Your Guide to State Lawmaking
Texas Legislative Reference Library: Your Guide to State Lawmaking
Track bills, research laws, and understand how the Texas Legislature works. Free tools for every Texan.
Why This Resource Matters
- Track Legislation: Follow bills from filing to becoming law
- Research History: Access bill files dating back to 1907
- Understand Process: Learn how the Texas Legislature works
- Free for Everyone: No subscription or special access needed
- Authoritative Source: Official legislative records and documents
What Is the Legislative Reference Library?
The Texas Legislative Reference Library was created in 1969 to serve the research needs of the Texas Legislature. It is the official keeper of legislative records—every bill, every vote, every hearing since Texas became a state.
While it was created for legislators, the library also helps regular Texans understand and participate in the lawmaking process. Anyone can use its online tools to track bills, research laws, and connect issues to the officials responsible.
What You Can Find
- Every bill filed in the Texas Legislature since 1907
- Committee reports, hearing records, and floor debates
- Session laws (the actual text of laws passed)
- Journals recording daily actions of the House and Senate
- Historical records dating back to the Republic of Texas
- Contact information for current legislators
How to Use the Library: Step by Step
Find Your Issue
Think about what you care about. Education funding? Healthcare access? Environmental protection? Start with the issue, not the bill number.
Search for Bills
Use the Direct Search tool to look for bills by keyword, author, or subject. You can search current session or look back at past sessions.
Track Progress
See where a bill is in the process—filed, in committee, passed by one chamber, or signed into law. Each step tells a story.
Read Bill Files
Access the complete bill file with all versions, amendments, committee reports, and votes. This is where you see how the sausage gets made.
Find Your Legislators
Look up who represents you in the Texas House and Senate. Get contact information and see what bills they are sponsoring.
Take Action
Use what you learned to contact your representatives, testify at hearings, or organize with others around specific bills.
Key Tools and What They Do
Bill Search
Search for bills by number, keyword, author, or subject. Filter by session, bill type, and stage in the legislative process.
Search Bills →Legislative Archive System
Access scanned bill files from 1907 to 2005. See original documents, amendments, and committee reports as PDFs.
View Archives →Legislative Clipping Service
Browse newspaper coverage of legislative issues from 1900 to present. See how bills were discussed in the media.
Read Clippings →Session Laws
Read the actual text of laws as passed. Organized by session and chapter number for easy reference.
View Laws →Interim Hearings
Track committee hearings between legislative sessions. Find agendas, testimony, and reports on upcoming issues.
View Hearings →House and Senate Journals
Official daily records of actions taken by each chamber. The most complete record of legislative proceedings.
Read Journals →House bills start with HB, Senate bills with SB. Joint resolutions are HJR or SJR. Each session starts numbering at 1, so HB 1 from 2023 is different from HB 1 in 2025. Always include the session year when tracking bills.
How the Texas Legislature Works
The Texas Legislature meets in regular session every two years for 140 days starting in January of odd-numbered years. The Governor can also call special sessions that last up to 30 days.
The basic process:
- Filing: A legislator files a bill—a proposal to create, change, or remove a law
- Committee: The bill goes to a committee that holds hearings and can change it
- Floor Vote: If the committee approves, the full House or Senate votes on it
- Other Chamber: If it passes, it goes to the other chamber to repeat the process
- Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, they negotiate a compromise
- Governor: If both chambers pass the same version, it goes to the Governor to sign or veto
- Law: If signed (or if the Legislature overrides a veto), it becomes law
Most bills die in committee and never get a vote. Understanding this helps you focus your advocacy where it matters most.
When Bills Become Law
- Bills take effect 90 days after the session ends unless specified otherwise
- Emergency bills can take effect immediately with a two-thirds vote
- Some bills specify their own effective dates
- Constitutional amendments require voter approval in an election
Practical Examples: Using the Library for Action
Example 1: Tracking an Education Bill
You heard about a bill to change school funding. Search "school finance" in the Bill Search tool. Filter for current session. Find the bill number (like HB 100). Check its status—is it in committee? Has it been voted on? Read the bill file to see who testified and what amendments were proposed. Contact your representative about your position before key votes.
Example 2: Researching Legislative History
You want to understand why a law was passed. Find the original bill number using the Session Laws database. Look up the bill in the Legislative Archive System. Read committee reports to see the reasoning. Check the House and Senate Journals for floor debates. Look at newspaper clippings to see public discussion at the time. This gives you the full story.
Example 3: Preparing to Testify
You want to testify at a committee hearing. Find the interim hearings schedule. Check the agenda for bills being heard. Research those bills using the Bill Search tool. Read similar bills from past sessions to understand the history. Prepare your testimony using facts from bill analyses and committee reports. You will sound informed because you are.
Tips for Effective Use
- Start broad, then narrow: Search by subject first to find relevant bills, then dig into specific ones
- Use multiple tools: Bill files, journals, and clippings together give the full picture
- Track weekly: During session, check back weekly to see bill progress
- Set up alerts: Call the Bill Status Hotline (1-877-824-7038) for current status
- Ask librarians: Call 512-463-1252 for help finding what you need
- Know the timeline: Bills move fastest at the end of session—stay alert
- Read amendments: The final version may be very different from what was filed
The library staff answer questions Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm. Email your question using the "Ask a Librarian" link on their website. They can help you find bills, understand procedures, or navigate the archive system.
Start Using the Library Today
Everything is free. Everything is online. Everything is accessible. No special permission needed.
Visit the Library Search Bills