Texas Senate
The Texas Senate (ger .: Texas Senate ) is the upper house of together with the Texas House of Representatives bicameral Parliament of Texas . It consists of 31 members, each representing one of Texas State's 31 constituencies, each with approximately 672,000 voters. The election time of the members is not limited. Senate members meet at the Texas State Capitol in Austin .
At the beginning of 2015, two parties were represented in the Texas Senate, the Republican Party with 20 senators and the Democratic Party with 11 senators.
The Vice-Governor and also President of the Senate has been Dan Patrick of the Republicans since January 20, 2015 , if he is prevented he will be represented by the Democrat Juan Hinojosa ( President Pro Tempore ) from Mission , who was elected in the fifth constituency.
The Senate President chairs the meetings, calls on the speakers, appoints committee members and the chairpersons of the respective committees, transfers bills to certain committees and sets the schedule of meetings. If a vote ends in a tie, he can cast the decisive vote.
Unlike other legislative assemblies in the United States, the Texas Senate does not have a majority or opposition spokesperson. The office of President pro Tempore can be seen as the second most important office in the Senate; it is not reserved for a specific party, but can be held by any member of any parliamentary group, regardless of whether he belongs to the majority parliamentary group or the opposition. It is generally administered by the senior senate member. The President pro Tempore represents the Lieutenant Governor in absenteeism and during unscheduled meetings.
List of Senators (2011)
| senator | Political party | Constituency | Hometown | in office since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Eltife | republican | 1 | Tyler | 2004 |
| Bob Deuell | republican | 2 | Greenville | 2003 |
| Robert Nichols | republican | 3 | Jacksonville | 2007 |
| Tommy Williams | republican | 4th | The Woodlands | 2003 |
| Steve Ogden | republican | 5 | Bryan | 1997 |
| Mario Gallegos | democrat | 6th | Houston | 1995 |
| Dan Patrick | republican | 7th | Houston | 2007 |
| Florence Shapiro | republican | 8th | Plano | 1993 |
| Chris Harris | republican | 9 | Arlington | 1991 |
| Wendy Davis | democrat | 10 | Fort Worth | 2009 |
| Mike Jackson | republican | 11 | La Porte | 1999 |
| Jane Nelson | republican | 12 | Lewisville | 1993 |
| Rodney Ellis | democrat | 13 | Houston | 1990 |
| Kirk Watson | democrat | 14th | Austin | 2007 |
| John Whitmire | democrat | 15th | Houston | 1983 |
| John Carona | republican | 16 | Dallas | 1996 |
| Joan Huffman | republican | 17th | Houston | 2008 |
| Glenn Hegar | republican | 18th | Katy | 2007 |
| Carlos Uresti | democrat | 19th | San Antonio | 2006 |
| Juan Hinojosa | democrat | 20th | mission | 2002 |
| Judith Zaffirini | democrat | 21st | Laredo | 1987 |
| Brian Birdwell | republican | 22nd | Granbury | 2010 |
| Royce West | democrat | 23 | Dallas | 1993 |
| Troy Fraser | republican | 24 | Horseshoe Bay | 1997 |
| Jeff Wentworth | republican | 25th | San Antonio | 1993 |
| Leticia R. Van de Putte | democrat | 26th | San Antonio | 1999 |
| Eddie Lucio | democrat | 27 | Brownsville | 1991 |
| Robert L. Duncan | republican | 28 | Lubbock | 1997 |
| Jose Rodriguez | democrat | 29 | El Paso | 1997 |
| Craig Estes | republican | 30th | Wichita Falls | 2001 |
| Kel Seliger | republican | 31 | Amarillo | 2004 |
Well-known former members
- Preston Smith , Texas Governor from 1969 to 1973
- Allan Shivers , Lieutenant Governor of Texas (1946–1949), Governor of Texas (1949–1957)
- Lloyd Doggett , Member of the US House of Representatives since 1995
- Charlie Wilson , Member of the US House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997
Web links
- Official website (English).
- Project Vote Smart - Texas Senate (Engl.)
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