The Pros And Cons Of The Texas Government

Texas has been through a lot of changes and constitutions. After constants debates of what the constitution should be, the current Texas constitution was established in 1876 and is the 7th constitution Texas has had. It created 3 branches of government: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The current constitution has great qualities, but it also contains a lot of weaknesses that shouldn’t be ignored for the sake of pride.

European immigrants were sometimes pushed out of their homelands, and other times, came in hope for a better life. The German immigrants, the largest group of European immigrants to come to Texas, came for affordable, fertile land, but they were also forced out of the overpopulated Germany that had become overrun by industry. The Irish came simply for economic opportunities, and because an Irishman by the name of William Kennedy wrote a book encouraging (Texas: The Rise, Progress, and Prospects of the Republic of Texas) immigration to the prosperous Texas. France was also encouraged by a piece of writing- The Republic of Texas’ Treaty with The Kingdom of France, signed in 1840. This treaty communicated the amity between the two countries,

In an attempt to put the power back in the states and minimize the control of the federal government, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for a Convention of the States to amend the U.S. Constitution. Governor Abbott has also proposed nine amendments that would dramatically elevate power within the state. Abbott believes that the federal government has overstepped its boundaries as set forth by the 10th amendment and it is the state's duty to take back the power that was once theirs (Texas Gov.).

The process of a bill becoming a law in the state of Texas can be harsh and brutal. With the number of complicated steps accompanied by the forces of many different delay tactics, the process can prove to be exhausting.

Sharifian GOVT 2306- 73434 30 Apr. 2017 Local Control In Texas, Governor Abbott, has claimed to pass on the ban of local control, due to money. The government of Texas, has called it a quits for fracking, plastic bags, and red light cameras, also known as photo enforcements. Though the Texas government is a small government, the probability of receiving their own law making is a higher chance to rule than local governments. There are many pros and cons towards this law, but forcing the ban should not be allowed, due infrastructure of local governments.

The first Texas Legislature met in 1846 and has only had a few changes. It is a bicameral legislature that has two chambers which include the Texas Senate, with 31 senators and the House of Representatives, with 151 House members. The responsibility of the legislators includes promoting their constituent’s concerns and issues by addressing them during the sessions.

There are many reforms that have been discussed one being to extend the term for members of the Texas Legislature. Many feel that if the Senate is extended to six years and the House of Representative to four years it will allow the members to obtain more experience in fields and be able to not have to worry about when the next election is as often. Many critics feel that the time members are in session are too short to make any real progress, reformers would like to increase the length of legislative sessions from the current 140 days. Others feel that increasing the sessions would allow for more laws and regulations. This will be an ongoing debate where there will always be two sides to the possibility of reform which will impact the possibility of it being passed.

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).

Texas has also long supported an increase in border security. In 2006, Gov. Rick Perry announced a plan that assigned Department of Public Safety personnel as well as other resources to the border to assist in law enforcement. He also added an additional $3.8 million in grant funding for state criminal justice planning funds to the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition. (Texas House of Representatives) The state’s legislative policy has been one of strict anti-immigration. In Texas’s 81st Legislative session, the issue of Voter ID arose. The Voter ID bill would require photo identification or two forms of other identification in order to vote. During the 81st session, Democrats filibustered to prevent the issue from being voted upon, it is very likely this is the only reason the bill did not pass and it likely will pass should it reappear in the 82nd session.

I do agree with Governor Abbott vetoing Bill HB 496. Cutting funding for Texas schools programs, because a student does not meet requirements is disrupting to the school. Texas teachers are already the lowest paid in the United States and if funding was to be taken away for this purpose would affect school districts that are in desperate need of funding.

The legislative process in Texas is full of procedural rules and regulations. In order for a bill to become a law in Texas it must meet all the requirements set forth in the Texas Constitution and successfully pass both the house and senate with the Governor signature as final authority. In February of 2015 Author Representative Elliott Naishtat and Sponsor Senator Zaffirini introduced Bill HB 1807 requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to maintain an inventory of educational and supported employment services for individuals effected with intellectual and developmental disabilities into the legislative process. The house secretary assigned Bill HB 1807 it's number briefly after it's submission officially introducing

The legislature is obligated to inscribe a biennial budget, which forces agencies to have their budget projections way in advance. This has a negative affect on these agencies because they aren’t accounting for consequential and unanticipated developments. “Another important factor is that a large portion of the biennial budget id dedicated for special purposes by the federal law or by the Texas Constitution or state statute.” “(329)”. These factors are influences of why not to have a part-time legislature because it appears that there’s not much debate about what should be included and cut from the

Shishir Acharya Professor Sharifian GOVT 2306-71003 December 1, 2017 Texas House and State Committee Texas is one of the states forming United States of America and it is one of the largest state in terms of its population and the total geographical area. The local government has been divided into county government, municipal government and special districts. Texas has been divided into house districts and senate districts. The house of representatives and the house of senate plays a crucial role in deliberating on issues specific to a given department.

In the year 2017, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has vetoed at least fifty bills. Some of these bills include the study of the accessibility of water in the future, teaching schoolchildren how to avoid sexual abusers, in addition to even allowing counties setting up defender offices for those who are disabled. He did not commit this action without reasons, however, as he explains that every axed bill was either costly, progressive, or extensive. One particular rejection of bill 790, the bill which involved prolonging the lifetime of the committee of studying women’s needs in Texas, raised a high amount of fury towards Abbott.

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