The Presiding Officer in the House of Representatives Is
The Legislative Branch of Authorities
The Texas Constitution divides state regime into three carve up but equal branches: the executive branch, headed by the governor; the judicial co-operative, which consists of the Texas Supreme Court 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 ii-year terms and represent districts of about 167,500 people each. Senators serve iv-yr terms and serve about 811,000 people each.
The legislature meets every odd-numbered twelvemonth to write new laws and to find solutions to the problems facing the state. This meeting time, which begins on the second Tuesday in Jan and lasts 140 days, is called 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 than 30 days and deal just with issues chosen by the governor.
On the first day of each regular session, the 150 members of the house of representatives choose one of their members to exist the speaker of the house. The speaker is the presiding officer of the firm. He or she maintains order, recognizes members to speak during argue, and rules on procedural matters.
The speaker likewise appoints the chairs and vice chairs of the committees that study legislation and decides which other representatives volition serve on those committees, discipline to seniority rules. There are 31 committees, each of which deals with a different subject area, and 5 committees that bargain with procedural or authoritative matters for the house. Most members serve on 2 or three different committees.
In the senate, the presiding officer is the lieutenant governor, who is not actually a member of the senate. The lieutenant governor is the 2nd-highest ranking officer of the executive branch of authorities and, like the governor, is chosen for a 4-twelvemonth term by pop vote in a statewide election.
The first thing that the speaker of the firm and the lieutenant governor ask their corresponding houses of the legislature to do is to make up one's mind on the rules that the legislators will follow during the session. Some legislative procedures are provided for in the state constitution, but additional rules can be adopted past a house of the legislature if approved by a majority vote of its members.
Once rules take been adopted, the legislature begins to consider bills.
Introducing a Neb
A representative or senator gets an idea for a nib past listening to the people he or she represents and and then working to solve their problem. A pecker may also grow out of the recommendations of an acting commission study conducted when the legislature is not in session. The thought is researched to determine what country constabulary needs to be inverse or created to best solve that problem. A nib is then written by the legislator, often with legal assistance from the Texas Legislative Quango, a legislative agency which provides nib drafting services, research assistance, figurer support, and other services for legislators.
Once a bill has been written, information technology is introduced past a member of the house or senate in the fellow member's own chamber. Sometimes, like bills most a particular issue are introduced in both houses at the same time past a representative and senator working together. Still, any bill increasing taxes or raising money for apply by the state must first in the house of representatives.
House members and senators can introduce bills on any subject during the start threescore agenda days of a regular session. After 60 days, the introduction of whatever pecker other than a local pecker or a bill related to an emergency declared by the governor requires the consent of at least four-fifths of the members present and voting in the house or four-fifths of the membership in the senate.
Afterwards a bill has been introduced, a brusk description of the neb, chosen a caption, is read aloud while the chamber is in session so that all of the members are aware of the bill and its bailiwick. This is called the start reading, and it is the bespeak in the process where the presiding officeholder assigns the neb to a commission. This assignment is announced on the chamber flooring during the showtime reading of the bill.
The Committee Process
The chair of each committee decides when the committee will come across and which bills will be considered. The house rules permit a house committee or subcommittee to meet: (1) in a public hearing where testimony is heard and where official activeness may exist taken on bills, resolutions, or other matters; (2) in a formal meeting where the members may hash out and accept official activeness without hearing public testimony; or (3) in a work session for discussion of matters before the committee without taking formal action. In the senate, testimony may be heard and official action may be taken at any coming together of a senate committee or subcommittee. Public testimony is near always solicited on bills, allowing citizens the opportunity to present arguments on different sides of an consequence.
A firm committee or subcommittee holding a public hearing during a legislative session must post find of the hearing at least five calendar days earlier the hearing during a regular session and at least 24 hours in advance during a special session. For a formal coming together or a piece of work session, written notice must be posted and sent to each member of the commission 2 hours in advance of the meeting or an proclamation must be filed with the journal clerk and read while the firm is in session. A senate committee or subcommittee must mail service notice of a meeting at least 24 hours before the coming together.
Afterward considering a bill, a commission may choose to take no action or may issue a report on the bill. The commission report, expressing the committee'southward recommendations regarding action on a bill, includes a record of the committee's vote on the report, the text of the bill equally reported by the committee, a detailed bill assay, and a financial note or other impact argument, as necessary. The written report is so printed, and a copy is distributed to every member of the house or senate.
In the house, a copy of the committee report is sent to either the Committee on Calendars or the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars for placement on a agenda for consideration by the full 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 order of business for consideration past the total senate in the club in which the bills were reported from senate committee. A pecker 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 append the regular social club of business organization for consideration of the bill.
Floor Action
When a bill comes up for consideration past the full firm or senate, it receives its 2nd reading. The pecker is read, once again by caption only, and so debated by the full membership of the sleeping accommodation. Any fellow member may offer an amendment, only information technology must be canonical by a majority of the members nowadays and voting to be adopted. The members and so vote on whether to pass the neb. The bill is then considered by the full body once more on third reading and final passage. A bill may be amended again on 3rd reading, but amendments at this stage require a two-thirds majority for adoption. Although the Texas Constitution requires a bill to be read on three split days in each house earlier it can have the forcefulness of law, this constitutional rule may be suspended by a 4-fifths vote of the house in which the bill is pending. The senate routinely suspends this ramble provision in order to give a pecker an firsthand third reading after its second reading consideration. The house, all the same, rarely suspends this provision, and third reading of a bill in the house normally occurs on the solar day following its 2d reading consideration.
In either firm, a bill may be passed on a voice vote or a record vote. In the house, record votes are tallied by an electronic vote lath controlled by buttons on each member's desk. In the senate, record votes are taken by calling the ringlet of the members.
If a bill receives a majority vote on third reading, it is considered passed. When a bill is passed in the house where information technology originated, the bill is engrossed, and a new re-create of the bill which incorporates all corrections and amendments is prepared and sent to the contrary bedroom for consideration. In the second business firm, the bill follows basically the same steps it followed in the kickoff house. When the pecker is passed in the opposite house, it is returned to the originating chamber with any amendments that accept been adopted merely fastened to the bill.
If a bill is returned to the originating chamber without amendments, it is put in final class, signed by the speaker and lieutenant governor, and sent to the governor.
Activeness on the Other House's Amendments and Conference Committees
If a bill is returned to the originating chamber with amendments, the originating bedchamber tin either agree to the amendments or asking a briefing committee to work out differences between the house version and the senate version. If the amendments are agreed to, the neb is put in final form, signed by the presiding officers, and sent to the governor.
Conference committees are composed of five members from each house appointed by the presiding officers. One time the conference commission reaches agreement, a conference commission report is prepared and must be approved past at least three of the five conferees from each business firm. Briefing commission reports are voted on in each house and must exist canonical or rejected without amendment. If approved by both houses, the neb is signed by the presiding officers and sent to the governor.
Governor's Action
Upon receiving a bill, the governor has x days in which to sign the pecker, veto information technology, or allow it to become constabulary without a signature. If the governor vetoes the neb and the legislature is notwithstanding in session, the bill is returned to the house in which it originated with an caption of the governor'due south objections. A ii-thirds majority in each house is required to override the veto. If the governor neither vetoes nor signs the bill inside 10 days, the bill becomes a law. If a bill is sent to the governor within x days of final banishment, the governor has until 20 days subsequently terminal adjournment to sign the beak, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature.
Constitutional Amendments
Proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution are in the form of joint resolutions instead of bills and require a vote of 2-thirds of the entire membership in each house for adoption. Joint resolutions are non sent to the governor for approval, but are filed directly with the secretary of state. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Texas Constitution does not become effective until information technology is canonical past Texas voters in a general ballot.
Source: https://house.texas.gov/resources/bill/
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