Legislative
Caucuses		 Caucus
Development		 Caucus
Organization		 Caucuses
& Democracy		 Examples
 
Prominent Caucuses in the Texas Legislature
Name Established Description/Goals Contributions Received, 20031
Party Caucuses
House Democratic Caucus 1981 Articulate policy positions and support party members in the Texas House of Representatives 20,776
Texas Republican Legislative Caucus 1989 Articulate policy positions and support party members in the Texas House of Representatives 89,850
Texas Senate Democratic Caucus N/A Articulate policy positions and support party members in the Texas Senate 377,974
Senate Republican Caucus N/A Articulate policy positions and support party members in the Texas Senate 5,700
Ideological Caucuses
Legislative Study Group 1993 Liberal, non-partisan organization of Texas state legislators. 22,500
Texas Conservative Coalition http://txcc.org 1985 Dedicated to the education of the general public and elected officials at all levels of government on the benefits of the application of four principles: Limited government, individual liberties, free enterprise, traditional values. 101,225
Minority and Women's Caucuses
Texas Legislative Black Caucus 1973 Non-partisan public policy caucus made up of the African American members of the Texas House of Representatives, dedicated to representing the interests of African Americans across Texas. 13,420
Mexican American Legislative Caucus 1973 Non-partisan public policy caucus made up of Democratic and Republican members, dedicated to representing the interests of Latinos across Texas. 126,490
Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus 1977? Promote research and education on issues that concern the Hispanic community 8,500
Texas Women's Political Caucus2 1971 Not restricted to members of the Texas Legislature. Originally organized to place women in public office to mount a multi-partisan attack against sexism, racism, institutional violence, and poverty. Not registered with Texas Ethics Commission
Other Caucuses
Texas Legislative Sportsman's Caucus mid-
1990s		 Promote and protect hunting and fishing. Registered, but no finance reports, most likely because of recent founding
Rural Caucus of the Texas Legislature 1999 Functions as an informational resource for members of the Texas Legislature on issues that impact rural areas of Texas, including healthcare, transportation and education. Not registered with Texas Ethics Commission
Footnotes: 1. Fundraising strength; 2. TWPC independence. (full footnotes)