Bill Text: TX SJR29 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the governor to call the legislature into special session following certain disaster or emergency declarations and specifying the powers of the legislature in those special sessions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-09 - Referred to State Affairs [SJR29 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-SJR29-Introduced.html
| 87R3754 JRJ-D | ||
| By: Springer | S.J.R. No. 29 | |
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| proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the governor to call | ||
| the legislature into special session following certain disaster or | ||
| emergency declarations and specifying the powers of the legislature | ||
| in those special sessions. | ||
| BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 8, Article IV, Texas Constitution, is | ||
| amended by adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read as follows: | ||
| (c) The Governor shall convene the Legislature in special | ||
| session for the purposes described by Subsection (d): | ||
| (1) if a state of disaster or emergency declared by the | ||
| Governor continues for more than 21 days; or | ||
| (2) on receipt of a petition from any member of the | ||
| Legislature requesting legislative review of a state of disaster or | ||
| emergency declared by the Governor if the petition is signed by at | ||
| least two-thirds of the members of the house of representatives and | ||
| at least two-thirds of the members of the senate. | ||
| (d) In a special session convened under Subsection (c), the | ||
| Legislature may: | ||
| (1) review an order, proclamation, or other instrument | ||
| issued by the Governor during the 90 days before the special session | ||
| begins: | ||
| (A) declaring a state of disaster or emergency in | ||
| this state; or | ||
| (B) in response to a state of disaster or | ||
| emergency in this state declared by any federal, state, or local | ||
| official or entity; | ||
| (2) terminate or modify an order, proclamation, or | ||
| other instrument described by Subdivision (1) by passage of a | ||
| resolution approved by majority vote of the members present in each | ||
| house of the Legislature, which is not subject to Section 15, | ||
| Article IV; | ||
| (3) respond to the state of disaster or emergency, | ||
| including by: | ||
| (A) passing laws and resolutions the Legislature | ||
| determines are related to the state of disaster or emergency; and | ||
| (B) exercising the powers reserved to the | ||
| Legislature under Section 28, Article I; and | ||
| (4) consider any other subjects stated in the | ||
| Governor's proclamation convening the Legislature. | ||
| SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be | ||
| submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 2, 2021. | ||
| The ballot shall be printed to provide for voting for or against the | ||
| proposition: "The constitutional amendment requiring the governor | ||
| to call the legislature into special session following certain | ||
| disaster or emergency declarations and specifying the powers of the | ||
| legislature in those special sessions." | ||
