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Texas State Government

Texas State Government. The Texas Legislature p. 636 - 640. The Function of the Legislative Branch. The Texas legislature is bicameral, meaning two rooms or houses. The two houses are: Senate House of Representatives

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Texas State Government

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  1. Texas State Government The Texas Legislature p. 636 - 640

  2. The Function of the Legislative Branch • The Texas legislature is bicameral, meaning two rooms or houses. The two houses are: • Senate • House of Representatives • Lawmakers from both chambers decide how much money should be spent on education, whether taxes should be raised or lowered, and how to help the economy.

  3. Duties • The Texas legislature makes laws that govern Texas. • Other duties include: • Approving or rejecting the governor’s appointments • Using the power of oversight to review the actions of other branches of government. • Discusses how state monies should be spent • What to do about prison overcrowding, • Taxes • Education • The environment • Legislatures represent the people of Texas so they listen to voters concerns about current issues.

  4. Running the State Government • The Texas legislature is composed of 31 members in the Senate and 150 members in the House of Representatives. • It meets every two years. • The lieutenant governor, elected by voters of the state, serves as the Senate’s president. • The House of Representatives elects a Speaker of the House. • Committees help the legislature carry out tasks such as studying problems and drafting bills.

  5. Running the State Government • One important duty of the legislature is redrawing legislative and congressional districts as the population changes. • This is known as redistricting and may determine which party controls the state legislature. • Redistricting occurs after a census is completed. • Redistricting creates many arguments in the Texas legislature because it changes the distribution of political power.

  6. How a Bill Becomes a Law • There are two types of proposals that can be considered by the state legislature: • Resolution • Bill • A resolution officially expresses the legislature’s opinion about a subject. • Resolutions are used to propose amendments to the Texas or U.S. Constitutions or to set rules of conduct. • A bill is a proposed law. • A bill that is approved by both the House and Senate and signed by the governor becomes a law.

  7. How a Bill Becomes a Law • A bill is first “read” before the entire House or Senate and assigned to a committee. • The committees listen to people who favor the bill and who oppose it. • The committees decide if the rest of the House or Senate should consider the bill. • Most bills are not recommended for further consideration. Those bills are said to have “died in committee.” • A bill that is recommended for further consideration must be debated by the entire House or Senate. Then they vote.

  8. How a Bill Becomes a Law • If a majority votes in favor of the bill, then that bill usually will be considered by the legislators in the other house. • Once a bill has been approved by both the House and Senate, it goes to the governor. • If the governor signs the bill, it becomes a law. • If the governor vetoes the bill, it does not become a law unless two-thirds of ht House and two-thirds of the Senate vote to override the veto.

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