Should The Texas State Legislators Work Full Time With A Living Wage?

[Shell_Seas]

Creating a more diverse and representative Legislature in Texas.

https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/should-the-texas-state-legislators


During my local Democratic County Convention this year, a resolution was presented on whether to make the Texas Legislature a full-time position with a living wage. Several people spoke against it, but more people favored it. So, let’s explore why we only have a part-time legislature, why we would want a full-time legislature, and why our legislators need a raise.

Why does the Texas government only meet once every two years?
The Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875 met in Austin to replace the 1869 Constitution. The new constitution, adopted in 1876, established biennial legislative sessions. This means that the Texas Legislature meets every two years unless convened by the governor.

Texas’s population in 1876 was roughly 1,000,000.

In 2024, Texas has 30,029,572 inhabitants.

[Old Crank]

1. Not many people can take a six month vacation every two years.

Here are numbers.

It might be good to have full time legislators who could learn more about what they are passing and have more time to pass bills with added thought and input.

Salary
State legislators in Texas make $600 per month or $7,200 per year, plus a per diem set by the Ethics Commission in Rule 50.1. The per diem in the 2021-2022 biennium was $221 for every day the Legislature is in session (regular or special). This adds up to a total of $38,140 in a year with a regular session ($7200 salary plus $30,940 per diem), and a two-year term paying a total of $45,340 ($14,400 salary plus $30,940 per diem).

Retirement Options
Legislators receive a pension after eight years of service, starting at age 60. A legislator’s pension is based not on a legislator’s salary of $600 a month, but on the current salary of a Texas state district court judge—a base salary of $140,000 per year.

[LeftInTX]

2. Mixed feelings. I always breath a sigh of relief when they're not session!

But I think our government would be more effective or...would it be even worse if they had 24 months to drive everything to ruins????