What does the lieutenant governor do in Texas

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This is the second article in the Chronicle's series looking at statewide, judicial and local offices during the election. It walks through the lieutenant governor's race, the Texas Legislature and how a bill becomes a law in Texas.

What does the lieutenant governor do?

There’s an argument to be made that the lieutenant governor is the most influential politician in the state — during legislative session, that is.

Main responsibilities: The lieutenant governor is Texas’ No. 2 official, essentially the vice president to the governor. If the governor is out of state or can’t otherwise perform the duties of the office, the lieutenant governor assumes the state’s top post.

Crucially, the lieutenant governor serves as the president of the Senate and sits on the Legislative Budget Board. In those posts, the lieutenant governor can significantly sway what kinds of legislation the Senate passes and how the state spends its money.

For example: After the May 24 shooting in Uvalde, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he’d like to provide every law enforcement official with a bulletproof shield. The Legislature wasn’t in session this year to approve that plan, so the Legislative Budget Board — with Patrick at the table — agreed to spend $50 million on the initiative.

Why is the lieutenant governor so powerful? The Texas Constitution actually doesn’t say much about the job of the lieutenant governor. Most of Patrick’s influence comes from the Senate rules, which the body must approve at the start of each session.

Digging deeper: The GOP-led Senate has granted Patrick extraordinary power during his tenure, allowing him to establish committees and select their chairs, decide whether bills get a hearing, funnel legislation to the committee of his choice and determine whether they get a floor vote. And because most senators align closely with Patrick’s views, they have easily agreed to the arrangement — and have also adjusted the rules at his request.

For example: Before Patrick became lieutenant governor, Senate rules required two-thirds of members — 21 people — to agree to debate a bill before the legislation could make it to the floor. But when he took office, Patrick oversaw a decrease to a three-fifths majority — 19 members — since Republicans held 20 seats at the time. By 2020, they’d lost two more seats, so Patrick asked senators to lower the threshold again. Now, the Senate only requires a five-ninths majority, or 18 members.

How has Patrick used his power? Patrick is undoubtedly the most conservative Republican in statewide office, and he’s driven his colleagues farther to the right, too. He has championed some of the state’s most right-wing legislation in recent years, including the state’s various abortion bans, voting restrictions and a crackdown on the way teachers talk about racism in the classroom.

Who's running?

Republican: Dan Patrick, a former radio host and Texas senator, is seeking a third four-year term in office.

Priorities: Patrick’s signature issue is cutting property taxes. He also supports school vouchers and other conservative priorities, like securing the border and protecting the Second Amendment.

RELATED: Dan Patrick's rise from right-wing outcast to GOP shot-caller charts the shift in Texas politics

Democrat: Mike Collier, a Houston-area accountant, is seeking a rematch against Patrick. Collier came within 5 points of unseating Patrick four years ago.

Priorities: First and foremost, Collier wants to "fix the damn grid," but his platform also includes lowering property taxes, protecting abortion rights and preventing climate change.

RELATED: Democrat Mike Collier adds more GOP endorsements in lieutenant governor's race

The Texas Legislature

How does the Legislature work?

The Texas Legislature is divided into two chambers: the 31-member Senate and the 150-member House of Representatives. The members of the Legislature — you guessed it — legislate, and all Texas laws start with them.

But how does a bill become a law in Texas? Any member of the House or the Senate can introduce a bill. The bill will be assigned a number depending on the chamber it originated in; for example, Texas’ abortion ban is widely known as “SB 8” — Senate Bill 8, that is.

First move: The bill will then head to a committee in the same chamber, where members collect public testimony and can suggest changes. The committee must approve the bill before it can be considered by the full House or Senate.

Up next: Once it’s on the floor, members can offer amendments, but the final bill must be approved twice before it can head to the other chamber, where members will go through essentially the same process.

Last steps: If the other chamber approves the bill as is, it can head to the governor’s office for a final seal of approval. But if it makes any amendments, the original chamber must approve the bill again — sometimes by compromising with the other chamber — before it goes to the governor’s desk.

All that’s to say, it’s a pretty intense process to pass a law in Texas! And there are any number of hurdles that could prevent a bill from advancing along the way.

RELATED: Beto O'Rourke vows to repeal abortion ban, but what can one Dem really do in a red statehouse?

Explaining the state Senate

There are 31 members of the Texas Senate, the Legislature’s upper chamber. Currently, there are 18 Republicans and 13 Democrats.

What do Senators do? Senators introduce bills, consider testimony in committee hearings and vote on legislation. They also help constituents navigate various issues within their districts. They are part-time legislators, meaning senators usually have another day job where they make most of their income.

Looking ahead: The Senate is generally known as the more conservative of the chambers, and after redistricting, it is poised to get redder.

RELATED: With 31 lawmakers moving on, Texas Legislature has room to get redder

For example: The Texas Senate last year approved SB 1646, which would have classified gender-affirming health care for transgender children as child abuse. The bill was heavily criticized by LGBTQ rights groups, and it never saw a hearing in the House — much to Patrick’s dismay.

WHO'S RUNNING? All Senate seats are up for election this November. Check out our voter guide for more specific information on Senate candidates.

Explaining the state House

The House is the Legislature's lower chamber. It has 150 members. Currently, there are 83 Republicans and 65 Democrats, with two vacancies. State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, serves as House speaker.

What does the House do? House members do all the same things Senators do — they introduce bills, vote on legislation and help constituents. They are also part-time legislators and usually have another day job where they make most of their income.

Temperature check: The House is generally known as the more moderate of the chambers, though the body is poised to gain more conservative members this fall.

RELATED: In 2021, Texas politics took a sharp right turn

Going further: The Texas House last year overwhelmingly approved HB 133, which would have extended Medicaid coverage for new mothers from two months to a full year. But the Senate amended the legislation to cover just six months, sending the bill back to the House, where lawmakers acquiesced to the changes.

WHO'S RUNNING? Check out our voter guide for more specific information on Texas House candidates.

The U.S. House of Representatives

Who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives?

The U.S. House of Representatives is made up of 435 members from across the country.

How many Texans serve in the U.S. House? There are currently 24 Republicans and 12 Democrats representing Texas in Congress.

However, after the 2020 Census, Texas was allocated two extra congressional seats to account for the state’s rapid population growth. After the November election, the state will have 38 representatives in Congress.

RELATED: Texas Libertarians secure place on 2022 ballots despite GOP lawsuit

What do representatives in the House do? Texas’ House members make headlines for all sorts of bills that are introduced in Washington, D.C. But most of their actual work is district-focused, such as advocating for local business grants or helping constituents access public benefits.

WHO'S RUNNING? Check out our voter guide for more specific information on House candidates.

Read more from our Texas Elections [Simplified] series explaining key midterm races:

Early voting starts Monday for the November 4th election. And to help you head to the polls with as much information as possible, KUT's Nathan Bernier and political reporter Ben Philpott have been giving you a rundown of some of the state's key races, along with telling you just what the offices in question actually do.

Today, they talk about the office that some people say is the most powerful one in the state of Texas: the lieutenant governor.

Ben: So here's what a lieutenant governor can do, and why those powers are considered so important. First up, the lieutenant governor gets to be governor if the governor dies and even if the governor just leaves the state for a few days.

The Texas Constitution says you can't be the governor of Texas when you're not physically in the state. So when Governor Rick Perry was on the road hitting several national news programs last week, current Lt. Governor David Dewhurst was acting governor. So that's nice, but according to the LBJ School's Sherri Greenberg, it's not where the power of the office lies.

"The lieutenant governor appoints all the committee chairs of the committees in the Senate, determines where the bills are going to be sent and to what committees and the timing. And so this is extremely powerful," Greenberg said.

So that doesn't really appear so powerful at first glance, but remember every bill has to come through a Senate Committee before it gets a final vote. Getting passed by the Senate is tough enough. But it's impossible if your bill never gets out of committee. Which makes the Lt. Governor's power to pick where to send a bill very important.

"Well, he can always send it over here you know to [the] State Affairs [committee] where he's stacked it with his friends, instead of over to say, [the] Health and Human Services [committee], where maybe he doesn't have as many friends," says former UT School of Law Legislative Lawyering Clinic director Hugh Brady said.

The lieutenant governor still has power over a bill even if it makes it out of committee. They decide when a bill comes up for a vote, and when to recognize a senator for any floor action.

So, lots of power. But, power that isn't dictated by the Texas Constitution or even state law. And can be taken away easily by state senators.

"If the members were to choose to make them less powerful, they could do so," the LBJ School's Greenberg says.

Almost all the lieutenant governor's powers derive from the rules passed by the Senate at the beginning of each legislative session. So, each session starts with a decision by senators…how strong do we want our leader to be?

Nathan: And I guess that question won't really be answered until voters decide who's going to be in that chair in the Senate. Ben, tell us a little about the candidates.

Ben: Well, the top two are Republican State Senator Dan Patrick and Democratic State Senator Leticia van de Putte.

Let's start with the Republican. Patrick defeated current Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and others in a crowded GOP primary field. His top priority, according to most of his campaign ads: securing the Texas border with Mexico.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfZ9eDA2daQ

Nathan: Tough talk from Patrick, but hasn't his border rhetoric gotten some negative publicity, too?

Ben: Yes, during the GOP primary a few prominent Hispanic Republicans and business leaders came out either against Patrick, or at the least, concerned that his campaign could be a step back for the state Republican party's goal of trying to bring more Hispanics to the party.

More recently, in a Dallas Morning News endorsement of Senator Van de Putte, the editorial board said Patrick's primary governing tools are "fear and division." But, it's also a message that the Tea Party likes. And right now, that's the main block of voters driving the Republican party.

Nathan: Now, you said he was criticized during the GOP primary, has he modified his message in the general election?

Ben: Yes, he has, really until that ad about ISIS coming across the border, he has focused much more on his proposals for cutting taxes and limiting state spending.

He's been really pushing the idea of cutting property taxes, and making up some of that lost revenue with increased sales taxes, although he hasn't offered a detailed plan yet on just how he'd do that, since the state isn't collecting the property taxes in the first place. That's done by local governments and school districts.

Nathan: So what about his opponent, Senator Van de Putte?

Ben: Van de Putte has tried to capitalize on any concerns more moderate and traditional business Republicans have with Patrick. She's pushed her work with veterans in the Texas Senate and highlighted her goals to invest in state infrastructure like water, transportation and education. Something chambers of commerce like to hear…and spending she says Senator Patrick has not supported in the past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfJSeVnBTyU

Nathan: Ok, Ben, so who's ahead going into early voting.

Ben: Well, I feel like I'm sounding like a broken record this week…but, as with the Attorney General and Comptroller races, this is a red state. And polls show Patrick with a lead.