{"id":379334,"date":"2026-07-20T08:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T08:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/379334\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T08:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T08:08:08","slug":"texas-legislature-is-more-accessible-than-you-think-the-daily-texan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/379334\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas\u2019 Legislature is more accessible than you think \u2013 The Daily Texan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Texas\u2019<\/a> <\/p>\n

The most underappreciated building in Austin is just one mile from UT\u2019s campus. Within the pink granite walls of the Texas Capitol is something many students don\u2019t realize they can access: the chance to speak directly with their representatives.<\/p>\n

The Capitol isn\u2019t just for lawmakers and politicians \u2014 it\u2019s for every Texan, including the over 55,000 students<\/a> who attend UT. The biggest barrier between students and the legislature isn\u2019t the distance, but rather our assumption<\/a> that we don\u2019t belong there.<\/p>\n

UT students pride themselves<\/a> on being politically engaged. We debate policies in our classrooms and organize around causes we care about, yet we underutilize our proximity to the Capitol. State representatives and their staff are more accessible than students realize, and that accessibility is an overlooked opportunity to get involved in our state government.<\/p>\n

With 150 representatives<\/a> and 31 senators<\/a> serving Texans across the state, legislators represent smaller districts than members of Congress, meaning legislative offices have the chance to work closer with constituents. Students don\u2019t need experience or a government degree to participate; they just need to show up.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven just a casual visit into an office is a huge, valuable tool for anybody who wants to get to know (their representative),\u201d said Hannah Horick, a former chief of staff for a Texas representative. \u201cI love when students pop in and tell us what they\u2019re passionate about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

These opportunities extend beyond meetings. Students can testify before legislative committees, attend hearings and build relationships with staffers. These experiences offer an education that no classroom can provide.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany students think that the Capitol is a really serious place, where if they ask questions or stop in, they\u2019re interrupting someone\u2019s work. I think the thing students don\u2019t realize is that talking to constituents, young people and Texans is the work,\u201d Horick said.<\/p>\n

Getting firsthand experience working in the legislature is the best way to realize how accessible it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c(The Texas Legislature) is a huge community of people who want to be involved with each other, and everyone has such a growth mindset and a want for a positive future. \u2026 Everyone really does want to hear from you,\u201d said Avishi Pandya, a Plan II and international relations and global studies sophomore and intern for Rep. Salman Bhojani.<\/p>\n

Of course, not every student wants to pursue a career in politics, but civic engagement isn\u2019t limited to aspiring politicians. Whether you\u2019re studying business, STEM or the arts, the policies debated at the Capitol affect your tuition, healthcare and future career. If those issues matter to you, your voice should be a part of the conversation.<\/p>\n

The solution is surprisingly simple. Visit<\/a> the Capitol! You can schedule a meeting<\/a> with your state representative, send an email about an issue you care about or just walk in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment only functions well when there is involvement and accountability. \u2026 Even when it\u2019s tough, even when it feels like no one is listening to you, \u2026 you have to participate, because if you don\u2019t, who the hell will?\u201d said Allison Heinrich, chief of staff for Rep. John Bucy III.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Students often complain that elected officials don\u2019t listen to young people, but before we criticize the system for shutting us out, we should try walking the mile to the Capitol\u2019s front door.<\/p>\n

Sengupta is an international relations and global studies and Plan II sophomore from Leander, Texas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The most underappreciated building in Austin is just one mile from UT\u2019s campus. Within the pink granite walls…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-379334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}