Texas Senate

Infobox Legislature
name = Texas Senate
coa_pic = Texas Senate Seal.png session_room = Tx-senate.jpg
house_type = Upper house
leader1_type = President of the Senate
leader1 = David Dewhurst
party1 = R
election1 = January 17, 2003
leader2_type = President Pro Tempore
leader2 = Mario Gallegos, Jr.
party2 = D
election2 = January 9, 2007
members = 31
p_groups = Democratic Party
Republican Party
meeting_place = Senate Chamber, Texas State Capitol, Austin
website = http://www.senate.state.tx.us/

The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits for the Senate. The Senate meets at the Texas State Capitol in Austin.

Leadership

The Lieutenant Governor of Texas serves as the President of the Senate. The lieutenant governor's duties include presiding over the Senate, appointing chairships 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. Due to the various powers of committee selection and bill assignment, the lieutenant governor is arguably considered more powerful than the Governor of TexasFact|date=May 2008, and is considered one of the most power lieutenant governorships in the United States.

Unlike other state legislatures, the Texas Senate does not include majority or minority leaders. Instead, the President Pro Tempore is considered the second most powerful position, and can be reserved to any political party in the chamber regardless if the party is a majority or not. President Pro Tempores are usually the most senior members of the Senate. The President Pro Tempore serves when the lieutenant governor is not present or when the legislature is not in regular session.

The President of the Senate is Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. The President Pro Tempore is Democrat Mario Gallegos, Jr. of District 6 (Houston).

Leaders

Past notable members

* Preston Smith, Governor of Texas from 1969 to 1973.
* Allan Shivers, Lieutenant Governor of Texas (1946–1949), Governor of Texas (1949–1957).
* Lloyd Doggett, present U.S. House Representative, 1995 to present.

ee also

* Texas Legislature
* Texas House of Representatives

External links

* [http://www.senate.state.tx.us/ Official website]