​Texas has a biennial legislature that meets in Regular Session starting on the second Tuesday of January in odd-numbered years.

Regular Sessions last for 140 days or twenty weeks. The Governor can also call Special Sessions of the legislature. These last 30 days or until the legislature decides to adjourn.

Texas has two lawmaking bodies, the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate.

The House has 150 members elected to two-year terms (average population of district is around 150,000). The presiding officer in the House is the Speaker who is elected by a vote of the members.

The Senate has 31 members who normally serve four-year terms (average population of district is around 800,000). The Lt. Governor presides over the Senate and is elected statewide.