View source for Government of Texas

{{Short description|Government of the U.S. state of Texas}}
{{Update|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox political system|name='''Government of Texas'''|native_name=|image=Seal of Texas.svg|image_size=150|caption=[[Seal of Texas]]|part_of=[[United States of America]]|constitution=[[Constitution of Texas]]|legislature=[[Texas Legislature|Legislature]]|legislature_type=[[Bicameral]]|legislature_place=[[Texas State Capitol]]|upperhouse=[[Texas Senate|Senate]]|upperhouse_speaker=[[Dan Patrick (politician)|Dan Patrick]]|upperhouse_speaker_title=President|lowerhouse=[[Texas House of Representatives| House of Representatives]]|lowerhouse_speaker=[[Dustin Burrows]]|lowerhouse_speaker_title=Speaker|title_hosag=[[Governor of Texas|Governor]]|current_hosag=[[Greg Abbott]]|appointer_hosag=[[Election]]|cabinet_leader=[[Governor of Texas|Governor]]|cabinet_deputyleader=[[Lieutenant Governor of Texas|Lieutenant Governor]]|cabinet_hq=[[Texas State Capitol]]|judiciary=[[Judiciary of Texas]]|judiciary_head_title=Chief Justice|courts=[[Courts of Texas]]|court1=[[Supreme Court of Texas]]|chief_judge1=[[Nathan Hecht]]|court_seat1=[[Austin, Texas|Austin]]}}The '''government of [[Texas]]''' operates under the [[Constitution of Texas]] and consists of a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[Democracy|democratic]] [[U.S. state|state]] [[government]] operating under a [[presidential system]] that uses the [[Dillon Rule]], as well as governments at the [[County (United States)|county]] and [[Municipality|municipal]] levels.

[[Austin, Texas|Austin]] is the capital of Texas. The [[Texas State Capitol|State Capitol]] resembles the [[United States Capitol]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], but is faced in Texas pink [[granite]] and is topped by a statue of the "[[Liberty (goddess)|Goddess of Liberty]]" holding aloft a five-point Texas [[pentagram|star]]. The capitol is also notable for purposely being built seven feet taller than the U.S. national capitol.<ref name="Rathjen">{{cite journal|last= Rathjen |first= Frederick |date= April 1957 |title= The Texas State House |journal= [[Southwestern Historical Quarterly]] |volume= LX |issue= 4 |publisher= American Heritage Publishing }}</ref>

[[File:TexasStateCapitol-2010-01.JPG|thumb|Texas State Capitol]]

==Executive==
The statewide elected officials are:

{{Gallery
|width=145
|File:Greg Abbott crop.jpg|[[Greg Abbott]] (R) <br/> '''[[Governor of Texas|Governor]]'''
|File:Dan Patrick Texas (alt crop).jpg|[[Dan Patrick (politician)|Dan Patrick]] (R) <br/> '''[[Lieutenant Governor of Texas|Lieutenant Governor]]'''
|File:Ken Paxton by Gage Skidmore.jpg|[[Ken Paxton]] (R) <br/> '''[[Texas Attorney General|Attorney General]]''' 
|File:Hegar, Glenn - 09 5x7 (cropped).jpg|[[Glenn Hegar]] (R) <br/> '''[[Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts|Comptroller]]'''
|File:Sen._Dawn_Buckingham,_M.D_(cropped).jpg|[[Dawn Buckingham]] (R) <br/> '''[[Texas General Land Office|Land Commissioner]]'''
|File:Sid_Miller_USDA_event_(cropped).jpg|[[Sid Miller (politician)|Sid Miller]] (R) <br/> '''[[Texas Department of Agriculture|Agriculture Commissioner]]'''
|File:Christi Craddick (cropped).jpg|[[Christi Craddick]] (R) <br/> '''[[Railroad Commission of Texas|Railroad Commissioner]]'''
|File:Wayne Christian.jpg|[[Wayne Christian]] (R) <br/> '''[[Railroad Commission of Texas|Railroad Commissioner]]'''
|File:BLANK.jpg|[[Jim Wright (commissioner)|Jim Wright]] (R) <br/> '''[[Railroad Commission of Texas|Railroad Commissioner]]'''
}}

The executive department consists of the [[Governor of Texas|Governor]], [[Lieutenant Governor of Texas|Lieutenant Governor]], [[Secretary of State of Texas|Secretary of State]], [[Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts|Comptroller of Public Accounts]], [[Texas Land Commissioner|Commissioner of the General Land Office]], and [[Texas Attorney General|Attorney General]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 4. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT |url=https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CN/htm/CN.4.htm |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=statutes.capitol.texas.gov}}</ref> Texas has a plural [[executive branch]] system which limits the power of the Governor. Except for the Secretary of State, all executive officers are elected independently, making them directly answerable to the public, not the Governor.<ref name="pluralexec">{{Cite journal|year=2005|title=The Plural Executive|publisher=[[University of Texas at Austin]]|url=http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/exec/0900.html |access-date=2008-05-07|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080418013806/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/exec/0900.html |archive-date = April 18, 2008}}</ref> Although elected statewide, the executive department does not include Railroad Commissioners nor the Agriculture Commissioner.

Partly because of many elected officials, the governor's powers are quite limited in comparison to other state governors or the U.S. President<!-- partial reference: Texas State Almanac 2001-02, p. 435-->. In popular lore and belief the lieutenant governor, who heads the Senate and appoints its committees, has more [[power (sociology)|power]] than the governor. The governor commands the state militia and can veto bills passed by the Legislature and call special sessions of the Legislature (this power is exclusive to the governor and can be exercised as often as desired). The governor also appoints members of various executive boards and fills judicial vacancies between elections. All members of the executive branch are elected statewide except for the Secretary of State (appointed).

===State agencies===
{{further|List of Texas state agencies}}
[[File:TravisStateOfficeBldg-2020-08-b.JPG|thumb|The William B. Travis State Office Building in Downtown Austin]]

The executive branch also includes several boards and commissions that are constituted through a mixture of elections and gubernatorial appointments confirmed by the Senate.<ref name=texas-politics-1>{{Cite book|title=Texas politics|chapter=The Executive Branch|publisher=[[University of Texas at Austin]]|access-date=4 April 2014|url=http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/1_printable.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409090404/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/1_printable.html|archive-date=9 April 2014}}</ref> Even with the Governor appointing several members of boards and commissions, the overall effect is a sprawling network of administrative bodies that neither the Governor nor the Legislature are able to coordinate or completely control.<ref name=texas-politics-1/> The Governor appoints the directors of a handful of state agencies, and the Governor exercises direct authority over these offices.<ref name=texas-politics-1/> Most state agencies are headquartered in Austin.

The ''[[Texas Administrative Code]]'' contains the compiled and indexed regulations of Texas state agencies and is published yearly by the Secretary of State.{{sfn|Quarles|Cordon|2003|p=305}} The ''[[Texas Register]]'' contains proposed rules, notices, executive orders, and other information of general use to the public and is published weekly by the Secretary of State.{{sfn|Quarles|Cordon|2003|pp=302–304}}

==Legislature==
{{Main|Texas Legislature}}
[[File:Texas House Chamber.jpg|thumb|The House of Representatives Chamber in the [[Texas State Capitol]]]]

The Texas Legislature is [[bicameralism|bicameral]], which signifies, having two separate chambers or houses, which in this case, the purpose is to provide checks and balances within the legislature, motivate careful lawmaking, representing different interests. The [[Texas House of Representatives]] has 150 members, while the [[Texas Senate]] has 31. The [[Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] presides over the House, and the Lieutenant Governor presides over the Senate. It is a powerful arm of the Texas government not only because of its [[power of the purse]] to control and direct the activities of state government and the strong constitutional connections between it and the Lieutenant Governor, but also due to Texas's plural executive.

The legislature convenes its regular sessions at noon on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years. 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.  Unlike other states, only the Governor may call the Legislature into special sessions (and may do so as often as desired); the Legislature lacks the power to call itself into special session.

Its [[session laws]] are published in the official ''[[General and Special Laws of the State of Texas|General and Special Laws]]'';<ref>{{cite book|title=Guide to Texas Legislative Information|page=9|author=Research Division of the [[Texas Legislative Council]]|publisher=[[Texas Legislative Council]]|oclc=36222302|url=http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/pubslegref/gtli.pdf|ref={{harvid|Legislative Council}}|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131118132652/http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/pubslegref/gtli.pdf|archive-date=2013-11-18}}</ref> most, but not all, of these statutes are [[codification (law)|codified]] in the [[Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, 1925|''Revised Civil Statutes'']], [[Penal Code of Texas, 1925|''Penal Code'']], and [[Code of Criminal Procedure of Texas, 1925|''Code of Criminal Procedure'']] (sometimes referred to as the ''Texas Statutes'').<ref name=882.F2d.171>{{cite court|litigants=State of Texas v. West Publishing Company|vol=882|reporter=F.2d|opinion=171|court=5th Cir.|date=1989|url=https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/882/882.F2d.171.88-1114.html#fn1_ref}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Texas Statutes|author=Texas State Law Library|author-link=Texas State Law Library|access-date=3 January 2016|url=http://www.sll.texas.gov/library-resources/collections/historical-texas-statutes/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214163520/http://www.sll.texas.gov/library-resources/collections/historical-texas-statutes/|archive-date=14 December 2015}}</ref>

==Judiciary==
{{Main|Judiciary of Texas}}
[[File:TexasSupremeCourtBuilding.JPG|thumb|The [[Supreme Court of Texas|Supreme Court]] building]]

The judicial system of Texas has a reputation as one of the most complex in the United States,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/3_1_0.html |title=Texas Politics - the Justice System |access-date=2010-10-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610232535/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/3_1_0.html |archive-date=2010-06-10 }}</ref> with many layers and many overlapping jurisdictions.<ref name="Kraemer, Newell, Prindle">{{cite journal|last= Kraemer |first= Richard |year= 2009 |title= Texas Politics, 10th edition |volume= chapter 2, page 48 |publisher= HEINLE Cengage }}</ref>

Texas has two courts of last resort: the [[Texas Supreme Court]], which hears civil cases, and the [[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]]. Except in the case of some municipal benches, partisan elections choose all of the judges at all levels of the judiciary; the governor fills vacancies by appointment. All members of the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are elected statewide.

The Municipal Courts are the most active courts, with the County and District Courts handling most other cases and often sharing the same buildings. Administration is the responsibility of the Supreme Court, which is aided by the [[Texas Office of Court Administration]], the [[Texas Judicial Council]] and the [[State Bar of Texas]] (the Texas Bar).

==Local government==
{{main|Administrative divisions of Texas}}

===County===
[[image:Texas counties map.png|thumb|A map of the [[List of counties in Texas|254 counties]] of Texas]]
{{See also|List of counties in Texas}}
Texas has a total of 254 counties, by far the largest number of counties of any state.

Each county is run by a five-member [[Commissioners' Court]] consisting of four commissioners elected from [[single-member district]]s (called commissioner precincts) and a county judge elected [[at-large]]. The county judge does not have authority to veto a decision of the commissioners court; the judge votes along with the commissioners (being the tie-breaker in close calls). In smaller counties, the county judge actually does perform judicial duties, but in larger counties the judge's role is limited to serving on the commissioners court and certifying elections. Certain officials, such as the sheriff and tax collector, are elected separately by the voters, but the commissioners court determines their office budgets, and sets overall county policy. All county elections are partisan. The Commissioners Courts in Texas are served and provided continued education by the County Judges and Commissioners Association<ref>{{cite book|title=County Judges and Commissioners Association|url=http://www.cjcat.org/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812084951/http://www.cjcat.org/|archive-date=2017-08-12}}</ref> events and the official association publication County Progress.<ref>{{cite book|title=Texas County Progress Magazine|url=http://countyprogress.com/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709103247/http://countyprogress.com/|archive-date=2017-07-09}}</ref>

Counties in Texas have limited regulatory (ordinance) authority.<ref>{{cite book|title=Legal Research for the Texas Practitioner|first1=Brandon D.|last1=Quarles|first2=Matthew C.|last2=Cordon|year=2003|page=225|publisher=Wm. S. Hein Publishing|isbn=0-8377-3626-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qB7k56Ufw_sC&pg=PA225}}</ref> Counties in Texas do ''not'' have zoning power (except for limited instances). However, counties can collect a small portion of property tax and spend it to provide residents with needed services or to employ the power of [[eminent domain]].

[[File:HarrisCountyAdministrationBuildingHoustonTX.JPG|thumb|The [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] Administration Building]]

Unlike other states, Texas does not allow for consolidated city-county governments.  Cities and counties (as well as other political entities) are permitted to enter "interlocal agreements" to share services (for instance, a city and a school district may enter into agreements with the county whereby the county bills for and collects property taxes for the city and school district).{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

===Municipal===
{{see also|Government of Houston|Government of San Antonio|Government of Dallas}}

Texas does not have townships; areas within a county are either incorporated or unincorporated. Incorporated areas are part of a city, though the city may contract with the county for needed services. Unincorporated areas are not part of a city; in these areas the county has authority for law enforcement and road maintenance. Their local ordinances, rules, and police regulations are usually codified in a "code of ordinances".{{sfn|Quarles|Cordon|2003|p=225}}

Cities are classified as either "general law" or "[[home rule]]". A city may elect home rule status (i.e., draft an independent city charter) once it exceeds 5,000 population and the voters agree to home rule. Otherwise, it is classified as general law and has very limited powers. Larger cities (those exceeding 225,000) have a unique authority: that of "limited annexation", whereby an adjoining area may be annexed for purposes of imposing city ordinances related to safety and building codes.  The residents can vote for mayor and council races but cannot vote in bond elections (and, consequently, the city cannot directly collect city [[sales tax]] from businesses or city [[property tax]] from owners).

[[File:DallasCityHallA.jpg|thumb|[[Dallas City Hall]]]]

Municipal elections in Texas are [[Nonpartisanism|nonpartisan]] in the sense that candidates do not appear on the ballot on party lines, and do not run as party tickets. However, a candidate's party affiliation is usually known or can be discerned with minimal effort (as the candidate most likely has supported other candidates on partisan tickets).

===Special districts===
In addition to cities and counties, Texas has numerous [[Special-purpose district|special district]]s. As with municipal elections in Texas, board members or trustees are elected on a nonpartisan basis or may be appointed.

The most common is the independent [[school district]], which (with [[Stafford Municipal School District|one exception]]) has a board of trustees that is independent of any other governing authority. School district boundaries are not generally aligned with city or county boundaries; it is common for a school district to cover one or more counties or for a large city to be served by several school districts. The [[Texas Education Agency]] governs public education in Texas.

Other special districts include Groundwater Conservation Districts (regulatory agencies), river authorities, water supply districts (for irrigation or municipal supply), public hospitals, road districts and community colleges.

==See also==
{{Portal|Texas}}
* [[Politics of Texas]]
* [[Elections in Texas]]
* [[Law of Texas]]
* [[United States congressional delegations from Texas]]
* [[Women in Texas government]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.texas.gov/ Texas.gov] official website
*[http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/ Texas State Statutes]
*[https://comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/ Transparency] website of the [[Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts]]
*[https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/1f22b651-c2a1-cdfc-3086-44cb25707327-P State of Texas] recipient profile on [[USAspending.gov]]
*[http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/ Texas Politics Textbook]
*[[Texas Government Newsletter]]
*[[Handbook of Texas]]
*[https://www.sos.state.tx.us/index.shtml Secretary of State]
*[https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-history/history/index.html Capitol History]
*[https://capitol.texas.gov/ Texas Legislature]

{{Texas}}
{{Governments of the United States}}
{{Current Texas statewide political officials}}

[[Category:Government of Texas| ]]
[[Category:State governments of the United States|Texas]]