Bill Text: TX HJR95 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment to limit the time that a person may serve as a member of the Texas Legislature, a statewide elected officer in the executive branch, or a state employee in the legislative or executive branch of state government.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-11-15 - Filed [HJR95 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HJR95-Introduced.html
| 89R3714 JCG-D | ||
| By: Tepper | H.J.R. No. 95 | |
|
|
||
| proposing a constitutional amendment to limit the time that a | ||
| person may serve as a member of the Texas Legislature, a statewide | ||
| elected officer in the executive branch, or a state employee in the | ||
| legislative or executive branch of state government. | ||
| BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by | ||
| adding Section 7a to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 7a. (a) A person is not eligible to be elected to the | ||
| house of representatives if, before the date of the election, the | ||
| person has served as a member of the house for eight whole regular | ||
| sessions of the legislature. | ||
| (b) A person is not eligible to be elected to the senate if, | ||
| before the date of the election, the person has served as a member | ||
| of the senate for eight whole regular sessions of the legislature. | ||
| This subsection does not prohibit a person who has served as a | ||
| member of the senate for seven whole regular sessions of the | ||
| legislature from being elected to or serving a four-year term in the | ||
| senate even though at the end of that term the person will have | ||
| served for more than eight whole regular sessions. | ||
| (c) A person is not eligible to be elected to the house of | ||
| representatives or the senate if, before the date of election, the | ||
| person has served in either chamber of the legislature for 12 whole | ||
| regular sessions of the legislature. This section does not | ||
| prohibit a person who has served in either chamber of the | ||
| legislature for 11 whole regular sessions of the legislature from | ||
| being elected to or serving a four-year term in the senate even | ||
| though at the end of that term the person will have served for more | ||
| than 12 whole regular sessions. | ||
| (d) For purposes of this section, a person is considered to | ||
| have served for one whole regular session of the legislature for | ||
| every two years the person served in an elective office listed in | ||
| Section 1, Article IV, of this constitution or any other state | ||
| office elected by the voters at a statewide election other than a | ||
| judicial office. For purposes of this subsection, "year" means 12 | ||
| consecutive months. | ||
| (e) Legislative service before the legislature convenes in | ||
| regular session in 2027 is not counted in determining whether a | ||
| person is disqualified from election to office under this section. | ||
| Service in an elective office listed in Section 1, Article IV, of | ||
| this constitution, or service in any other state office elected by | ||
| the voters at a statewide election other than a judicial office, | ||
| whose term of office is completed on or before January 1, 2027, is | ||
| not counted in determining whether a person is disqualified from | ||
| election to office under this section. | ||
| SECTION 2. Article IV, Texas Constitution, is amended by | ||
| adding Section 2a to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 2a. (a) In this section, "year" means 12 consecutive | ||
| months. | ||
| (b) A person is not eligible to be elected to an elective | ||
| office listed in Section 1 of this article or to any other state | ||
| office elected by the voters at a statewide election, other than a | ||
| judicial office, if on or before the date the person will begin to | ||
| serve in that office the person will have served for a total of 16 or | ||
| more years in those offices. | ||
| (c) For purposes of this section, a person is considered to | ||
| have served for two years in an office described by Subsection (b) | ||
| of this section for each whole regular session the person served as | ||
| a representative or senator in the legislature. | ||
| (d) Nothing in this section prohibits a person from | ||
| continuing to serve in an office covered by this section after the | ||
| end of a term as a holdover under Section 17, Article XVI, of this | ||
| constitution until a successor is qualified. | ||
| (e) Service in office before January 1, 2027, does not count | ||
| for purposes of determining whether a person is disqualified from | ||
| office under this section. | ||
| SECTION 3. Article XVI, Texas Constitution, is amended by | ||
| adding Section 74 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 74. The legislature by general law shall prohibit any | ||
| state employee from serving for a total of more than 24 years in the | ||
| legislative or executive branch of state government. | ||
| SECTION 4. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be | ||
| submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 2025. | ||
| The ballot shall be printed to provide for voting for or against the | ||
| following proposition: "The constitutional amendment to limit the | ||
| time that a person may serve as a member of the Texas Legislature, a | ||
| statewide elected officer in the executive branch, or a state | ||
| employee in the legislative or executive branch of state | ||
| government." | ||
