Bill Text: TX SJR71 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the governor to call the legislature into special session following certain disaster or emergency declarations and specifying the powers of the legislature in those special sessions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-16 - Referred to State Affairs [SJR71 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SJR71-Introduced.html
88R14815 JRJ-D | ||
By: Springer | S.J.R. No. 71 |
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proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the governor to call | ||
the legislature into special session following certain disaster or | ||
emergency declarations and specifying the powers of the legislature | ||
in those special sessions. | ||
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 8, Article IV, Texas Constitution, is | ||
amended by adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read as follows: | ||
(c) The Governor shall convene the Legislature in special | ||
session for the purposes described by Subsection (d) of this | ||
section: | ||
(1) if a state of disaster or emergency declared by the | ||
Governor continues for more than 21 days; or | ||
(2) on receipt of a petition from any member of the | ||
Legislature requesting legislative review of a state of disaster or | ||
emergency declared by the Governor if the petition is signed by at | ||
least two-thirds of the members of the house of representatives and | ||
at least two-thirds of the members of the senate. | ||
(d) In a special session convened under Subsection (c) of | ||
this section, the Legislature may: | ||
(1) review an order, proclamation, or other instrument | ||
issued by the Governor during the 90 days before the special session | ||
begins: | ||
(A) declaring a state of disaster or emergency in | ||
this state; or | ||
(B) in response to a state of disaster or | ||
emergency in this state declared by any federal, state, or local | ||
official or entity; | ||
(2) terminate or modify an order, proclamation, or | ||
other instrument described by Subdivision (1) of this subsection by | ||
passage of a resolution approved by majority vote of the members | ||
present in each house of the Legislature, which is not subject to | ||
Section 15, Article IV, of this constitution; | ||
(3) respond to the state of disaster or emergency, | ||
including by: | ||
(A) passing laws and resolutions the Legislature | ||
determines are related to the state of disaster or emergency; and | ||
(B) exercising the powers reserved to the | ||
Legislature under Section 28, Article I, of this constitution; and | ||
(4) consider any other subjects stated in the | ||
Governor's proclamation convening the Legislature. | ||
SECTION 2. 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 provide for voting for or against the | ||
proposition: "The constitutional amendment requiring the governor | ||
to call the legislature into special session following certain | ||
disaster or emergency declarations and specifying the powers of the | ||
legislature in those special sessions." |