Summary Of Chapter 8 The Legislative Branch

The state bureaucracy administers/implements the laws of Texas. It is run by executives whose job is to see that the laws of the state are implemented according to the will and intent of the Legislature. Ideally, these executive branch officials or bureaucrats are to administer their duties and implement the laws in a neutral manner, uninfluenced by politics. In reality, state bureaucrats are important players in not just implementation, but also policy making. In Texas, there is no overall central governing or controlling authority. Government authority in Texas is very decentralized, and rests within many independent state agencies.

The executive branch of Texas is like the federal government meaning that the governor is like the president because he is also the commander in chief of the military forces which is the police officers, the National Guard units, and the department of public safety. They also have the power to elect judges to fill in spots until the next election. The governor is paid one

The legislative branch is the most powerful branch in government. The legislative branch is in charge of making and passing laws. They have the power to override a president’s decision, stop laws from being passed, and basically control all decisions the governments makes. The legislative branch, also called the congress, consists of the House of Representatives and the senate. The reason for two houses of congress is to balance out the concerns of smaller but more populated states against states that are larger but with less population (www.Usgovinfo.com).

The Texas Legislature members cannot hold another official government office. In addition, the members must meet specific criteria such as voter status, citizenship, and district residence. Although all the large criteria required in order to become a member, millions of Texas residents occupy these legal qualifications. Biographical data, however, has advised that numerous individuals recent to Texas Legislatures have informal qualifications which are restricting opportunities for election.

The most common Governmental figure in Texas is the Governor. This power is nothing more than that of a celebrity status. Although the Governor has the power to appoint independent boards and commissions, the senate has to confirm these appointments. This is called senatorial courtesy What is meant when this job is more like a celebrity is because of the Governor‘s ceremonial roles as acting as Chief of State. This increases the Governor‘s popularity and prestige, and broadens the image of the office. One important power or role that the Governor is responsible for is coordinating relations between Texas and other states. This can definitely be an important factor. For example, the need of federal aid during the time of an emergency can require the help of other states. The Governor also acts as the Chief Budget officer of the state. Even though the presiding officer presides over this office, the Governor does have some control. This is a very effective example of a good trustworthy system.

In my analysis of the Texas Constitution I will assess the three branches of our State Government, the Legislative Branch, Executive Branch and finally the Judicial Branch. Our State Government resembles our National Government in various ways but also in very different ways which we will review in this essay. I will identify a handful of criticisms and problems associated with the provisions in each of these branches of our State Government and identify suggested reforms that many feel are needed.

The core function of the Texas Legislature is to formulate and enact laws. Apart from the enactment of laws, the legislative body is also mandated with the functions of shaping the state’s political agenda, performing checks and balances on state of the state’s government, pass the state’s budget, as well as oversee the functions of the administration. Similarly, the body also sets the critical details or a court’s organizational procedures when it comes to matters that pertain to impeachment and court disputes regarding election petitions. It is equally important to mention that the body is also mandated with the function of informing and educating the electorate regarding the critical functions the body is required to deliver to the people as provided for by the laws of the State of Texas (Dautrich and Yalof 684).

First is the executive branch. The executive branch is often referred to as a “plural executive” because many of the offices in that branch of government are elected directly by Texas voters. The Executive Department of the State is composed of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Commissioner of the General Land Office, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State, all of whom are elected except the Secretary of State (who is appointed by the Governor). The current governor of Texas (48th) is Republican Greg Abbott, a former lawyer and former Attorney General. In order to be the governor of Texas, one must be at least 30 years of age, a US citizen, a registered voter, and must be living in Texas for at least the last 5 years. Being Governor is a 4 year term with no term limits and is a full time job with a salary of $150,000 per year. The Governor has powers including some law enforcement powers, some military powers, the title of “Head of State” who gives the State of the State Address, can appoint department heads like the department head of Park and Wildlife and Department of Transportation, and he

The fourth power is the power to appoint reps to conference committee. The fifth power is the power to recognize points of orders/amendments. The sixth and last power is the power to interpret procedural rules. However, all the power is concentrated with the leaders of the House and Senate respectively. All the other power is held when the individual legislators get to vote or act in defiance. Within the Texas House of Representatives and the Senate there are power restraints. The presiding officers may have all the power, however, their power is balanced and checked. This is similar to the Judicial, Executive and Legislative branches of our federal government because they all balance the power within each other. Presiding officers can have their power checked by the governor threatening to veto, not support, or simply gut the bill taking away its teeth. Another way a presiding officer can get his power limited is by group efforts to solve issues of getting bills passed or even block them in the house or senate.The political/economical ambition of the Texas Governor, those beneath him, or of those found in the legislative bodies, is another way of power

The most common Governmental figure in Texas is the Governor. This power is nothing more than that of a celebrity status. Although the Governor has the power to appoint independent boards and commissions, the senate has to confirm these appointments. This is called senatorial courtesy What is meant when this job is more like a celebrity is because of the Governor‘s ceremonial roles as acting as Chief of State. This increases the Governor‘s popularity and prestige, and broadens the image of the office. One important power or role that the Governor is responsible for is coordinating relations between Texas and other states. This can definitely be an important factor. For example, the need of federal aid during the time of an emergency can require the help of other states. The Governor also acts as the Chief Budget officer of the state. Even though the presiding officer presides over this office, the Governor does have some control.

The Texas legislature, as stated by Champagne, Harpham, & Casellas, is a bicameral legislature compromised of two chambers. That is, the Senate and the Texas House of Representatives (2017, p. 211). It includes 31 senators and 150 House members. The legislature serves as the most critical establishment that aids in representing the state (Champagne et al., 2017, p.211). Members of the Texas state legislature must meet the essential requirements, perform their duties to the best of their ability, represent citizens, and attend sessions.

A. The first step in the legislative process is the introduction of a bill to Congress.

Let’s start by going through the basics of the procedure. The state government is made up of three branches. (The “Executive”, headed by the governor, the “Judicial”, consisting of Texas supreme the court along with state courts, and the “Legislative”, which includes 150 members in the House of Representatives and 31 in the state senate) Of these three, the Legislative branch is responsible for creating laws such as “S.B. 11”. The speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor of the Senate both discuss rules that must be followed during the discussion of the bill. A Representative or Senator gets the idea for a new law by listening to the people that they represent. Once heard, a “Bill” is written. Many of the new bills are presented in the chamber, in which they arose from, in the “First Reading”. In the House, they are considered by each committee in three different meeting settings. After consideration, a committee may take no action or issue a report on it. In the Senate, testimony may be heard.

The legislative branch is considered the most powerful branch of the rest because of the amount of power and control it has on the government, it consists of the Texas State Senate and the House of Representatives. Even though this branch is considered the post dominant it has restrictions. These are 5 restrictions and limits that this branch has. 1) The Texas Legislative Branch does not meet every year, it meets every 2 years and only for 140 days. However, the governor of Texas has the authority to call other meeting in between their regular scheduled time. 2) Article III section 58 of the Texas Constitution says “the Legislature shall hold its sessions at the city of Austin, which is hereby declared to be the Seat of Government.” 3) Article III section 57 of the Texas constitution says that “no local or special law shall be passed, unless notice of the intention to apply therefor shall have been published in the

There are lots of duties of the Lieutenant Governor such as ensuring that the province has a government Leader so that there is a good flow in governance, another very important responsibility or a duty is that a Lieutenant Governor has to call for and end the Legislature, read the speech from the Throne at the beginning of each session and delay the Legislature if an issue.