A Bill Is __________ After Being Adopted on Third Reading in the Originating Chamber

The Legislative Branch of Authorities

The Texas Constitution divides land government into 3 separate just equal branches: the executive branch, headed by the governor; the judicial branch, 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 business firm of representatives are elected to ii-twelvemonth terms and represent districts of almost 167,500 people each. Senators serve iv-year terms and serve about 811,000 people each.

The legislature meets every odd-numbered yr 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 chosen the regular session. The governor can straight the legislature to meet at other times also. These meetings, called special sessions, can last no more than 30 days and deal only with problems chosen past the governor.

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

The speaker also appoints the chairs and vice chairs of the committees that written report legislation and decides which other representatives will serve on those committees, bailiwick to seniority rules. There are 31 committees, each of which deals with a different field of study, and v committees that deal with procedural or administrative matters for the house. Most members serve on 2 or three unlike 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 co-operative of government and, like the governor, is chosen for a four-year term by pop vote in a statewide election.

The offset thing that the speaker of the house and the lieutenant governor ask their respective houses of the legislature to practise is to determine on the rules that the legislators volition follow during the session. Some legislative procedures are provided for in the land constitution, just additional rules can be adopted by a business firm of the legislature if approved past a majority vote of its members.

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

Introducing a Bill

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 acting committee study conducted when the legislature is non in session. The idea is researched to determine what country police force needs to be changed or created to best solve that problem. A bill is then written by the legislator, often with legal assist from the Texas Legislative Council, a legislative agency which provides bill drafting services, research assistance, computer support, and other services for legislators.

One time a bill has been written, it is introduced by a member of the house or senate in the member'southward own bedroom. Sometimes, similar bills about a particular consequence are introduced in both houses at the same fourth dimension by a representative and senator working together. Still, whatever neb increasing taxes or raising money for use by the land must beginning in the house of representatives.

House members and senators tin introduce bills on any subject during the beginning 60 agenda days of a regular session. Afterward 60 days, the introduction of any nib other than a local bill or a beak related to an emergency alleged by the governor requires the consent of at least four-fifths of the members nowadays and voting in the house or iv-fifths of the membership in the senate.

Subsequently a bill has been introduced, a short description of the bill, chosen a caption, is read aloud while the sleeping room is in session and so that all of the members are aware of the pecker and its discipline. This is called the offset reading, and it is the point in the procedure where the presiding officer assigns the bill to a committee. This assignment is announced on the chamber floor during the first reading of the bill.

The Committee Process

The chair of each commission decides when the committee will meet and which bills will exist considered. The house rules allow a firm committee or subcommittee to meet: (ane) in a public hearing where testimony is heard and where official activity may exist taken on bills, resolutions, or other matters; (2) in a formal coming together where the members may discuss and take official action 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 meeting of a senate committee or subcommittee. Public testimony is almost ever solicited on bills, allowing citizens the opportunity to nowadays arguments on unlike sides of an issue.

A house committee or subcommittee belongings a public hearing during a legislative session must post detect of the hearing at least five calendar days earlier 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 ii hours in advance of the meeting or an announcement must exist filed with the journal clerk and read while the house is in session. A senate committee or subcommittee must mail discover of a meeting at least 24 hours before the meeting.

After considering a bill, a commission may choose to take no action or may issue a study on the bill. The committee 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 neb as reported by the commission, a detailed bill analysis, and a financial annotation or other impact statement, as necessary. The written report is and so printed, and a copy is distributed to every member of the firm 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 calendar 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 by the full senate in the club in which the bills were reported from senate committee. A bill on the regular order of business may not be brought up for floor consideration unless the senate sponsor of the bill has filed a written notice of intent to append the regular order of business for consideration of the nib.

Floor Action

When a bill comes up for consideration past the total house or senate, it receives its 2nd reading. The bill is read, again past caption just, and then debated by the full membership of the chamber. Any fellow member may offer an amendment, but it must exist canonical by a majority of the members present and voting to exist adopted. The members and then vote on whether to pass the bill. The beak is then considered by the total body again on third reading and concluding passage. A bill may exist amended again on third reading, but amendments at this stage crave a two-thirds majority for adoption. Although the Texas Constitution requires a bill to be read on three separate days in each firm earlier it can accept the force of police, this ramble rule may be suspended by a four-fifths vote of the firm in which the pecker is awaiting. The senate routinely suspends this ramble provision in club to requite a beak an immediate third reading later on its 2nd reading consideration. The house, still, rarely suspends this provision, and third reading of a bill in the house unremarkably occurs on the day following its second reading consideration.

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

If a bill receives a majority vote on tertiary reading, it is considered passed. When a nib is passed in the firm where information technology originated, the bill is engrossed, and a new copy of the bill which incorporates all corrections and amendments is prepared and sent to the reverse sleeping room for consideration. In the 2d business firm, the bill follows basically the same steps it followed in the kickoff business firm. When the bill is passed in the contrary house, it is returned to the originating chamber with any amendments that have been adopted simply attached to the bill.

Action on the Other House'due south Amendments and Briefing Committees

If a pecker is returned to the originating chamber with amendments, the originating chamber can either agree to the amendments or request a conference committee to work out differences between the house version and the senate version. If the amendments are agreed to, the bill is put in final course, 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. In one case the briefing committee reaches agreement, a briefing committee report is prepared and must be approved past at least iii of the five conferees from each house. Conference committee reports are voted on in each house and must be approved or rejected without amendment. If approved by both houses, the bill is signed by the presiding officers and sent to the governor.

Governor's Activeness

Upon receiving a beak, the governor has 10 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 notwithstanding in session, the neb is returned to the firm in which it originated with an caption of the governor'southward objections. A two-thirds majority in each business firm is required to override the veto. If the governor neither vetoes nor signs the beak inside 10 days, the bill becomes a police. If a beak is sent to the governor within 10 days of last adjournment, the governor has until xx days after final adjournment to sign the bill, veto it, or let information technology to go law without a signature.

Constitutional Amendments

Proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution are in the form of joint resolutions instead of bills and crave 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 state. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Texas Constitution does not become effective until it is approved past Texas voters in a full general ballot.

• 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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