What
does a state senator do?
Like
the U.S. federal government, the
State of Texas is governed by two
houses of elected officials, the
Senate and the House of Representatives.
The
Texas Senate is composed
of 31 members who serve four-year
terms and represent 31 separate
geographical districts in the state.
There are 150 members of the Texas
House of Representatives,
each of whom is elected for two-year
terms.
The primary responsibilities of
the Legislature are to consider
and deliberate bills (which may
become law), resolutions and constitutional
amendments. Each legislative session,
some 6,000 to 7,000 bills will be
introduced. By the time the session
concludes some 1,200 to 1,500 will
pass into law. However, the only
legislation that they are required
to address each session is an appropriations
bill, or the state’s budget.
“The job of a State Senator
is to represent the voice of the
constituents in the legislative
process,” said John Carona.
“Sometimes those voices conflict
and this has to be weighed with
my core principles. It is also the
job of a State Senator to bring
an effective voice to advocate for
the best interests of the district’s
constituents and for the State of
Texas.”
The Texas Legislature also creates,
abolishes, or redefines state agencies,
ratifies appointments made by the
governor, requires regular or special
reports from state agencies, and
maintains budgetary approval over
state agencies.
»
Get
to know John Carona
» John
Carona, your neighbor
» John
Carona, your State Senator
» Review
Senator Carona's honors and awards
» Review
Senator Carona's legislative track
record
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