Ever wonder who decides how much your property taxes will go up? Or who decides how much funding our public education system gets? Or overall, when all state laws go into effect?
The Texas State Legislature is made up of 2 chambers: The Senate and The House of Representatives. Houston Food Bank will ensure our neighbors have a voice in both chambers.
The Texas Legislature is the lawmaking body for the State of Texas, which consists of two chambers: The House of Representatives (150 members) and The Senate (31 members). These elected officials are extremely important in our daily lives because together, they create and vote to pass laws that affect our education system, property taxes, public safety, and many other important issues.
The “when” is just as important to note because, in Texas, our Legislature convenes its regular session every 2 years for 140 days at the Texas Capitol in Austin. Session runs from the second week of January until the end of May. With such a short time to formulate the state budget and create and/or change new laws, legislators have little time to waste. This means legislators rely heavily on the expertise of their constituents, professionals, and researchers to develop policies that address or respond to a need.
As the Government Relations team for Houston Food Bank, we have been working all year to prep for the upcoming session and have developed legislative priorities that reflect the needs of our neighbors. We will be going back and forth to the Capitol to make sure our neighbors have a voice in the two chambers. In the meantime, please visit our Action Center (houstonfoodbank.org/actioncenter) and sign up to receive updates. When we are ready to take action, you can be the first to elevate your voice. Don’t forget to spread the word to your personal and professional networks!