South Texas College

SLO statement 2:

Mark A. Schuler

GOV 2306.VO#S22

02/25//23
 Introduction

For the people of a state, a state's constitution sets the rules of the game. Because

politics determines who gets what, when, and how in Texas, it's critical to know the rules.

The enlightenment's social contract theory serves as the foundation for the Texas

constitution. Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas about the

foundation of government are brought to light in the social contract. The foundations of

government and how resources are distributed in society are the subject of contract

theory. It begins by assuming that human relationships are founded on normative

knowledge or moral values. Political responsibilities that bind us together as a society are

established by agreement on these standards. The political system that was created to

keep and make our lives better is where the consensus is codified in a society. The impact

of government actions on normative political values like liberty, freedom, equality, and

justice must be taken into account when addressing political issues. When Texas was still

a part of Mexico, the first constitution was ratified. After Antonio Lopez DE Santa Anna

led a revolt to overthrow the first Mexican empire, the Mexican constitutional convention

of 1823 took place.

The perception of an ineffective and oppressive unitary government was a major

factor in the fall of the first empire. Texas delegates advocated for a federal government

with shared power in opposition to a unitary system and for greater local autonomy. As

he worked his way up the leadership ladder, the self-described "Napoleon of the West"

was corrupted by power. Santa Anna supported the unitary system that was established
when the seven constitutional laws were declared in 1835 to transform the 1824

federation into a unitary republic, despite the fact that he was not a participant in the

discussions. He was the caudillo who tried to impose the new system on states like Tejas

y Coahuila that were rebelling against it. Given that centralized rule in Mexico led to the

Texas revolution in the first place, the fact that the constitution of 1836 established a

unitary republic may appear ironic. This constitution also adopts US common law

principles, but it keeps some Castilian civic law principles. The 1845 constitution is

significant because it serves as a model for the majority of subsequent constitutions. It is

important to note that the majority of subsequent constitutions contain provisions like the

bill of rights and biennials. The 1861 constitution gave slave owners more protection, but

it was pretty much the same as the 1845 one. The pattern of emulating the 1845

constitution was broken by the 1869 constitution, which established an annual legislature

session, a powerful executive, and appointed judges rather than electing them.

The current constitution, which was ratified in 1876, is very conservative. It requires

more steps than the Texas constitution to ensure that power is clearly divided and

controlled, which has necessitated more amendments to keep up with changing

circumstances over time. In order to prevent executive authority from becoming

excessively powerful, Texas implemented the plural executive model at the state and

national levels. The legislature is prevented from harming liberty by limiting its meetings

to every two years. At the very least for a year before the regular Lastly, unlike the

majority of other states and the federal level, the dual supreme court system divided

judicial power. dual federalism, in which the nation's federal and state governments were
each responsible for a different aspect of cooperative federalism. This dual federalism,

which is sometimes referred to as "marble cake" federalism, reflects the blurring of clear

lines of responsibility. Texas's dominant political culture.

The culture of the conservatives is very individualistic. As a result, it should not

come as a surprise that Texas is arrogant toward the federal government and its efforts to

interfere with traditional state duties under dual federalism. the state government's

opposition to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. The dominant culture has

refused to take part in this program because it was worried that federal subsidies would

be cut and Texas would have to pay for something it didn't want in the first place. does

not imply that the majority of Texans share the views held by the dominant culture. a

concept that, in turn, is a part of the rest of the Texas Constitution. The courts and

attorneys general have worked hard to develop this idea so that it can be used for

government at the state and local levels. There are basically two aspects to the concept.

Powers granted to one branch or "department" cannot be exercised by any member of that

branch.

The second is implied from the first, namely that powers granted to one body of

government by the Constitution cannot be transferred to other bodies, agencies, or levels

of government. However, neither the concept nor its fundamental aspects are rigid, as

evidenced by both opinions of the attorney general and decisions made by courts. Each

has evolved as legal opinions have more precisely defined the boundaries between what

is permissible and what is not and as the nature and role of government have changed.

According to the Texas Constitution, the state government is divided into three distinct
but equal branches: the governor's leadership of the executive branch; the judicial branch,

which includes all state courts and the Texas Supreme Court; and the legislative branch,

which consists of the 150 members of the house of representatives and the 31 members of

the state senate, headed by the Texas Legislature.

House of Representatives members serve two-year terms and represent approximately

167,500 people in each district. Senators have four-year terms and each represents

approximately 811,000 people. Every odd-numbered year, the legislature meets to make

new laws and find solutions to the state's problems. The regular session is the name given

to this time of meeting, which begins on the second Tuesday in January and lasts for 140

days. The legislature can also be scheduled to meet at other times by the governor. The

governor selects the topics for these meetings, which are referred to as special sessions

and are limited to 30 days in duration. The 150 members of the House of Representatives

select a speaker from among themselves on the first day of each regular session. The

speaker is the house's presiding officer. He or she regulates procedural matters, maintains

order, and allows members to speak during debate.

Subject to seniority rules, the speaker also selects the chairs and vice chairs of the

committees that study legislation and the other representatives who will serve on those

committees. There are 31 committees, each of which focuses on a different area, and five

committees that are responsible for the house's procedural or administrative matters. The

majority of members are involved in two or three committees. The lieutenant governor,
who is not actually a member of the senate, is the presiding officer in the Senate. Similar

to the governor, the lieutenant governor is elected by popular vote in a statewide election

for a four-year term. He or she is the second-highest-ranking executive branch officer.

The first thing the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house ask their respective

houses of the legislature to do is decide on the rules that the lawmakers will follow during

the session. The state constitution includes some procedures for legislating, but a house

of the legislature can make new rules if a majority of its members agree.

The legislature begins to consider bills following the adoption of rules. Introducing a Bill

A senator or representative gets an idea for a bill by listening to the people they represent

and working to solve their problems. An interim committee study that was carried out

when the legislature was not in session may also result in a bill. The idea is looked into to

see what state laws need to be changed or made in order to solve that problem the best.

The legislator then writes a bill, often with legal help from the Texas Legislative Council,

a legislative agency that helps legislators with bill drafting, research, computer support,

and other things.

A bill is introduced in the member's own chamber by a member of the house or

senate once it has been written. Working together, a representative and a senator may

simultaneously introduce bills that are similar to one another and address a particular

issue in both houses. However, the House of Representatives must be the starting point

for any bill that raises money for the state or raises taxes. During the first 60 days of a

regular session, both senators and members of the House can introduce bills on any topic.
Any bill that is not local or related to an emergency declared by the governor must be

approved by at least four-fifths of the members present and voting in the house or four-

fifths of the membership in the senate before it can be introduced after 60 days. While the

chamber is in session, a brief description of the bill, known as a caption, is read aloud

after it has been introduced to ensure that all members are aware of the bill and its

subject. The point at which the presiding officer assigns the bill to a committee is referred

to as the first reading. During the bill's first reading, this task is announced on the

chamber floor. The governor has ten days from the time he receives a bill to sign it, veto

it, or allow it to become law without his signature. The bill is returned to the house from

which it originated along with an explanation of the governor's objections in the event

that the governor vetoes the bill while the legislature is still in session. To override the

veto, both houses must have a two-thirds majority. The bill becomes law if the governor

does not veto it or sign it within ten days. The governor has until 20 days after the final

adjournment to sign, veto, or allow a bill to become law without a signature if it is sent to

him within 10 days of the adjournment.