how much do texas legislators get paid

Texas state legislators are paid a relatively low base salary: they earn 7,200 dollars per year , plus a daily per diem (expense allowance) of 221 dollars per day when they are in session in Austin or on official business.

Quick Scoop: How Much Do Texas Legislators Get Paid?

The Core Numbers

• Base salary: 7,200 dollars per year for both Texas House and Senate members.

• Per diem: 221 dollars per day when the Legislature is in session or for approved official duties, meant to cover lodging, meals, and incidentals in Austin.

• Schedule: The Texas Legislature meets in regular session for 140 days every odd-numbered year, so much of a lawmaker’s actual take-home depends on how many days they can claim per diem in a given year.

In practical terms, that 7,200 dollars is so low that the real financial support comes from the per diem and from whatever outside job or income legislators have, which is why Texas is widely considered to have a part- time legislature.

Why So Low – And What That Means

Texas deliberately structures its Legislature as part-time, with low direct pay, under the state constitution.

That setup assumes lawmakers will maintain outside careers as lawyers, business owners, ranchers, or professionals in other fields, and only come to Austin for limited stretches to legislate.

Critics argue that this pay level:

• Makes it harder for ordinary working-class Texans, single parents, or people without flexible careers to serve.
• Encourages a body dominated by wealthier professionals who can afford the income hit.
• Increases reliance on outside income and, some argue, on lobbyists and special interests for policy expertise and networking.

Supporters counter that:

• The low salary keeps the Legislature “closer to the people,” not a full-time political class.
• A part-time model reflects a limited-government philosophy that’s been popular in Texas politics for decades.

Recent News and Debates

The base salary of 7,200 dollars has stayed the same for many years, even as the cost of living in Texas cities—especially Austin—has risen sharply.

In 2025, lawmakers moved to significantly raise judges’ pay and, through the way the pension formula works, improved retirement benefits for legislators as well, which has stirred fresh debate about whether they should also directly increase their own salaries.

Public discussion around “how much do Texas legislators get paid” often connects to broader worries:

• Can you get high-quality, diverse representation if serving costs more than it pays?
• Does low pay make corruption or conflicts of interest more likely, because members must lean harder on outside work?

You’ll see this topic pop up in opinion columns, policy newsletters, and forum chatter especially in odd-numbered years, when the Legislature is in session and fights over budgets, education, and immigration dominate the news.

How Texas Compares to Other States

Across the country, some states pay legislators like full-time jobs, while others follow a part-time model.

• States like California pay well into six figures for legislative service.

• Texas, at 7,200 dollars per year, sits near the bottom of the national pay scale, solidly in the “citizen legislature” camp.

In plain terms: if you’re imagining Texas lawmakers driving Teslas on a lawmaker salary alone, that image doesn’t match reality; most rely heavily on separate careers or businesses to make their finances work.

TL;DR

• Texas legislators: 7,200 dollars a year in salary.
• Plus 221 dollars per day in per diem while in session or on official business.
• This keeps Texas a part-time legislature and fuels ongoing debate over who can realistically afford to serve and how that affects representation and governance.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.