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Andrade-Van De Putte & Associates Legislative Tool Leticia Van de Putte Austin: 208 West 14th Street Andrade-Van de Putte & Associates Austin, Texas 78701 Legislative Tool Kit San Antonio: 300 East Basse, #1144 San Antonio, Texas 78209 O: 210.592.6187 C: 210.854.6604 W: andradevdp.com Table of Contents Who Represents Me? .............................................................................................................. 3 Texas Legislature Background ............................................................................................. 3 Your Elected Officials ............................................................................................................. 3 Texas Senate .................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Emailing your Senate Member .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Capitol Mailing Address for All Senate Members ................................................................................................. 4 Senate Members ......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Texas House of Representatives ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Emailing your House Member ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Capitol Mailing Address for All House Members ................................................................................................... 7 Texas House Members ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 The Role of Committees ....................................................................................................... 10 Member Appointments ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 Texas Senate ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Texas House of Representatives .................................................................................................................................... 10 Standing Committees ............................................................................................................................................................ 10 Texas Senate ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Texas House ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Committee Assignments ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 Structure .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 The Legislative Process ........................................................................................................ 19 Factoids ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Getting Around the Capitol: Capitol Guides ................................................................... 21 Tracking Legislative Progress .............................................................................................. 23 Effective Advocacy for TAPA .............................................................................................. 24 Building Connections ............................................................................................................................................................. 24 Legislative Meeting .................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Scheduling ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Preparedness ............................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Messaging ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Relationship Building ............................................................................................................................................................... 25 Following Up ................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................................. 26 Who Represents Me? Below is the link for you to determine who represents you in the Texas Legislature as well as in the U.S. Congress. https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home Texas Legislature Background The State of Texas Legislature operates under the biennial system. It convenes a regular session every odd-numbered year. The maximum duration of a regular session is 140 days. The governor is given authority under the state constitution to convene the legislature at other times during the biennium. Such sessions are known as called or special sessions and are reserved for legislation that the governor deems critically important in the conduct of state affairs. Called sessions are limited to a period of 30 days, during which the legislature is permitted to pass laws only on subjects submitted by the governor in calling for the session. Your Elected Officials Texas Senate Ø How many- o 31 Members (19 R’s, 12 D’s) Ø Who are they? o The Lt. Gov. is elected statewide and presides as the President of the Texas Senate. Each member represents districts with more than 800,000 constituents, (this is more than a Congressional Member). Ø Length of term - o 4 year The Senate Chamber is located in the east wing of the Capitol and is the setting for negotiations, debate, and legislative action by 31 senators. As established by the Texas Constitution: Ø A senator must be at least 26 years of age, Ø A citizen of Texas for five years prior to the election Ø A resident of the district from which elected, one year prior to election Each senator serves a four-year term— one-half of the Senate membership is elected every two years. As presiding officer of the Senate, the Lieutenant Governor (Lt. Gov.) is officially called the President of the Senate. The Lt. Gov. is elected statewide by popular vote to serve a four-year term of office. The Lt. Gov. is not a member of the Senate, and votes only in case of a tie. The Lt. Gov. appoints all chairs and members of the Senate committees, and refers all bills to committee. The Lt. Gov. also schedules most bills for consideration on the Senate floor. Bills that are local or uncontested are scheduled by the Senate Administration Committee. The Senate holds the power of advice and consent on gubernatorial appointments to state boards and commissions. The Lt. Gov. schedules most bills for consideration on the Senate floor only after the bill’s author has the required number of Senators pledge’s to vote FOR consideration. The current requirement is 3/5th of the Senate. This is called the “3/5th Rule” and means that 19 of the 31 Senators must agree to bring a bill up for a vote before any formal Senate floor action can be taken. There are several rules a senator must follow when speaking for or against a bill. A senator must rise and be recognized by the presiding officer before addressing members of the Senate. After being recognized by the presiding officer, the senator: 1. Must remain standing at his/her desk; 2. Must speak on topics relevant to the issue or the bill at hand; and 3. May yield the floor to another member for questions. In some instances, such as when the Senate has resolved into a Committee of the Whole Senate, the Lt. Gov. may “step down” from the podium to participate in the debate of a topic. When this occurs, a senator is asked to “step up” and preside over the Senate. The Senate elects officers, who are not members of the Senate, to carry our various duties necessary to the legislative process. The Senate parliamentarian assists the presiding officer in the matters of procedure and Senate rules. The Secretary of the Senate reads all the bills before the Senate and calls roll for attendance and voting. The calendar clerk and journal clerk act as assistants to the secretary of the Senate and record bills and Senate
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