The biennial session kicked off on Jan. 10 in Austin with the swearing-in of House and Senate members, who will convene for a total of five months to tackle the state’s business.

The Legislature meets for 140 days between January and June, every other year. The only item the Legislature is constitutionally obligated to pass is the state’s budget for the next two years.

HISD’s government relations team is in Austin full-time, educating lawmakers and staff on the most important issues affecting the district, especially the recapture payment and the pending detachment and reassignment of commercial property.

Learn More about HISD’s Legislative Agenda

The House contains 22 new members and four former state representatives returning to the Texas House. The Senate has three new members. Overall, there are 181 members of the Texas Legislature. The House has 95 Republicans and 55 Democrats (150 total). The Senate has 20 Republicans and 11 Democrats (31 total).