Texas Executive Branch Research Paper

The 1876 Texas State constitution is the basic framework of today’s legislature it consists of three branches the legislative branch which is comprised of the house and senate, and the executive and judiciary branch. In the following paragraphs we will discuss the Texas legislature’s major responsibilities relative to checks and balances.

Texas has had six constitutions since it won its independence from Mexico in 1836. From the time of the first constitution to the current constitution in place, there were an abundance of influences on the ways the

The executive branch consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. Texas has a plural executive branch system, which limits the power of the Governor. Except for the Secretary of State, all executive officers are elected independently, making them directly answerable to the public but not the Governor. The executive branch also includes several boards and commissions that are made up of a mixture of elections and gubernatorial appointments confirmed by the Senate. In addition, there are many independent boards, commissions, and agencies that operate independently of the governor. Power is decentralized among many officials. Although the governor appoints over 3,000 individuals to 285-plus state boards and commissions, he has very limited removal authority and thus, has little control over the executive branch. Even with the Governor appointing several members of boards and commissions, the overall effect is a large network of administrative groups that neither the

First, the strengths need to be acknowledged; Texas has always been about their own freedom and their own individuality and the constitution reflects that. The constitution establishes rights such as “freedom of speech, press, and assembly” (Collier et al 62). This is great because it provides a sense of security for the

There are many different opinions on how much power the governor of Texas should have than other states. Some people debate on whether Texas government should have a singular executive instead of plural executive. There are pros and cons of having a plural executive model and at times they believe that it can be more democratic than the single executive model. The governor’s power is debated about whether or not they have not enough or too much power with governing the state of Texas.

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.

The U.S. constitution and the Texas constitution have similarities and differences. Both constitutions have a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is a summary of the rights given to all people. These constitutions also talk about suffrage and taxes. Just like how both of these constitutions have similarities, they also have differences. The Texas constitution is longer than the U.S. constitution and discusses the rights first. It also deals with state and local issues not brought up in the U.S. constitution. Both constitutions have a Bill of Rights, but the Texas constitution discusses citizens’ rights at the beginning of article one. The Texas Bill of Rights has the same protections for citizens like the U.S. Bill of Rights does, but the Texas Bill of Rights extends beyond federal protections. The executive branch is the branch that the president is in charge of. The definition of the executive branch is “The branch of federal and state government that is broadly

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).

I believe that there are both pros and cons to Texas’s Plural Executive system. The main advantage is that it keeps the governor abusing his or her power. Without this Plural Executive System, they could very easily assign their friends to other political official positions. The next advantage is that the more officials you have involved in the executive panel, the more careful the decisions they make will be. No one person can make up all of the decisions, instead, the decision will have to be agreed upon by everyone involved. Therefore, the distribution of power can help to improve the quality of certain policies. However, Texas’s Plural Executive System brings some disadvantages with it as well. Because our governor can’t employ their own

The Texas Legislature should continue to serve as part-time lawmaking bodies. This has been this way for over 137 years, and has become tradition. There are several reasons why it is a better idea to keep the part-time lawmaking. People fear that if they start meeting in regular session each year it would cause increased governmental power and spending. (Texas Politics- Newell, Prindle, Riddlesperger, Dovovan, Smith, Mooney) If the government met more often the people would think that they would make more rules and have more

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.

All members of the Texas state legislature should have one common motive. That is, to represent the citizens of their state. Champagne et. al. states that “…members…are responsible for bringing the interests and concerns of their constituencies directly into the democratic political processes” (2017, p.211). In order to effectively do so, a member of the Texas House will represent roughly 168,000 citizens while a senator may represent more than 811,000 constituents (Champagne et al., 2017,

The Texas governor in compared to other states governors doesn’t actually have very much power this is because in the 1875 Constitutional Convention powerful interest groups like the Grangers were determined to eliminate big government so they deiced to limit the governors powers creating what is called a plural executive meaning no one holds too much power. In Texas the governor has the power to appoint, military power, and

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