{"id":54,"date":"2016-11-10T19:42:25","date_gmt":"2016-11-10T19:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/odessa-texasgovernment\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=54"},"modified":"2017-03-30T15:25:28","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T15:25:28","slug":"qualifications-organization","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/chapter\/qualifications-organization\/","title":{"raw":"Qualifications and Organization","rendered":"Qualifications and Organization"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\nBy the end of this section, you will be able to:\r\n<ul class=\"im_orderedlist\">\r\n \t<li>Discuss the structure of the Texas Legislature<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Explain how Texas Congressional Districts are created<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Describe the qualifications and to become a member of Texas Congress<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<section id=\"fs-idp225728592\"><section id=\"fs-idp225728592\">\r\n<h1>Structure of Texas Legislature &amp; Congressional Districts<\/h1>\r\nArticle 3 of the Texas Constitution describes the legislative department (branch) of Texas. Texas Legislature utilizes a <strong>bicameral<\/strong> system with the Texas Senate being the upper house, and the Texas House of Representatives the lower house. There are a total of 181 members of the Texas Legislature: 31 Senators, and 150 members of the House. Texas uses \"<strong>single-member districts<\/strong>,\" meaning each member of the Texas Legislature represents one congressional district. Every ten years, after the U.S. census, the congressional districts are redrawn to maintain <strong>proportional representation<\/strong> (This is also called reapportionment).[footnote]http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/districts\/senate.html[\/footnote][footnote]http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/districts\/house.html[\/footnote]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_130\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-130\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/690\/2016\/12\/01191441\/SenateMap-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Texas Senate Congressional District Map\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/> Texas Senate Congressional District Map[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_131\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-131\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/690\/2016\/12\/01191449\/HouseMap-300x195.jpg\" alt=\"Texas House Congressional District Map\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" \/> Texas House Congressional District Map[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe redistricting process in Texas is as follows:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>U.S. <strong>Census<\/strong> conducted every 10 years and data is delivered to the Texas Legislator no later than April 1st of the year following the census;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Texas Legislature begins to draw plans and enact a bill for the new state congressional district lines;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>If Legislature cannot enact a new congressional district map during the first regular session after the census has been conducted, then the <strong>Legislative Redistricting Board<\/strong> (LRB) becomes responsible for reapportionment[footnote]Texas Constitution, Article 3, Section 28 (1951) created the LRB[\/footnote]. The LRB is made up of the: Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, Attorney General, Comptroller, and Commission of the General Land Office.[footnote]http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/process\/LRB.html[\/footnote]<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nTexas Legislature uses <strong>biennial<\/strong> sessions which means they meet every two years on odd numbered years, for 140 days. The Governor has the power to call a special session outside of the \"140 days.\" Texas Legislature has two presiding officers: The Lieutenant Governor (currently Dan Patrick), who is elected by Texans, presides over the Texas Senate. The Speaker of the House (currently Joe Straus), is elected by members of the Texas House of Representatives, presides over the lower house. [footnote]http:\/\/www.capitol.state.tx.us\/[\/footnote].\r\n\r\n<\/section><section id=\"fs-idp225728592\">\r\n<h1>Qualifications to become a member of Texas Legislature<\/h1>\r\n<p id=\"fs-idp142423744\">The following are the legal requirements in order for someone to meet the qualifications to become a member of the Texas Legislature. Texas legislators receive an annual salary of $7,200, plus a per diem of $190 for every day they are in session [footnote]http:\/\/www.sos.state.tx.us\/elections\/candidates\/guide\/qualifications.shtml#b [\/footnote]:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Texas Senator\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>U.S. Citizen<\/li>\r\n \t<li>5 years as a resident of Texas<\/li>\r\n \t<li>12 months as a resident of their District<\/li>\r\n \t<li>At least 26 years old<\/li>\r\n \t<li>4 year terms with unlimited term limit<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Texas Representative (House)\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>U.S. Citizen<\/li>\r\n \t<li>2 years as a resident of Texas<\/li>\r\n \t<li>12 months as a resident of their District<\/li>\r\n \t<li>At least 21 years old<\/li>\r\n \t<li>2 year terms with unlimited term limit<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section><\/section>","rendered":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<p>By the end of this section, you will be able to:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"im_orderedlist\">\n<li>Discuss the structure of the Texas Legislature<\/li>\n<li>Explain how Texas Congressional Districts are created<\/li>\n<li>Describe the qualifications and to become a member of Texas Congress<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"fs-idp225728592\">\n<section id=\"fs-idp225728592\">\n<h1>Structure of Texas Legislature &amp; Congressional Districts<\/h1>\n<p>Article 3 of the Texas Constitution describes the legislative department (branch) of Texas. Texas Legislature utilizes a <strong>bicameral<\/strong> system with the Texas Senate being the upper house, and the Texas House of Representatives the lower house. There are a total of 181 members of the Texas Legislature: 31 Senators, and 150 members of the House. Texas uses &#8220;<strong>single-member districts<\/strong>,&#8221; meaning each member of the Texas Legislature represents one congressional district. Every ten years, after the U.S. census, the congressional districts are redrawn to maintain <strong>proportional representation<\/strong> (This is also called reapportionment).<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/districts\/senate.html\" id=\"return-footnote-54-1\" href=\"#footnote-54-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><a class=\"footnote\" title=\"http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/districts\/house.html\" id=\"return-footnote-54-2\" href=\"#footnote-54-2\" aria-label=\"Footnote 2\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_130\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-130\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-130\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/690\/2016\/12\/01191441\/SenateMap-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Texas Senate Congressional District Map\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-130\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Texas Senate Congressional District Map<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_131\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-131\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-131\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/690\/2016\/12\/01191449\/HouseMap-300x195.jpg\" alt=\"Texas House Congressional District Map\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-131\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Texas House Congressional District Map<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The redistricting process in Texas is as follows:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>U.S. <strong>Census<\/strong> conducted every 10 years and data is delivered to the Texas Legislator no later than April 1st of the year following the census;<\/li>\n<li>Texas Legislature begins to draw plans and enact a bill for the new state congressional district lines;<\/li>\n<li>If Legislature cannot enact a new congressional district map during the first regular session after the census has been conducted, then the <strong>Legislative Redistricting Board<\/strong> (LRB) becomes responsible for reapportionment<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"Texas Constitution, Article 3, Section 28 (1951) created the LRB\" id=\"return-footnote-54-3\" href=\"#footnote-54-3\" aria-label=\"Footnote 3\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[3]<\/sup><\/a>. The LRB is made up of the: Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, Attorney General, Comptroller, and Commission of the General Land Office.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/process\/LRB.html\" id=\"return-footnote-54-4\" href=\"#footnote-54-4\" aria-label=\"Footnote 4\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Texas Legislature uses <strong>biennial<\/strong> sessions which means they meet every two years on odd numbered years, for 140 days. The Governor has the power to call a special session outside of the &#8220;140 days.&#8221; Texas Legislature has two presiding officers: The Lieutenant Governor (currently Dan Patrick), who is elected by Texans, presides over the Texas Senate. The Speaker of the House (currently Joe Straus), is elected by members of the Texas House of Representatives, presides over the lower house. <a class=\"footnote\" title=\"http:\/\/www.capitol.state.tx.us\/\" id=\"return-footnote-54-5\" href=\"#footnote-54-5\" aria-label=\"Footnote 5\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[5]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"fs-idp225728592\">\n<h1>Qualifications to become a member of Texas Legislature<\/h1>\n<p id=\"fs-idp142423744\">The following are the legal requirements in order for someone to meet the qualifications to become a member of the Texas Legislature. Texas legislators receive an annual salary of $7,200, plus a per diem of $190 for every day they are in session <a class=\"footnote\" title=\"http:\/\/www.sos.state.tx.us\/elections\/candidates\/guide\/qualifications.shtml#b\" id=\"return-footnote-54-6\" href=\"#footnote-54-6\" aria-label=\"Footnote 6\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[6]<\/sup><\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Texas Senator\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. Citizen<\/li>\n<li>5 years as a resident of Texas<\/li>\n<li>12 months as a resident of their District<\/li>\n<li>At least 26 years old<\/li>\n<li>4 year terms with unlimited term limit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Texas Representative (House)\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. Citizen<\/li>\n<li>2 years as a resident of Texas<\/li>\n<li>12 months as a resident of their District<\/li>\n<li>At least 21 years old<\/li>\n<li>2 year terms with unlimited term limit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-54-1\">http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/districts\/senate.html <a href=\"#return-footnote-54-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-54-2\">http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/districts\/house.html <a href=\"#return-footnote-54-2\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 2\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-54-3\">Texas Constitution, Article 3, Section 28 (1951) created the LRB <a href=\"#return-footnote-54-3\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 3\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-54-4\">http:\/\/www.tlc.state.tx.us\/redist\/process\/LRB.html <a href=\"#return-footnote-54-4\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 4\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-54-5\">http:\/\/www.capitol.state.tx.us\/ <a href=\"#return-footnote-54-5\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 5\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><li id=\"footnote-54-6\">http:\/\/www.sos.state.tx.us\/elections\/candidates\/guide\/qualifications.shtml#b  <a href=\"#return-footnote-54-6\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 6\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":5721,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-54","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":39,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/54","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5721"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/54\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":295,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/54\/revisions\/295"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/39"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/54\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=54"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=54"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sanjacinto-texasgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=54"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}