18]
10 Phil King Republican February 29, 1956 (age 70) Attourney
Small Business Owner		 Texas House Dallas Baptist University (BA, MBA)

Texas Wesleyan University (JD)

 January 10, 2023 2028 Weatherford
11 Mayes Middleton Republican September 18, 1981 (age 44) President & CEO, Middleton Oil Texas House University of Texas at Austin (BA, JD) January 10, 2023 2026

(retiring)

 Galveston
12 Tan Parker Republican May 22, 1971 (age 55) Businessman
Entrepreneur		 Texas House University of Dallas (BA)

London School of Economics (MS)

 January 10, 2023 2028 Flower Mound
13 Borris Miles Democratic October 29, 1965 (age 60) Insurance broker Texas House Sam Houston State University (BS) January 10, 2017 2026 Houston
14 Sarah Eckhardt Democratic September 18, 1964 (age 61) Attorney Travis County Judge
Travis County Commissioner		 New York University (BFA)

University of Texas at Austin (MPA, JD)

 July 31, 2020[a] 2028 Austin
15 Molly Cook Democratic June 6, 1991 (age 35) Emergency room nurse
Musician		 None University of Texas at Austin (BSN)

Johns Hopkins University (MPH, MSN)

 May 16, 2024[a] 2028 Houston
16 Nathan Johnson Democratic February 12, 1968 (age 58) Attorney
Composer		 None University of Arizona (BS)

University of Texas at Austin (JD)

 January 8, 2019 2028 Dallas
17 Joan Huffman Republican August 17, 1956 (age 69) Attorney None Louisiana State University (BA)

South Texas College of Law (JD)

 December 29, 2008[a] 2028 Houston
18 Lois Kolkhorst Republican November 4, 1964 (age 61) Business Owner Texas House Texas Christian University (BS) December 22, 2014[a] 2026 Brenham
19 Roland Gutierrez Democratic September 1, 1970 (age 55) Attorney Texas House
San Antonio City Council		 University of Texas at San Antonio (BA)

St. Mary's University (JD)

 January 12, 2021 2026 San Antonio
20 Juan Hinojosa Democratic March 7, 1946 (age 80) Attorney
U.S. Marine Corps		 Texas House University of Texas, Pan American (BS)

Georgetown University (JD)

 January 14, 2003 2028 McAllen
21 Judith Zaffirini Democratic February 13, 1946 (age 80) Communications Specialist
Educator		 None University of Texas at Austin (BS, MA, PhD)

University of Houston Laredo Junior College

 January 13, 1987 2026 Laredo
22 Vacant 2026
23 Royce West Democratic September 26, 1952 (age 73) Attorney None University of Texas at Arlington (BA, MA)

University of Houston (JD)

 January 12, 1993 2028 Dallas
24 Pete Flores Republican January 30, 1960 (age 66) Game Warden Texas Senate Texas A&M University (BA)

Laredo Junior College

 January 10, 2023 2026 Pleasanton
25 Donna Campbell Republican September 17, 1954 (age 71) Emergency Room Physician None University of Central Oklahoma (BSN)

Texas Women's University (MSN) Texas Tech University (MD)

 January 8, 2013 2028 New Braunfels
26 Jose Menendez Democratic March 11, 1969 (age 57) Vice President, Stewart Title Guaranty Texas House
San Antonio City Council		 Southern Methodist University (BBA, BA) March 4, 2015[a] 2026 San Antonio
27 Adam Hinojosa Republican October 19, 1976 (age 49) Small Business Owner None Del Mar College January 14, 2025 2028 Corpus Christi
28 Charles Perry Republican March 9, 1962 (age 64) Certified Public Accountant Texas House Texas Tech University (BBA) September 30, 2014[a] 2026 Lubbock
29 Cesar Blanco Democratic April 23, 1976 (age 50) Consultant
U.S. Navy		 Texas House University of Texas at El Paso (BA) January 12, 2021 2028 El Paso
30 Brent Hagenbuch Republican March 22, 1960 (age 66) Owner & Chairman, Titus Transport, Inc.
U.S. Navy		 None United States Naval Academy (BS)

Stanford University (MS) University of California, Los Angeles (MBA)

 January 14, 2025 2028 Denton
31 Kevin Sparks Republican May 10, 1964 (age 62) Oil and Gas Operator None University of Texas at Austin (BBA) January 10, 2023 2026 Midland
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 First elected in a special election.

Past composition of the Senate

[edit]

The Senate was continuously held by Democrats from the end of the Reconstruction era until the Seventy-fifth Texas Legislature was seated in 1997, at which point Republicans took control. The Republican Party has maintained its control of the Senate since then.

Obsolete districts

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Notable past members

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ This committees has six members: the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor (who serve as joint chairs), the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees, and one Senator appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; the Committee in turn hires and oversees the State Auditor of Texas.
  2. ↑ This committee has ten members: the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor (who serve as joint chairs), the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees, three Senators appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and two Representatives appointed by the Speaker.
  3. ↑ This committee has six members: the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, two Senators appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and one Representative appointed by the Speaker.
  4. ↑ This committee has 14 members: the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor (who serve as joint chairs), the Chair of the House Administration Committee, six Senators appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and five Representatives appointed by the Speaker.

References

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  1. ↑ "Texas Government 2.0, The Texas Legislature, The Structure and Function of the Texas Legislature". OERTX. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  2. ↑ Méndez, María (January 13, 2025). "Texas Legislature 101: How bills become laws — and how you can participate in the process". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  3. ↑ "ELECTION CODE CHAPTER 41. ELECTION DATES AND HOURS FOR VOTING". statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  4. ↑ "THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 3. LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT". statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  5. ↑ "The Texas State Senate – Senator Charles Perry: District 28". senate.texas.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  6. ↑ "12 Texas State Senators, Claiming Political Victory, Come Out of Hiding". New York Times. May 23, 1979. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ Fikac, Peggy, August 21, 2003, Senators' 1870 walkout also drew GOP's wrath Reconstruction-era tiff led to arrests and one expulsion, San Antonio Express-News
  8. ↑ "The Texas State Senate – Committees of the Texas Senate". senate.texas.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Texas State Auditor's Office – Legislative Audit Committee".
  10. ↑ "Legislative Budget Board".
  11. ↑ "Legislative Reference Library |". lrl.texas.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  12. ↑ ""Lieutenant Governors of Texas, 1846 – present"". tlc.texas.gov. Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Legislative Reference Library of Texas.
  13. ↑ Republican Kelly Hancock (District 9) resigned to take office as Comptroller of Texas.
  14. ↑ Republican Brandon Creighton (District 4) resigned to take office as Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.
  15. ↑ Democrat Taylor Rehmet elected to succeed Hancock.
  16. ↑ Republican Brett Ligon elected to succeed Creighton.
  17. ↑ Republican Brian Birdwell (District 22) resigned in order to take a position with the U.S. Department of Defense.
  18. ↑ Montgomery, David (October 21, 2025). "No state senator lives in Fort Worth. Does it matter?". Fort Worth Report. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Legislative Reference Library | Legislators and Leaders | Lt. Governors of Texas, 1846 – present". lrl.texas.gov. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
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