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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe State of Texas reported $5,110,038 in costs to prepare for and conduct Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2023 impeachment trial, according to a Texas State Auditor’s Office report published March 19, 2025. The largest share was reported by the Texas House. The audit covers specified state entities and includes expenditures, encumbrances and future unpaid obligations related to that trial; it is not a price estimate for a future impeachment.
How much did the 2023 Texas impeachment trial cost?
The State Auditor’s Office reported a total of $5,110,038 for preparing for and conducting the 2023 Ken Paxton impeachment trial. The report reviewed documentation and analyzed transactions in the Uniform Statewide Accounting System, the State’s accounting system of record, and says the audit followed generally accepted government auditing standards. Read the State Auditor’s Office report (Report No. 25-021).
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This is a reported cost for one proceeding, not a standard or forecast price for Texas impeachment trials. It encompasses expenditures, encumbrances and future unpaid obligations within the audit’s defined scope.
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Which state entities reported the costs?
The audit attributes costs to five public entities. The House accounted for most of the reported total.
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| Entity | Reported cost |
|---|---|
| Texas House of Representatives | $4,436,498 |
| Texas Senate | $435,087 |
| Office of the Attorney General | $229,871 |
| Texas Legislative Reference Library | $4,686 |
| Texas Legislative Council | $3,896 |
| Total | $5,110,038 |
These figures are from the State Auditor’s Office’s 2025 report. The two supporting legislative entities together reported $8,582.
What drove the cost?
Contracted professional services were the largest category: $4,403,729, or 86 percent of the reported total. The audit says these services included attorneys, investigators and related costs.
| Cost category | Reported amount |
|---|---|
| Contracted professional services | $4,403,729 |
| Salaries and wages | $479,470 |
| Legislative per diem | $150,344 |
| Travel | $61,277 |
| Supplies | $15,218 |
| Total | $5,110,038 |
The category amounts and the 86 percent share are those reported by the State Auditor’s Office in 2025. The category breakdown shows why the cost was not simply a matter of legislators’ time: professional services made up the dominant share.
How the House and Senate costs differed
The House reported $4,049,122 for contracted professional services, $274,419 in salaries and wages, $79,624 in legislative per diem, $29,425 in travel and $3,908 in supplies. The Senate reported $325,101 in professional services, $70,720 in per diem, $31,852 in travel and $7,414 in supplies. The Senate’s professional-services amount includes a future obligation for trial-journal production estimated by the Senate.
The Attorney General’s Office reported $200,365 in salaries and wages and $29,506 in contracted professional services. The audit notes that some of the wage costs were estimates.
Who pays for a Texas impeachment trial?
For the Paxton proceeding, the costs in the audit were reported by state public entities: the House, Senate, Office of the Attorney General, Texas Legislative Reference Library and Texas Legislative Council. That is why the most precise answer is that the State reported $5,110,038 in trial-related costs.
The report does not identify one dedicated “impeachment trial fund,” nor does it establish that every dollar came from a single budget line. It also does not quantify private expenses outside the audit’s defined scope. The published total should therefore not be described as proof that all costs were paid from one particular appropriation.
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The Texas Constitution assigns different roles to the two legislative chambers: the House has the power of impeachment, while the Senate has the duty to try an impeachment. The Senate’s official Court of Impeachment page describes those roles and archives material on the proceeding. The audit’s scope also included supporting legislative bodies and the Attorney General’s Office.
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The Senate’s 2023 trial rules said the Senate sat as the court of impeachment and directed its clerk to ensure that necessary court reporters were available. Each party could have its own reporter at that party’s expense. That rule explains one part of the process; it does not establish a total reporter cost. See the Senate’s Paxton trial rules.
In a June 22, 2023 release, the Senate characterized impeachment this way: “Impeachment is not a judicial procedure, though its protocols and conduct closely resemble those of a court of law.” That is the Senate’s description of the proceeding. The release also quoted Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was to preside: “The citizens of Texas can count on the Senate of Texas to have a fair and just trial.” The statement is an assurance, not evidence about trial costs or an independent assessment of fairness. Read the Senate’s June 22, 2023 release.
Does this tell us what a future impeachment would cost?
No. The $5,110,038 figure concerns the specific Paxton trial that began in 2023 and the entities and accounting items included in the audit. A future proceeding could involve different staffing, professional services, schedules and obligations; this report does not estimate those costs.
A 2025 analysis of Texas Senate Bill 2051 discusses cost-reporting requirements for impeachment proceedings, including reports after proceedings and an updated report after a Senate trial. A bill analysis alone does not establish that a proposal became law or what legal requirements are currently in effect. See the bill analysis.
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