TX Lecture 3

Summary

This lecture delves into the Texas Constitution, focusing on its history, the 1875 constitutional convention, and the 1876 Constitution's key provisions. It outlines the structure and functions of Texas' three branches of government, highlighting similarities with the U.S. Constitution, such as popular sovereignty, separation of powers, and checks and balances. The lecture also discusses the unique features of the Texas Constitution, including its plural executive system, dual Supreme Court system, and the amendment process, emphasizing the importance of civic participation in constitutional amendments.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Texas Constitution is a document that outlines the structure, powers, and limitations of the Texas government, similar to the U.S. Constitution.
• 🏛️ The Constitution of 1876 is the current and effective constitution of Texas, established after the Reconstruction era and reflecting principles of limited government and agrarian interests.
• 🌿 Texas, like the U.S., embodies the principles of popular sovereignty, separation of powers, and checks and balances within its constitutional framework.
• 📊 The Texas Constitution started with 17 articles and has since expanded to include over 500 amendments, reflecting changes and adaptations over time.
• 🏫 The Bill of Rights in Texas is contained within Article 1 of the Texas Constitution, mirroring the first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
• 🏛️📚 The structure of the Texas government is bicameral, with a House of Representatives and a Senate, differing in terms and qualifications for members.
• 👥 The executive branch in Texas is characterized by a plural executive, with powers distributed among various offices such as the governor, lieutenant governor, and other state officials.
• 👩‍⚖️ Texas has a unique dual Supreme Court system, with one court handling civil cases and another criminal cases, a feature it shares with Oklahoma.
• 💼 The legislative power to tax in Texas is subject to voter approval, especially regarding income tax, which must be used for education and tax relief if implemented.
• ⚖️ Impeachment and removal processes in Texas are similar to those at the federal level, with the House responsible for impeachment and the Senate for removal, but with some procedural differences.
• 📝 Amending the Texas Constitution is a four-step process involving proposal by the legislature, passage by two-thirds majority, publication, and ratification by a majority of voters.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of a constitution?

A constitution is the document that contains the legal structure of government, establishing the structure, powers, and authority of the government, and imposing limits on the powers of the government.

How does the United States Constitution define the structure of government?

The United States Constitution defines the structure of government as consisting of three separate branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.

What are the key principles reflected in both the United States Constitution and the Texas Constitution?

Both constitutions reflect the principles of popular sovereignty, separation of powers, and checks and balances.

How many constitutions did Texas have before the current one in 1876?

Before the current constitution of 1876, Texas had experimented with six different constitutions.

What is unique about the Texas Constitution's Bill of Rights compared to the United States Constitution?

The Bill of Rights in the Texas Constitution is contained within Article 1, and it overlaps significantly with the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution.

What is the structure of the Texas Legislature?

The Texas Legislature is bicameral, consisting of the Texas House of Representatives with 150 members and the Senate with 31 members.

How often does Texas hold regular legislative sessions?

Texas holds regular legislative sessions biennially, in odd-numbered years.

What is the term of office for members of the Texas House of Representatives?

Members of the Texas House of Representatives serve two-year terms.

What is the term of office for members of the Texas Senate?

Members of the Texas Senate serve four-year staggered terms.

How does the Texas Constitution address the issue of income tax?

The Texas Constitution does not allow for an income tax unless approved by registered voters through an amendment, and any revenue generated from an income tax must be allocated to education and tax relief.

What is the process for amending the Texas Constitution?

The process for amending the Texas Constitution involves proposing the amendment by the state legislature, passing it by a two-thirds majority in both chambers, publishing the proposal, and then having a majority of voters ratify it in an election.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to the Texas Constitution

This paragraph introduces the topic of the Texas Constitution, setting the stage for a lecture that aims to familiarize students with its history and structure. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the constitutional tradition in Texas and outlines the learning objectives for the lecture, which include describing the history of the constitution, explaining the origin of the 1875 state constitutional convention, and detailing the major provisions in the current Texas Constitution of 1876. The paragraph also provides a general definition of a constitution, highlighting its role in establishing government structure, powers, and limitations, using the United States Constitution as an example.

05:05

🏛 Historical Context of Texas Constitutions

This paragraph delves into the historical development of the Texas Constitution, noting that Texas has had multiple constitutions since its time as part of Mexico. It mentions that students are not responsible for knowing the details of the six previous constitutions before the current one adopted in 1876. The paragraph provides a brief overview of the constitutions of 1827, 1836, 1845, 1861, and 1866, highlighting their main features and the context in which they were adopted. It also discusses the 1875 constitutional convention and the subsequent adoption of the 1876 Constitution, which remains in effect today with over 500 amendments.

10:08

📝 Major Features of the Texas Constitution

The paragraph focuses on the major features of the Texas Constitution, starting with its 17 original articles and the more than 500 amendments that have been added over time. It explains the process by which amendments are proposed, published, and ratified by the people of Texas. The lecture encourages students to understand the content of each article, especially since they may be tested on their knowledge of the articles and their correspondence to specific constitutional aspects. The paragraph also emphasizes the importance of the Bill of Rights in the Texas Constitution, which is contained in Article 1, and its similarities to the U.S. Bill of Rights.

15:10

🏦 Structure and Function of Government Branches

This paragraph discusses the structure and functions of the three branches of government as outlined in the Texas Constitution. It provides an overview of the legislative branch, including the bicameral structure of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives and the Senate. It details the qualifications for members of the legislature, their terms, and the concept of staggered terms for Senators. The paragraph also touches on the types of legislative sessions in Texas, including regular and special sessions, and the powers of the governor to call special sessions and set their agendas.

20:16

👥 Plural Executive and Judicial System in Texas

The paragraph explores the concept of a plural executive in Texas, contrasting it with the unitary executive of the United States. It lists the various offices that share executive powers in Texas, such as the governor, lieutenant governor, and other key positions. The paragraph then describes the judiciary system in Texas, highlighting its unique dual Supreme Court system for civil and criminal cases, and the structure of lower courts, including courts of appeal, district courts, county courts, and justice of the peace courts. It also explains the process for electing or appointing judges to these courts.

25:19

🗳️ Impeachment and Amendment Processes

This paragraph covers the impeachment process in Texas, explaining the roles of the House of Representatives and the Senate in charging and removing officials from office. It contrasts the impeachment process in Texas with that at the federal level, noting differences in suspension and removal. The paragraph also outlines the process for amending the Texas Constitution, which involves proposal by the state legislature, passage by a two-thirds majority in both chambers, publication of the proposal, and ratification by a majority of voters. The lecture concludes by emphasizing the importance of civic participation in elections and the upcoming amendment election in November 2021.

Keywords

💡Texas Constitution

The 'Texas Constitution' refers to the fundamental legal document that establishes the structure, powers, and limits of the government of the state of Texas. It is a key focus of the video, which aims to educate viewers on its history and provisions. The script discusses the evolution of the Texas Constitution, starting from its roots when Texas was part of Mexico, through various iterations, to the current Constitution of 1876.

💡Constitutional Tradition

The 'Constitutional Tradition' in the context of the video refers to the historical development and continuity of constitutional governance in Texas. It is tied to the theme of the video by illustrating the progression and changes in the state's approach to constitutional law, beginning with its earliest constitution in 1827 up to the present day.

💡Separation of Powers

'Separation of Powers' is a core principle in constitutional governance, which divides government responsibilities into distinct branches to prevent any one branch from exercising the core functions of another. The video script explains that both the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution embody this principle, with clear delineations between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

💡Bill of Rights

The 'Bill of Rights' generally refers to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect individual liberties. In the video, it is noted that the Texas Constitution also has a Bill of Rights, with Article 1 of the Texas Constitution serving a similar function, providing protections against improper government actions.

💡State Constitutional Convention of 1875

The 'State Constitutional Convention of 1875' is a historical event discussed in the script that led to the drafting of the current Texas Constitution. It is a significant concept as it represents a pivotal moment in Texas's constitutional history, where the convention was dominated by Democrats and influenced by the agrarian movement, The Grange.

💡Agrarian Interest

'Agrarian Interest' in the script refers to the economic and political interests related to agriculture, which was a predominant feature of the Texas economy in the 1870s. The Constitution of 1876 reflected these interests, indicating the influence of the agrarian movement on the state's constitutional framework.

💡Legislative Branch

The 'Legislative Branch' is one of the three branches of government responsible for making laws. The script details the structure of the Texas legislative branch, which is bicameral, consisting of the Texas House of Representatives and the Senate, and outlines the qualifications and terms of service for its members.

💡Executive Branch

The 'Executive Branch' is the branch of government responsible for enforcing laws. The video script explains that Texas has a 'plural executive,' which means that executive powers are distributed among different offices, such as the governor, lieutenant governor, and other state officers, contrasting with the unitary executive of the U.S. federal government.

💡Judiciary

The 'Judiciary' is the branch of government responsible for interpreting laws and resolving legal disputes. The script describes the structure of the judicial system in Texas, which includes two Supreme Courts (one for civil cases and one for criminal cases), courts of appeal, district courts, and local courts like county and justice of the peace courts.

💡Impeachment and Removal

'Impeachment and Removal' are processes by which a legislative body can charge and remove a government official from office for misconduct. The script explains the impeachment process in Texas, noting that it is similar to the federal level, with the House of Representatives responsible for impeachment and the Senate for removal, but with some differences in the suspension of officials pending trial.

💡Amending Process

The 'Amending Process' refers to the steps required to change or add to a constitution. The script outlines the four-step process for amending the Texas Constitution, which includes proposal by the state legislature, passage by a two-thirds majority in both chambers, publication of the proposal, and ratification by a majority of voters.

Highlights

The lecture discusses the history and structure of the Texas Constitution.

Students are expected to understand the constitutional tradition in Texas and its major provisions.

The Texas Constitution embodies principles such as the structure of government, powers and authority, and limits on government powers.

The United States Constitution and the Texas Constitution share similar principles like popular sovereignty and separation of powers.

Texas has had multiple constitutions since its time as part of Mexico, with the current Constitution adopted in 1876.

The Constitution of 1876 was drafted by a convention dominated by Democrats and influenced by the agrarian movement.

The Texas Constitution originally had seventeen articles, which have been expanded by over five hundred amendments.

The legislative process in Texas includes regular sessions every two years and special sessions called by the governor.

Texas has a plural executive system, unlike the unitary executive system of the United States.

The Texas judiciary system is more elaborate than the federal judiciary, with two Supreme Courts and multiple levels of courts.

Article 1 of the Texas Constitution contains the Bill of Rights, similar to the U.S. Constitution.

The process for amending the Texas Constitution involves proposal by the legislature, passage by two-thirds vote, publication, and voter approval.

The Texas Constitution does not provide a clear definition of impeachable offenses, leaving it to the House of Representatives to decide.

Impeachment in Texas requires a majority vote in the House, but removal requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate.

Impeached Texas governors are suspended from office until after their trial in the Senate.

The lecture emphasizes the importance of voter participation in elections, including those for constitutional amendments.

Transcripts

hello everybody in this lecture we're going to discuss the Texas Constitution

so by the end of this lecture and after of course read in Chapter three

you are expected to be able to describe the history of constitutional of the

constitutional tradition in Texas you're also expected to explain the origin of

the state constitutional convention of 1875 and describe the major

constitutional provision in the current Texas Constitution the Constitution of

1876 that is including the structure the functions and limits of the three

branches of government now before we start before we delve into

you know the main topic which is a Texas Constitution let's first define what a

constitution is a constitution is usually defined as the document that

contains the legal structure government it establishes the structure of the

government the powers and authority of the government and also imposes limits

on the powers of the government so any Constitution usually embodies these

principles right it defines the structure of the government it

determines the powers of authority of the government and it also imposes

limits or constraints on the powers of the government let's take the example of

the United States Constitution all right when you look at the United States

Constitution you'll see that it clearly established the structure of government

that consists of three separate branches so we have the legislative branch you

have the executive branch and the judicial branch okay so that defines the

structure of the United States government the Constitution of the

United States also defines the powers that the government of the United States

can exercise and most of these powers you can find them in the

articles for example if you go to article 1 section 8 it clearly you know

provides us with or you know defines the powers that the United States government

specifically Congress can exercise but when you go to the United States

Constitution you will find in so many you know locations in the Constitution

in so many places you could find constraints and limitations on the

powers of the government a good example will be the Bill of Rights

today the Bill of Rights by definition you know provides us with individual

protections against improper government action now when it comes to the state of

Texas the state of Texas several constitutions you know the state

historically the state of Texas did have a constitution or had had a constitution

since the time the state or the region was part of Mexico so before the current

constitution was adopted in 1876 the state of Texas did actually experiment

with six different constitutions and the several constitutions of the state of

Texas so much to the American constitutional experience which means

that the state of Texas shares with the United States so many links or ideals

for example both constitutions both the United States Constitution and the Texas

Constitution they are will reflect the principle of popular sovereignty which

means the people are the fountain or source of power okay both the US

Constitution and the Texas Constitution are predicated on this principle also

both constitutions reflect the principle of separation of political powers both

the US Constitution and the Texas Constitution established governments

that are divided or a government that embodies the principle of separation of

powers and that consists of three separate

branches something that goes along the separation of powers is the principle of

checks and balances so both constitutions you know the

United Texas Constitution pretty much is similar to the United States

Constitution when it comes to the different mechanisms embodied in both

constitutions whereby the three branches of governments they do have certain ways

certain mechanisms that where they can check the powers of the other branches

the Bill of Rights is another idea that links the Texas Constitution with the

American constitutional experiment so Bodeen our state's constitution and

Texas Constitution they you know they have Bill of Rights the first ten

amendments that were added to the United States Constitution are known as the

Bill of Rights altogether and the Bill of Rights in the Uniting the Texas

Constitution actually consists of that article in the state of Texas article 1

of the Constitution of Texas is actually contained Bill of Rights

in the state of Texas now as I mentioned just a few minutes ago the state of

Texas had had a constitution since the time it was part of Mexico okay and as

far as the exam is concerned you're not going to be responsible for the previous

six constitutions okay I included several slides here with some detail

just for your own information just so that you know the history of Texas so we

had the constitution of 1827 okay and this slide right here in detail talks

about or discusses some of the main features of constitution of 1827 again

I'm not gonna go I'm not gonna talk too much about it here this is just for your

own information and you're not going to be responsible for these Constitution

as far as the exam is concerned when Texas became its own republic in 1836 it

did also adopt another constitution and this one here was very similar to the

United States Constitution you could see here some of the major features then

when taxes on the Union in 1845 it did adopt another constitution which is the

constitution of 1845 and again the slide discusses some major features of that

Constitution when Texas seceded in 1861 and joined the Confederacy there was

again constitution of 1861 the only difference here between the 1861 and

1845 constitution of Texas is that the competition pretty much remained

essentially the same except that any reference to the United States of

America was replaced with references to the CSA federate States of America 1866

Texas rejoins the Union and adopted the constitution of 1866 which complied with

Johnson's president since policy or reconstruction 1869 after Congress of

the United States passed the reconstruction acts of 1887 the state of

adopted a new constitution which met the requirements of the reconstruction acts

of 1867 and then after the Democrats regained control of state politics state

of Texas organized a constitutional convention in 1875 to draft and ratify a

new constitution the constitution of 1876 which hill which is still effective

today so as far as the exam is concerned you are expected to be very familiar

with the current constitution of Texas which is the Constitution of 1876 so

they can cut the convention a drafted that constitution consisted of

was dominated pretty much by Democrats you know the talking about certain

Democrats at that time so seventy-five delegates in that convention they were

Democrats and only 15% were Republicans there was also a strong presence by this

you know agrarian movement known as The Grange movement okay

the Constitution of 1876 pardon me reflected certain principles mainly

limited state government power economy in government strong popular control of

state government as well as the promotion of agrarian interest because

remember at that time in the 1870s Texas was still the economy of Texas was

predominantly based on agriculture so the Constitution when he came out it

only had seventeen articles and as it stands today in addition to the

seventeen articles they were right now as we speak we have more than five

hundred amendments that were added throughout the years to the constitution

of Texas okay so currently when we talk about the

constitution of Texas we are referring to the seventeen articles plus more than

the five hundred amendments that were added later okay so every two years by

the way the legislature in the state of Texas proposed amendments and proposes

amendments and then those amendments are put on the ballot for Texas voters to

either approve or not okay the next amendment election is going to take

place after the legislative session in 2021 okay so let's unpack now the major

features of these articles okay so the Constitution starts with an introduction

known as the preamble does the first paragraph and then we have the seventy

articles we're not going to talk about the 500 amendments here in this course

okay we're just gonna be busy talking about the 17 articles as far as the exam

is concerned again make sure you know the content of each of the articles not

in detail but the things I talked about here in the lecture so you may encounter

some questions in the exam would ask you that will ask you about matching the

articles with their content you may for example encounter a question that goes

something like this article 2 of the Texas Constitution deals with the Bill

of Rights true or false that could be a possible question so you're expected to

know the answer to that question so article 1 of the Texas Constitution

contains a Bill of Rights okay and if you go and go ahead and read article 1

you will notice that the Bill of Rights in the state of Texas overlaps

tremendously with the Bill of Rights you know enshrined in the United States

Constitution article 2 discusses the powers of the government generally

speaking ok article 3 is about the legislative branch in Texas anything you

want to know about the legislative branch in the state of Texas you will

find in article 3 of the Texas Constitution ok it talks about the

structure of the legislative branch and among other things the qualifications

for members of the legislature we will discuss these in detail when we get to

the legislative branch in Texas in week 3 ok but for now this you know the

structure of the Texas Legislature is bicameral so we have a Texas House of

Representatives which consists of 150 members these members they have to meet

certain age requirements they have to be 21 years old they do run two-year terms

okay they serve for two-year terms and there are no

term limits which means they could run as many times as they want to the Senate

in the state of Texas has or consists of 31 members and these members they have

to be at least 26 years old to run and they serve four years staggered terms

okay and there are no term limits either by staggered terms we mean that every

two years in the state of Texas we elect one half of the Senate that's the

meaning of staggered terms okay in the state of Texas we have two types of

sessions there is the regular legislative session okay which lasts 148

or 40 days it is a biennial session which means we have a session once every

two years in odd-numbered years so the next session is gonna be in 2021 and the

next one 2023 and some so forth that's as far as the regular session is

concerned then we also have a special session in the state of Texas special

sessions can only be called by the governor only the governor has the power

to call a special session and only the governor can decide on the agenda of a

special session you can decide what can be discussed in that special session

okay special sessions however cannot last more than 30 days but the governor

can call as many special sessions as he or she wants okay

article 4 of the Texas Constitution deals with the executive department and

when we get to the executive branch again in about the approximately the

week 3 we're gonna talk in detail I'm gonna have a lecture in detail about the

executive branch as of now all you need to know is that in the state of Texas we

have a plural executive ok which is the exact opposite of what we call a unitary

executive the United States Constitution created a unitary executive thereby all

executive power reside in one single office the

presidency in the state of Texas we have the opposite we have a plural executive

which means executive powers are shared among you nor spread among different

offices so you have the governor the Lieutenant Governor you have the

controller of Public Accounts you have the Attorney General

you have the Commissioner of Agriculture and you have the commissioner of general

land office all these offices they share executive powers that is known as the

plural executive ok when we get to the executive branch lecture we're going to

discuss the qualifications and the requirements of each of these offices

more specifically we're going to spend more time on the governor article 5 of

access Constitution deals with the judiciary again it establishes the

structure of the judicial system it talks about the jurisdictions the

election of judges and so on and so forth

briefly the judicial system in theory in the state of Texas is a little bit more

elaborate than the judiciary at the u.s. level in the state of Texas we have two

Supreme Court's not only one we have a sip court we have a chord that is known

as the Texas Supreme Court this is a chord that has final appellate

jurisdiction over civil cases and then we have another Supreme Court in the

state which is called the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals this is also a Supreme

Court that has final appeal over criminal cases so in the state of Texas

we have two supreme courts we have a dual Supreme Court system

Texas is only one of two states that use such a system the other one is Oklahoma

and then we have the second level of the judiciary we have courts of Appeal in

the state okay and then we have trial courts in the state known as the

strict courts and then we have county courts and we have justice of the peace

courts and we have municipal courts okay these are local courts okay courts

that have jurisdiction over matters within cities and towns and usually the

judges for municipal courts are appointed by councilmembers okay by the

City Council other courts Justice of the Peace courts County courts and all the

other state courts the judges are elected by default they are elected and

they serve different terms however whenever there is a vacancy in these

state courts in Texas the governor will appoint whenever there is a vacancy to

these courts okay so we elected judges by default but if a judge dies or judge

is impeached and removed the governor then gets to a point until the next

election so we're going to skip our article six and seven and we go straight

to article eight and article eight talks about taxation and revenue okay in the

state of Texas the legislature was given power to its individual and business

income however in the state of Texas as you will you well know we don't have a

income tax and a latest amendment that was fast put some more limitations on

that okay so registered voters must approve

the income tax okay and any revenue generated from an income tax must be

allocated to education and tax relief so pretty much to have an income tax in the

state of Texas you have to pass an amendment to the state constitution

articles 9 and 11 they deal with local governments they discuss the creation

the powers and the function of local governments and when we get to chapter

11 and the lecture in Chapter 11 we're going to talk about local governments in

detail okay skipping along to article 15

article 15 of the Texas Constitution talks about impeachment and

removal and the state of Texas as is the case at the u.s. level we can impeach

members of both the executive branch and the judicial branch and the impeachment

and removal procedure is very very similar to impeachment and removal

procedure at the federal level ok first of all let's define what

impeachment is or who gets to impeach in the state of Texas same thing the House

of Representatives is in charge of impeaching either a member of the

executive branch it could be the governor or a member of the judiciary a

judge a state judge both of these can be impeached at the u.s. level same thing

the United States House of Representatives can impeach for example

a sitting president okay the United States Constitution clearly

defines an impeachable offense as treason bribery or other high crimes and

misdemeanors in the state of Texas however the Texas Constitution does not

give us a clear definition of an impeachable offense which means that in

case of impeachment the House of ledges the House of Representatives in the

state of Texas will have to decide on an impeachable offense or what the

impeachable offense is okay however they only need a majority to impeach a

governor for example which is the same thing when it comes to the United States

House of Representatives if you want to impeach a president you only need a

majority of votes in the House a simple majority a 50% plus one vote okay but

once an official is impeached this doesn't mean that the official is

removed removal is a separate process okay impeachment is equivalent to

indictment when the House impeaches a governor for example in Texas when the

Texas House impeach is a governor the Texas House in essence they are indicted

in the governor they are charging the governor of a crime or a misdemeanor

that's what they're doing okay to remove the

governor you need to have a trial in the Senate so the Texas Senate is in charge

of removal the Texas House is in charge of impeachment charging the governor of

a crime or misdemeanor charging a judge of a crime or misdemeanor okay and you

just need a majority if all hundred and fifty members of the House are present

you only need 76 of them half plus one once a governor is impeached now you're

gonna have a trial in the Senate okay and in the Senate the Senate needs

two-thirds of the vote to convict the governor and remove that governor okay

so that's it's pretty similar to the u.s. process another difference however

is that in the state of Texas if a governor is impeached before the trial

in the Senate the governor is suspended from office and he has to be suspended

until after the trial if he or she is convicted by the Senate the governor

will be removed if he or she is found not guilty

the governor will not be suspended no more will resume the office at the US

level no suspension happens if a president is impeached the president is

still the acting president until after the trial in the Senate okay

the last article so we skip in article 16 the last article article 17 deals

with the amending process of the Texas Constitution to amend the Texas

Constitution pretty much we're gonna need four steps step one the amendment

needs to be proposed by the state legislature so you write down the

amendment and you propose the amendment when I say you write down the amendment

and you propose it I'm talking about the state legislate

okay once the amendment is proposed it needs to pass the House and the Senate

in Texas by two-thirds so the Texas House and the Texas Senate

they have to vote on that proposal they have to successfully pass the proposal

by 2/3 of the vote in each of the two chambers so you have to have 2/3 of the

votes in the house and 2/3 of the vote in the Texas Senate

once the a proposal is successfully passed by both chambers the third step

now is the publication of the proposal the proposal has to be published that it

will be available for the public in Texas to see to read okay so any

amendments passed by the legislature they need to be published okay you're

gonna see them you're gonna read them either for the easiest way to access

them by the way is the website of the Secretary of State if you want to know

about the amendments that are passed by the legislature just go to the Secretary

of State and you can read those amendments so you can familiarize

yourself with those amendments and hopefully go and vote for or against

those amendments when time comes for the election I encourage you I urge you to

participate in elections if you haven't registered yet go register to vote okay

the last step after the amendments are published the last step is the

amendments are put on the ballots okay and usually the election is the November

following the legislative session so the next legislative session is gonna take

place is going to start in January 2021 and usually it lasts until the end of

May sometimes early June last 440 days and during the legislative session they

will be proposing some amendments okay sometimes you have ten amendments less

more it depends okay and usually and in the November after the session so be on

the lookout for an election for the amendments in November 2021 and again I

urge you if you haven't registered yet go register so you can

participate in the next elections whether amendment elections or state

elections or Federal Elections okay voting is very very important so the

last step I said is that the amendments are put on the ballot and 50% plus one

voters have to vote for these amendments to become effective so you need pretty

much a simple majority of Texans to ratify these amendments so let me recap

quickly as far as the amendment process is concerned number one the amendments

must be proposed by the state legislature

number two the amendments have to pass the House and the Senate by 2/3 of the

votes in each chamber number 3 the amendments have to be published and

number 4 the majority of voters have to vote on these amendments to become

effective and this is the end of this lecture thank you very much