Texas Lawmakers Return To Austin

And they’re off!

Lawmakers are gathering in Austin today for the start of the 140-day regular session of the Texas Legislature, facing a tight state spending picture, varying priorities from their leaders and a heavy workload of thorny issues to settle on behalf of the state’s 27 million residents.

The House and Senate looks much the same as they did two years ago. Republicans run both chambers, with a 20-11 majority in the Senate and a 95-55 hold on the House where Democrats gained four seats after the last election. Twenty-two members are new to the Legislature.

Much of the attention under the pink domed Texas Capitol over the next five months is sure to be influenced by the top leaders, all of whom are Republicans. They are: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate; House Speaker Joe Strauss, and Gov. Greg Abbott. But heavy influence in the Capitol also is carried by a number of rank-and-file members and committee chairs. For information about legislators, visit the “Texas Legislators: Past & Present” page at the Legislative Reference Library of Texas.

AARP Texas will be present at the Capitol, pursuing an agenda that includes strengthening nursing home quality, easing stress for family caregivers, helping millions of Texans save for retirement, and protecting seniors from financial exploitation. AARP’s nonpartisan Texas legislative priorities also include a focus on eliminating surprise medical bills, and advocating for the age-50+ community to ensure that insurance costs are reasonable, coverage is reliable, and utility services are affordable and dependable.


Contacting Your Legislator

The Texas Legislature Online provides information on its “Who Represents Me?” page about current members of the Texas Senate, Texas House of Representatives, the Texas delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the State Board of Education. You can search by street address, ZIP code, county, and/or city. Information on U.S. Senators from Texas may found at the U.S. Senate.

By mail
You may write to your legislators at the following addresses:

The Honorable (insert name of Senator)
Texas Senate
P.O. Box 12068
Austin, Texas 78711

The Honorable (insert name of Representative)
Texas House of Representatives
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768-2910

District office addresses are available on  Who Represents Me? on Texas Legislature Online.

By e-mail
E-mail is handled by each office individually. For e-mail options, see the  Texas Senators and  House Membership web sites.

 

Mark Your Calendar

Here are a few key dates for the 85 ^th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature:

Jan. 10: Opening day
March 10: Filing deadline for bills other than emergency or local measures
May 29: Sine die, final day of the session
June 18: Deadline for governor to sign or veto bills
Aug. 28: Bills take effect, unless specifically stated otherwise

Stay Tuned

This legislative session, be sure to connect with AARP Texas on Twitter at @AARPTX and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AARPTexas/