Bills Currently Under Discussion in Us House of Representatives

The Legislative Branch of Government

The Texas Constitution divides state government into 3 split up just 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 past 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 nearly 167,500 people each. Senators serve four-twelvemonth terms and serve nearly 811,000 people each.

The legislature meets every odd-numbered twelvemonth to write new laws and to observe solutions to the problems facing the state. This meeting time, which begins on the 2nd Tuesday in January and lasts 140 days, is called the regular session. The governor can direct the legislature to run into at other times also. These meetings, chosen special sessions, can last no more than than 30 days and deal just with problems chosen by the governor.

On the first day of each regular session, the 150 members of the business firm of representatives choose 1 of their members to be the speaker of the house. The speaker is the presiding officer of the house. He or she maintains social club, recognizes members to speak during debate, and rules on procedural matters.

The speaker too appoints the chairs and vice chairs of the committees that study legislation and decides which other representatives volition serve on those committees, subject to seniority rules. In that location are 31 committees, each of which deals with a different subject field surface area, and five committees that deal with procedural or administrative matters for the house. Nearly members serve on ii or iii different committees.

In the senate, the presiding officeholder is the lieutenant governor, who is not really a member of the senate. The lieutenant governor is the 2nd-highest ranking officer of the executive branch of regime and, similar the governor, is chosen for a iv-year term by popular vote in a statewide election.

The first thing that the speaker of the business firm and the lieutenant governor inquire their respective houses of the legislature to do is to decide on the rules that the legislators volition follow during the session. Some legislative procedures are provided for in the country constitution, only boosted rules can exist adopted by a firm of the legislature if approved by a bulk vote of its members.

Once rules have been adopted, the legislature begins to consider bills.

Introducing a Bill

A representative or senator gets an idea for a beak by listening to the people he or she represents and so working to solve their trouble. A bill may likewise abound out of the recommendations of an interim committee report conducted when the legislature is not in session. The thought is researched to determine what state constabulary needs to be changed or created to all-time solve that problem. A bill is then written by the legislator, often with legal assist from the Texas Legislative Quango, a legislative agency which provides pecker drafting services, inquiry assistance, estimator back up, and other services for legislators.

One time a nib has been written, it is introduced by a member of the house or senate in the fellow member'due south own sleeping accommodation. Sometimes, similar bills about a particular issue 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 utilise by the land must start in the house of representatives.

House members and senators can introduce bills on whatsoever subject during the first lx agenda days of a regular session. Subsequently 60 days, the introduction of whatsoever bill other than a local bill or a bill related to an emergency alleged by the governor requires the consent of at to the lowest degree four-fifths of the members present and voting in the house or four-fifths of the membership in the senate.

After a nib has been introduced, a brusk clarification of the bill, called a caption, is read aloud while the bedchamber is in session and then that all of the members are aware of the beak and its subject. This is called the get-go reading, and it is the point in the process where the presiding officer assigns the bill to a committee. This consignment is announced on the chamber floor during the commencement reading of the bill.

The Commission Process

The chair of each committee decides when the commission will run into and which bills will be considered. The house rules permit a house committee or subcommittee to meet: (ane) in a public hearing where testimony is heard and where official activity may be taken on bills, resolutions, or other matters; (2) in a formal meeting where the members may discuss and take official action without hearing public testimony; or (iii) in a piece of work session for discussion of matters before the committee without taking formal action. In the senate, testimony may be heard and official activeness may exist taken at any meeting of a senate committee or subcommittee. Public testimony is almost ever solicited on bills, allowing citizens the opportunity to present arguments on different sides of an issue.

A house committee or subcommittee property 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 detect must be posted and sent to each member of the committee two hours in advance of the meeting or an annunciation must be filed with the journal clerk and read while the house is in session. A senate committee or subcommittee must post discover of a coming together at to the lowest degree 24 hours before the meeting.

After considering a beak, a commission may choose to take no activeness or may issue a report on the bill. The commission study, expressing the commission's recommendations regarding action on a beak, includes a record of the commission's vote on the report, the text of the bill every bit reported past the committee, a detailed bill assay, and a fiscal note or other touch on argument, every bit necessary. The study is then printed, and a copy is distributed to every member of the firm or senate.

In the firm, a copy of the commission report is sent to either the Committee on Calendars or the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars for placement on a calendar for consideration past 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 organization for consideration by the full senate in the order in which the bills were reported from senate committee. A pecker on the regular order of business concern 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 social club of business for consideration of the bill.

Floor Action

When a bill comes upwards for consideration by the total firm or senate, information technology receives its 2nd reading. The beak is read, over again by caption merely, and then debated by the full membership of the chamber. Any member may offer an amendment, but it must be approved past a majority of the members present and voting to be adopted. The members then vote on whether to pass the bill. The beak is so considered by the full trunk again on 3rd reading and last passage. A bill may be amended again on tertiary reading, simply amendments at this stage crave a two-thirds bulk for adoption. Although the Texas Constitution requires a bill to exist read on three separate days in each business firm earlier it can have the force of law, this ramble rule may exist suspended past a four-fifths vote of the house in which the bill is pending. The senate routinely suspends this ramble provision in order to give a beak an firsthand third reading after its second reading consideration. The business firm, however, rarely suspends this provision, and third reading of a bill in the business firm usually occurs on the day following its second reading consideration.

In either house, a bill may exist passed on a voice vote or a tape 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 roll of the members.

If a nib receives a majority vote on 3rd 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 chamber for consideration. In the 2d house, the bill follows basically the same steps information technology followed in the first house. When the pecker is passed in the contrary house, it is returned to the originating chamber with any amendments that have been adopted but attached to the bill.

Activity on the Other Firm's Amendments and Conference Committees

If a bill is returned to the originating bedchamber with amendments, the originating sleeping room tin can either agree to the amendments or request a conference committee to piece of 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 5 members from each house appointed by the presiding officers. Once the briefing commission reaches agreement, a conference committee written report is prepared and must exist canonical by at least 3 of the five conferees from each house. Conference committee reports are voted on in each business firm and must exist approved or rejected without amendment. If approved by both houses, the beak is signed by the presiding officers and sent to the governor.

Governor'south Action

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

Constitutional Amendments

Proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution are in the grade of joint resolutions instead of bills and crave a vote of 2-thirds of the entire membership in each house for adoption. Joint resolutions are not 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 non become effective until it is approved past Texas voters in a full general election.

• More Detailed Information on the Steps in the Legislative Procedure

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Source: https://house.texas.gov/about-us/bill/

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