Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their respective houses and have a large impact on lawmaking in the state.

Bills can (and many are) pre-filed before the start of a session: for regular sessions the lower numbers are reserved for bills with high priority by Legislative leadership (with HB1 and SB1 specifically reserved for each chamber's version of the General Appropriations Act, the state's budget and spending authority).

This has resulted in several instances where, in an effort to block legislation from passing, a sufficient number of members have fled the state in order to deny a quorum.

On July 12, 2021, during a special session, at least 51 Democratic members of the House fled the state in two charter jets bound for Washington, D.C., in an effort to block Republican-backed election legislation from passing.

The lawmakers planned to spend at least three weeks in Washington, running out the clock on the special session, which began July 8.

He additionally noted he would use his power to call successive special sessions until such a time as the legislature met quorum to vote on the bill.

[12] On August 10, with the chamber still lacking a quorum, Speaker Dade Phelan issued arrest warrants for the 52 absent Democratic members of the House.