Bill Text: TX HCR37 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Requesting creation of a joint interim committee to study a nonsubstantive reorganization of the Texas Constitution.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-05-23 - Committee report sent to Calendars [HCR37 Detail]

Download: Texas-2015-HCR37-Introduced.html
  84R5150 RA-F
 
  By: Anderson of McLennan H.C.R. No. 37
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The current Texas Constitution is this state's fifth
  charter document since statehood, having been formed on the basis
  of previous documents dating back to the days when Texas was an
  independent republic; and
         WHEREAS, The proud independence of Texas has carried forth
  inimitably through each of its constitutions, granting the
  government limited powers and giving broad control to voters,
  thereby embodying the principle of "consent of the governed"; and
         WHEREAS, First enacted in 1876, the Texas Constitution was
  organized into 289 sections contained within 17 articles outlining
  the scope, role, and limitations of governance in this state;
  through proposed changes sent to Texas voters by the legislature,
  sections within those same 17 articles have been added and deleted,
  bringing our current document to 385 sections; and
         WHEREAS, The Texas Constitution of 1876 has expanded through
  the ratification of proposed amendments, with 484 amendments being
  approved, while 179 have been defeated; and
         WHEREAS, Today the Texas Constitution is the nation's
  second-longest such document; sections have been placed in the
  constitution with apparent disregard for the appropriate article
  with which they belong; outdated bonding authority and other
  archaic references remain in the document, despite previous
  attempts to address nonsubstantive revisions to the Texas
  Constitution, the most recent of which occurred in 1999; and
         WHEREAS, The Texas Constitution of 1876 remains the supreme
  law of the State of Texas, and a strong, independent statement
  asserting the right of Texans to shape their government to their
  view is of paramount importance to their capacity to support it;
  now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house
  of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study a
  nonsubstantive reorganization of the Texas Constitution; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including
  findings and recommendations, to the 85th Texas Legislature in
  January 2017.
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