The Texas Legislature Can Override the Governor's General Veto With a

The Legislative Branch of Government

The Texas Constitution divides land government into three carve up but equal branches: the executive branch, headed past the governor; the judicial branch, which consists of the Texas Supreme Courtroom and all state courts; and the legislative branch, headed by the Texas Legislature, which includes the 150 members of the house of representatives and the 31 members of the state senate.

Members of the house of representatives are elected to two-year terms and represent districts of about 167,500 people each. Senators serve four-year terms and serve about 811,000 people each.

The legislature meets every odd-numbered twelvemonth to write new laws and to observe solutions to the problems facing the country. This meeting time, which begins on the second Tuesday in Jan and lasts 140 days, is chosen the regular session. The governor can directly the legislature to meet at other times also. These meetings, called special sessions, can last no more than thirty days and deal simply with problems chosen by the governor.

On the offset day of each regular session, the 150 members of the house of representatives choose ane of their members to be the speaker of the house. The speaker is the presiding officer of the house. He or she maintains order, recognizes members to speak during argue, and rules on procedural matters.

The speaker as well appoints the chairs and vice chairs of the committees that report legislation and decides which other representatives will serve on those committees, subject to seniority rules. There are 31 committees, each of which deals with a different discipline expanse, and five committees that deal with procedural or administrative matters for the business firm. Near members serve on two or three different committees.

In the senate, the presiding officer is the lieutenant governor, who is not actually a fellow member of the senate. The lieutenant governor is the second-highest ranking officeholder of the executive branch of government and, like the governor, is chosen for a four-twelvemonth term by popular vote in a statewide election.

The beginning thing that the speaker of the house and the lieutenant governor inquire their corresponding houses of the legislature to do is to determine on the rules that the legislators volition follow during the session. Some legislative procedures are provided for in the state constitution, just boosted rules can be adopted by a house of the legislature if approved by a majority vote of its members.

In one case rules accept been adopted, the legislature begins to consider bills.

Introducing a Nib

A representative or senator gets an idea for a nib by listening to the people he or she represents and then working to solve their problem. A bill may too grow out of the recommendations of an interim commission study conducted when the legislature is not in session. The idea is researched to determine what country law needs to be changed or created to best solve that problem. A neb is then written past the legislator, frequently with legal assist from the Texas Legislative Council, a legislative agency which provides bill drafting services, inquiry help, computer support, and other services for legislators.

Once a neb has been written, information technology is introduced past a member of the house or senate in the fellow member's ain bedchamber. Sometimes, similar bills about a particular event are introduced in both houses at the same time by a representative and senator working together. However, any bill increasing taxes or raising money for use by the land must showtime in the business firm of representatives.

House members and senators tin introduce bills on any bailiwick during the first threescore calendar days of a regular session. After 60 days, the introduction of any bill other than a local beak or a bill related to an emergency declared past the governor requires the consent of at least 4-fifths of the members present and voting in the house or iv-fifths of the membership in the senate.

Afterward a nib has been introduced, a short clarification of the bill, chosen a explanation, is read aloud while the sleeping room is in session then that all of the members are aware of the bill and its subject. This is called the get-go reading, and it is the indicate in the process where the presiding officer assigns the bill to a committee. This assignment is announced on the chamber flooring during the get-go reading of the bill.

The Committee Procedure

The chair of each commission decides when the commission will meet and which bills will be considered. The house rules let a house commission or subcommittee to run into: (1) in a public hearing where testimony is heard and where official activeness may be taken on bills, resolutions, or other matters; (two) in a formal meeting where the members may discuss and have official action without hearing public testimony; or (iii) in a piece of work session for give-and-take of matters earlier the commission without taking formal action. In the senate, testimony may exist heard and official activeness may exist taken at whatever meeting of a senate committee or subcommittee. Public testimony is almost e'er solicited on bills, allowing citizens the opportunity to present arguments on different sides of an issue.

A house commission or subcommittee holding a public hearing during a legislative session must post notice of the hearing at least five calendar days before the hearing during a regular session and at least 24 hours in accelerate during a special session. For a formal meeting or a work session, written notice must be posted and sent to each member of the committee 2 hours in advance of the meeting or an announcement must be filed with the journal clerk and read while the house is in session. A senate committee or subcommittee must post notice of a meeting at to the lowest degree 24 hours earlier the coming together.

After because a bill, a committee may choose to take no action or may issue a report on the bill. The commission written report, expressing the committee'south recommendations regarding activity on a pecker, includes a record of the committee'southward vote on the study, the text of the bill as reported past the committee, a detailed bill analysis, and a financial note or other bear on statement, as necessary. The report is and then printed, and a re-create is distributed to every member of the house or senate.

In the house, a copy of the committee report is sent to either the Commission on Calendars or the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars for placement on a agenda for consideration past the total house. In the senate, local and noncontroversial bills are scheduled for senate consideration by the Senate Administration Committee. All other bills in the senate are placed on the regular club of business for consideration by the total senate in the society in which the bills were reported from senate committee. A beak on the regular order of business may not be brought up for flooring consideration unless the senate sponsor of the bill has filed a written notice of intent to suspend the regular society of business for consideration of the bill.

Floor Action

When a nib comes up for consideration past the full house or senate, it receives its 2d reading. The bill is read, again by caption merely, and then debated past the full membership of the sleeping room. Whatever member may offer an amendment, just it must be approved by a majority of the members nowadays and voting to be adopted. The members then vote on whether to laissez passer the pecker. The bill is so considered by the full body over again on third reading and final passage. A bill may be amended again on third reading, but amendments at this phase require a ii-thirds majority for adoption. Although the Texas Constitution requires a bill to be read on three divide days in each house before it can have the force of police force, this constitutional rule may exist suspended past a 4-fifths vote of the business firm in which the bill is pending. The senate routinely suspends this constitutional provision in guild to requite a pecker an immediate 3rd reading afterwards its second reading consideration. The business firm, however, rarely suspends this provision, and third reading of a bill in the house normally occurs on the day post-obit its 2d reading consideration.

In either house, a bill may be passed on a voice vote or a tape vote. In the house, record votes are tallied by an electronic vote board controlled by buttons on each member's desk. In the senate, record votes are taken by calling the roll of the members.

If a beak receives a majority vote on third reading, it is considered passed. When a bill is passed in the house where it originated, the bill is engrossed, and a new copy of the bill which incorporates all corrections and amendments is prepared and sent to the opposite sleeping accommodation for consideration. In the 2nd house, the bill follows basically the aforementioned steps it followed in the showtime house. When the bill is passed in the opposite house, it is returned to the originating sleeping room with any amendments that have been adopted simply attached to the bill.

Activeness on the Other House's Amendments and Conference Committees

If a pecker is returned to the originating sleeping room with amendments, the originating bedroom can either agree to the amendments or request a conference committee to work out differences between the business firm version and the senate version. If the amendments are agreed to, the beak is put in terminal form, signed by the presiding officers, and sent to the governor.

Briefing committees are composed of 5 members from each house appointed by the presiding officers. Once the briefing commission reaches agreement, a conference commission report is prepared and must be approved by at to the lowest degree three of the five conferees from each house. Conference committee reports are voted on in each house and must be approved or rejected without subpoena. If approved by both houses, the pecker is signed by the presiding officers and sent to the governor.

Governor'southward Activity

Upon receiving a nib, the governor has x days in which to sign the bill, veto it, or allow information technology to become constabulary without a signature. If the governor vetoes the bill and the legislature is still in session, the bill is returned to the firm in which it originated with an caption of the governor'south objections. A two-thirds majority in each business firm is required to override the veto. If the governor neither vetoes nor signs the bill within ten days, the bill becomes a constabulary. If a bill is sent to the governor within 10 days of concluding adjournment, the governor has until 20 days subsequently last adjournment to sign the bill, veto it, or let it to become police without a signature.

Ramble Amendments

Proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution are in the form of joint resolutions instead of bills and require a vote of two-thirds of the entire membership in each house for adoption. Joint resolutions are not sent to the governor for approval, but are filed direct with the secretary of country. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Texas Constitution does non go effective until information technology is approved past Texas voters in a general ballot.

• More Detailed Data on the Steps in the Legislative Process

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Source: https://house.texas.gov/about-us/bill/#:~:text=If%20the%20governor%20vetoes%20the,required%20to%20override%20the%20veto.

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