Question: Who serves as the president of the senate in the texas legislature?

context: The Lieutenant Governor of Texas serves as the President of the Senate. Unlike most lieutenant governors who are constitutionally designated as presiding officers of the upper house, the Lieutenant Governor regularly exercises this function. The Lieutenant Governor's duties include appointing chairs of committees, committee members, assigning and referring bills to specific committees, recognizing members during debate, and making procedural rulings. The Lieutenant Governor may also cast a vote should a Senate floor vote end in a tie. If the Senate votes to dissolve itself into the Committee of the Whole, in which all members are part of the Committee, the President Pro-Tempore presides over the proceedings, with the Lieutenant Governor acting as a regular voting member. Due to the various powers of committee selection and bill assignment, the Lieutenant Governor is considered one of the most powerful lieutenant governorships in the United States.
question: Who serves as the president of the senate in the texas legislature in general?
short_answers: Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas
context: For the 83rd Legislative Session, which began in 2013, there were six new senators, including Sylvia Garcia, who succeeded the late senator Mario Gallegos Jr. through a special election. The five other new senators were Charles Schwertner, a Republican from Georgetown, Ken Paxton, a Republican from McKinney, Kelly Hancock, a Republican from Fort Worth, Larry Taylor, a Republican from Friendswood, and Donna Campbell, a Republican from New Braunfels. For this term of the Legislature the President of the Senate is Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. The President Pro Tempore is Republican Kel Seliger of District 31 (Amarillo). Senator John Whitmire, a Democrat from Houston, is the Dean of the Senate, meaning he is the most senior member, having served since 1987. Senator Chris Harris, a Republican from Arlington, is the most senior member of his party, and the fourth most-senior overall member.
question: Who serves as the president of the senate in the texas legislature from 2015 to 2020?
short_answers: Dan Patrick
Dan Goeb Patrick
context: No context provided
question: Who serves as the president of the senate in the texas legislature from 2003 to 2015?
short_answers: David Dewhurst
David Henry Dewhurst
context: No context provided
question: Who serves as the president of the senate in the texas legislature from 2000 to 2003?
short_answers: Bill Ratliff
William Roark Ratliff

Answer: The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the position that generally serves as the President of the Senate in the Texas Legislature. The current Lieutenant Governor of Texas is Dan Patrick, who has served in this position since 2015. Patrick was preceded by David Dewhurst from 2003 to 2015 and Bill Ratliff from 2000 to 2003.