All legislation that has not been approved by both houses by the last day of the session is dead.

At the end of the regular session there is always a crush of l egislation that is passed in a flurry of activity. This can lead to the passage of bills that have not been thoroughly reviewed by both of the full chambers, le aving open the possibility of slipping in provisions (sometimes unrelated, or no n-germane) that favor special interests. The 140 day session is an extremely short period of time to conduct the state's business, especially considering the large size and considerable diversity of bo th the population and the economy of the state. The short session is in part a r eflection of the Reconstruction era during which the current Texas Constitution was written. After the excesses (real and perceived) in the use of governmental authority by the Radical Republican administration of Governor E.J. Davis, a con vention was called that rewrote the constitution along very restrictive lines. T he short legislative session - along with the limited powers given the Governor - exemplifies the attempt of the Constitution's authors to restrict the ability of the government to govern too much. In the United States this tradition was rationalized by the framers of the Cons titution as a way of deliberately weakening the Congress, the branch of governme nt most directly influenced by popular pressure. By splitting the popular branch in two, goes the argument, you make it more difficult for that branch to coordi nate efforts for any particular legislative agenda. Some commentators have even recommended that terms be extended to six years for senators and four years for representatives (all staggered) because the short te rms do not permit the development of expertise on legislative procedures and the substance of specific policy areas. The short terms also mean that legislators are constantly campaigning, instead of focusing on legislative matters. The cons tant campaign also puts legislators at a disadvantage in dealing with experience d lobbyists. The transformations of the national political parties, increasing participation of women in the workforce, immigration from other states and from Mexico, the g rowth of cities, and the diversification of the state economy have all contribut ed to greater - though limited - diversity of the membership.