Bill Text: TX SJR13 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of representatives to call the legislature into special session on petition of at least two-thirds of the members of each house of the legislature in response to a fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or emergency.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-02-15 - Referred to State Affairs [SJR13 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-SJR13-Introduced.html
  88R339 MAW-D
 
  By: Johnson S.J.R. No. 13
 
 
 
A JOINT RESOLUTION
  proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the lieutenant
  governor and speaker of the house of representatives to call the
  legislature into special session on petition of at least two-thirds
  of the members of each house of the legislature in response to a
  fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or emergency.
         BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by
  adding Section 5A to read as follows:
         Sec. 5A.  The lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
  representatives shall by joint proclamation convene the
  legislature in special session on receipt of a petition that is
  signed by at least two-thirds of the members of each house of the
  legislature requesting the special session for the purpose of
  responding to a fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or emergency.  
  The proclamation must provide for convening the legislature not
  later than the 60th day after the date the lieutenant governor and
  speaker of the house of representatives receive the petition.
         SECTION 2.  Section 40, Article III, Texas Constitution, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 40.  (a)  When the legislature is [Legislature shall be]
  convened in a special session called by the governor as authorized
  by Section 8, Article IV, of this constitution, the legislature may
  not consider [there shall be no] legislation on a subject [upon
  subjects] other than a subject [those] designated in the
  proclamation of the governor [Governor] calling the [such] session,
  or presented to the legislature [them] by the governor.
         (b)  When the legislature is convened in a special session
  required by Section 5A of this article, the legislature may not
  consider legislation on a subject other than a subject directly
  related to the state's response to the fiscal crisis, war, natural
  disaster, or emergency for which the special session is convened.
         (c)  No special [Governor; and no such] session shall be of
  longer duration than thirty days.
         SECTION 3.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
  submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 7, 2023.
  The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
  proposition: "The constitutional amendment requiring the
  lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of representatives to
  call the legislature into special session on petition of at least
  two-thirds of the members of each house of the legislature in
  response to a fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or emergency."
feedback