Senate approves interim staffing rules

Summary#

SR-721, titled “Senate Caucus Report,” is an enacted Texas Senate resolution; it does not amend an existing Act. It sets staffing, spending, and other operating rules for the Senate between the end of the 89th Legislature’s session and the next session. Its stated aim is to provide for Senate operations during that interval.

  • The lieutenant governor may hire staff for that office, and the secretary of the Senate may hire staff for Senate operations. The secretary supervises Senate employees and officers during the interim.
  • The administration committee chair must oversee Senate property, supplies, repairs, records, and claims. No Senate claim or account may be paid without the chair’s approval.
  • Each senator may have a monthly payroll of $73,150 for office staff and staff travel. Unspent amounts may carry forward under limits in the resolution; other qualifying office and legislative expenses may be paid in addition.
  • Senate committees and subcommittees may meet, hold hearings, recommend legislation, and conduct research during the interim. Their budgets require approval by the administration committee.
  • Senate employees face limits on sharing non-routine information and on outside paid employment. Senators’ employees may accrue leave only under specified recordkeeping rules.

What it means for you#

  • Senators and Senate staff: The resolution authorizes interim staffing and expense payments, with payroll and other claims subject to its rules and approvals. It names Senate officers to serve during the interim. Employees must get their Senate employer’s permission before taking other paid employment.
  • Senators’ employees: To accrue vacation, compensatory, or sick leave, an employee must file a monthly time record by the 10th of the following month. Compensatory time must be used within the stated 24-month period and cannot be paid out when unused.
  • Senate committees: They may continue meeting and doing the listed work during the interim, but their budgets must be approved by the administration committee.
  • Taxpayers: The resolution authorizes expenses to be paid from Senate funds and directs the Senate to request general revenue warrants for specified payments. It does not set out a total cost.
  • General public: Senate employees may provide routine public information, but the resolution bars them from furnishing other information to people or organizations. The resolution does not create a public application or review process.

Money#

The resolution authorizes Senate spending, but no total cost estimate is provided; no publicly available information on an estimate is in the supplied material.

  • Each senator is permitted a payroll of $73,150 per month for staff and staff intrastate travel. Monthly unspent funds may carry forward, and up to $20,000 remaining at the end of a fiscal year may carry into the next fiscal year.
  • Other reasonable and necessary office and legislative expenses, including qualifying travel, may be paid in addition to that payroll amount, subject to the resolution’s rules and approvals.
  • Salaries and expenses are to be paid from the 89th Legislature’s per diem and contingent expense funds. The Senate is to request general revenue warrants for specified payroll, materials, supplies, and expenses.
  • The administration committee sets Senate staff salaries. Its chair and committee members may be reimbursed for actual and necessary interim expenses.

What is unclear#

  • The resolution gives no total spending cap or estimate, and does not say how many employees will be hired or retained.
  • It does not give the detailed regulations governing member office expenses or explain how expense claims would be challenged or reviewed.
  • “Legislative business” and “other similar meetings” are not defined in the text.
  • The resolution does not provide an exact calendar end date for the interim; it ends when the next legislative session convenes.

Case for#

  • The resolution appears intended to keep Senate offices operating between sessions, including by authorizing staff, maintaining records and property, and printing Senate journals.
  • Requiring approval for claims and committee budgets could provide a way to check spending before payment.
  • Allowing committees to meet and conduct research during the interim could let them continue work between legislative sessions.

Case against#

  • The resolution authorizes payroll and additional expenses but gives no overall cost estimate or total spending cap in the text.
  • The administration committee chair has substantial control over claims, budgets, property, and repairs; the resolution does not explain a separate review process for those decisions.
  • The restriction on sharing information goes beyond routine public information, but the text does not define the boundary.
  • The resolution does not define some terms used to qualify meeting and legislative expenses, leaving details to rules or later decisions.