2017 Special Session called

[Papa_Tiger]

And Strauss is re-elected as speaker of the house in 3... 2... 1...

[srothstein]

allow parents to use taxpayer money to send their children to private schools.

I want to use public transportation money to buy myself a private car.

We are forced to pay ISD property taxes every year since we've lived in Texas and have never had, nor ever will have, any family member in the local schools. Why can't we have a say in these taxes we are forced to pay for the public schooling of the spawn of other folk? Just askin'.....

You do have a say in the taxes. You can vote on them if they get too high and you can vote for members of the school board. You can even run for the school board and have a more direct say, both on the taxes and on how they are spent.

[talltex]

Texas legislators are among the lowest paid in the nation. I suspect with high probability that 100% of them would make more money doing their regular jobs over what they get paid for a Regular Session, and if it's not 100% then it's 98%. Nobody is stringing out the Regular Session just so he can go back to Austin in June or July. They get NOTHING in salary for attending a Special Session.

A legislator gets $7200 salary per year, so $14,200 for a two year term, regardless of how many session days there are, plus all the non-session politicking and constituent service stuff. So no pay for a Special Session.

They also get $190/day for each session day Regular or Special, plus for any day they are on Legislature business, e.g. committee or special studies or whatever between sessions. If you look at what it costs to stay in a decent hotel in Austin, plus eat, that per diem is not a gold mine.

I would be surprised if any legislator gets more than about $50K for a two-year term.

They do get a rather nice pension deal they become eligible for after eight years as a legislator. I don't know the current numbers but it is tied to judicial salaries somehow and amounts to about $1200 or $1500 for each year's service as a legislator after eight years -- starting at age 50, if they "retire" and are not currently serving as a legislator.

Human society and politics being what they are, no doubt some other opportunities and business relationships become available as a result of being a legislator.

However, I can see no financial advantage whatsoever to trying to string out a Regular Session into a Special Session.

The salary that the legislators are paid is just for public consumption. The salary has always been kept very low and they are quick to point out how little they are paid and how it's a labor of love to serve. The monetary rewards come indirectly and never as salary. Each legislator is given an annual budget to operate their office and it is considerable. That money can be spent anyway they see fit. Texas Senators receive $38,000--per month--to run their office. They pay for furniture and fixtures--a one time expense plus salaries for whatever staff they determine necessary to operate their office. In addition, they can use all campaign funds received pretty much anyway they see fit--and that's where some of them really hit the jackpot. They receive hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from lobbyists who donate money to their re-election campaign fund. That money can be spent on anything they determine is needed to help them remain in office. Housing, vehicles, meals, transportation, clothing, etc. As an example, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced in January that he was running for re-election next year and that he already (in his first term as Lt. Gov.) had amassed over $14,000,000.00 in his campaign fund. THAT is what allows him to jump on chartered jets to show up all over the country at every primary last year--or anywhere else he can get in front of a camera. Once in office, that campaign fund makes it very difficult to defeat an incumbent legislator. As ELB said, they also get a pension based on years served after 8 years. The amount they receive is not based on the meager salary they received as a legislator, but based on the salary of a state district judge ($125,000)--they came up with the plan and voted on it for themselves and they also get to keep their state health benefits. They can start collecting the pension of $2875.00 per year for each year of service, after 8 years service at the age of 60 or with 12 years service they can start collecting at age 50--pretty sweet deal.

[Beiruty]

I like the $14,000,000 thingy, with no stringy attached.

[SewTexas]

I like the $14,000,000 thingy, with no stringy attached.

I could just a little bit of that.

[bblhd672]

Texas legislators are among the lowest paid in the nation. I suspect with high probability that 100% of them would make more money doing their regular jobs over what they get paid for a Regular Session, and if it's not 100% then it's 98%. Nobody is stringing out the Regular Session just so he can go back to Austin in June or July. They get NOTHING in salary for attending a Special Session.

A legislator gets $7200 salary per year, so $14,200 for a two year term, regardless of how many session days there are, plus all the non-session politicking and constituent service stuff. So no pay for a Special Session.

They also get $190/day for each session day Regular or Special, plus for any day they are on Legislature business, e.g. committee or special studies or whatever between sessions. If you look at what it costs to stay in a decent hotel in Austin, plus eat, that per diem is not a gold mine.

I would be surprised if any legislator gets more than about $50K for a two-year term.

They do get a rather nice pension deal they become eligible for after eight years as a legislator. I don't know the current numbers but it is tied to judicial salaries somehow and amounts to about $1200 or $1500 for each year's service as a legislator after eight years -- starting at age 50, if they "retire" and are not currently serving as a legislator.

Human society and politics being what they are, no doubt some other opportunities and business relationships become available as a result of being a legislator.

However, I can see no financial advantage whatsoever to trying to string out a Regular Session into a Special Session.

The salary that the legislators are paid is just for public consumption. The salary has always been kept very low and they are quick to point out how little they are paid and how it's a labor of love to serve. The monetary rewards come indirectly and never as salary. Each legislator is given an annual budget to operate their office and it is considerable. That money can be spent anyway they see fit. Texas Senators receive $38,000--per month--to run their office. They pay for furniture and fixtures--a one time expense plus salaries for whatever staff they determine necessary to operate their office. In addition, they can use all campaign funds received pretty much anyway they see fit--and that's where some of them really hit the jackpot. They receive hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from lobbyists who donate money to their re-election campaign fund. That money can be spent on anything they determine is needed to help them remain in office. Housing, vehicles, meals, transportation, clothing, etc. As an example, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced in January that he was running for re-election next year and that he already (in his first term as Lt. Gov.) had amassed over $14,000,000.00 in his campaign fund. THAT is what allows him to jump on chartered jets to show up all over the country at every primary last year--or anywhere else he can get in front of a camera. Once in office, that campaign fund makes it very difficult to defeat an incumbent legislator. As ELB said, they also get a pension based on years served after 8 years. The amount they receive is not based on the meager salary they received as a legislator, but based on the salary of a state district judge ($125,000)--they came up with the plan and voted on it for themselves and they also get to keep their state health benefits. They can start collecting the pension of $2875.00 per year for each year of service, after 8 years service at the age of 60 or with 12 years service they can start collecting at age 50--pretty sweet deal.

So to me these two posts prove to me that elected officials in Texas are the same as those in every other state. Despite their platitudes about helping the people their primary reason for being is to ensure their own permanent place at the taxpayers' teat.
They dole out freebies and pieces of our freedom to us in return for our continued support of their largess. Local, state and federal governments are corrupt and self serving to the core. They make King George look like an amateur.

[talltex]

[So to me these two posts prove to me that elected officials in Texas are the same as those in every other state. Despite their platitudes about helping the people their primary reason for being is to ensure their own permanent place at the taxpayers' teat.
They dole out freebies and pieces of our freedom to us in return for our continued support of their largess. Local, state and federal governments are corrupt and self serving to the core. They make King George look like an amateur.

There are some people that go into state level politics with every intention of doing it right and not getting involved in the shady deals and not selling their votes to whichever group donates the most money to them. Unfortunately, once they get in office, they find that if they don't "go along" and play the game or refuse to follow the marching orders of the party leadership, they are blackballed and can't get any committee appointments or any of their proposed bills out of committee to the floor. They don't last long in Austin. The "powers that be" will make sure they have a well funded opponent in the next election cycle to get rid of them. I've watched that happen to a very good man I knew, and it educated me to realities of the state and federal political process.

Local politics is a different ballgame depending on the size of the town. Big city politics is totally different from small towns because there is big money at play in the cities. In Dallas for example, city council and mayoral positions are paid salary with full benefits like any other city employees including healthcare and pension. In small towns it is an unpaid job with no benefits and still requires a considerable commitment of time. I've served multiple terms on the city Economic Development Corporation and multiple terms on City Council over the last 40 years. I've never received a dime for the hours spent in meetings and budget workshops away from my business during the day for scheduled public meetings, and after hours at night for workshops. In most smaller towns, the people are elected by the residents because they have a good reputation and business experience necessary to deal with municipal problems, hiring--and in some cases firing-- of municipal employees, the ability to understand financial statements and accounting processes, as well as selling municipal bonds for funding operations and infrastructure improvements, and TAXATION issues to pay for water, sewer treatment plants, schools, police departments, fire departments and so on.

[mojo84]

This should shed some light on the subject. Don't feel sorry for the state legislators being paid so little. They get many many other benefits that pays off quite handsomely.

https://texasmonitor.org/investigative- ... lawmakers/

https://texasmonitor.org/campaign-coffe ... ifestyles/

[ELB]

I shed no tears for them or their compensation, but saying they deliberately drag things out to get paid for a Special Session is not correct.

[Flightmare]

I shed no tears for them or their compensation, but saying they deliberately drag things out to get paid for a Special Session is not correct.

I know several that would prefer to be home with families and spending time with kids and grandkids.

[SewTexas]

I'm just trying to figure out why nothing is happening on camera? The Senate had a big argument the first day back about a committee meeting that day, the committee won the right to meet, and apparently met off camera? Then there's been one or two other meetings of committees that haven't been on camera, and the House webpage says they are suppose to have met yesterday and today and it hasn't been on camera? And I've checked just a few mins after time.

[mojo84]

I shed no tears for them or their compensation, but saying they deliberately drag things out to get paid for a Special Session is not correct.

I agree.

[Flightmare]

I'd say Straus is not happy about being called back and has been dragging his feet. Meanwhile, Patrick and the Senate seem to be firing on all cylinders.

[SewTexas]

I don't know....Senate hasn't worked all week, it's going to balance out this week....

[Flightmare]

My understanding is also that neither chamber has passed any legislation submitted by the other. Patrick and Straus are NOT getting along.