The governor of Texas is powerful relative to other state governors because he acts as the head of state. The constitution of Texas provides him with a clear mandate on how to rule and exercise power. Besides, the constitution of Texas resembles that of the U.S, and the state is only answerable to the United States. The governor of Texas is the chief executive officer of the state and directs the executive and legislative branch of the state. Through his directives, he has the power to veto and approve bills passed by the Texas legislature (Champagne & Harpham, 2013). Notably, the mentioned narrative does not apply to other governors in the U.S. In most cases, other governors cannot approve or reject bills passed according to the constitution of the U.S. hence making the Texas governor more powerful compared to other governors. Arguably, the Texas governor is also the commander in chief of the Texas military forces. Having the power to command an armed force only applies to the president of the United States (Champagne & Harpham, 2013). Relative to other governors, they do not have the mandate to command a military force. With the permission of the legislative branch, the Texas governor can grant pardons in cases such as treason; a responsibility that most governors do not have in the U.S.
The framers of the 1876 constitution wanted this to happen because the state is a product of a unique history. The framers needed Texas to have more power due to its independence from Mexico. There are a lot of immigrants in the state, and framers needed to emulate the United States as an independent nation. There are many ways in which the constitution of Texas and the U.S are similar. Due to Mexican and Spanish influence in the state, Texas became a more centralized government. However, radical republicans advocated for a decentralized government only answerable to the U.S and democrats advocated for shorter terms elected officials, limited powers for the governor, lower salaries, and control of schools, low taxation, and land subsidies especially along railroads (Champagne & Harpham, 2013). The analogy mentioned above depicts that the framers of the 1876 constitution needed the Texas governor to be more powerful compared to other governors despite his powers being limited to the broader United States.
Is “cite and release” a good policy for Texas?
Cite and release is an ordinance that means no immediate incarceration in Texas and the U.S. It is a narrative facilitate by the Texas government in pursuit of curbing racial discrimination and unlawful imprisonment. According to Champagne and Harpham (2013), cite and release works in a way that a person committing a low-level crime in Texas is issued a ticket or citation for the offences committed. The arrest of low-level criminal has been rampant over the years with a jail term of more than ten years. Texas offers this initiative of cite and release so that authorities can avoid making arrests to low-level offences in the U.S. An example of a low-level crime is being caught in possession of marijuana. The mentioned offence does not guarantee an individual a ten-year jail term hence the initiation of cite and release policy in Texas. San Marcos is the first city in Texas that adopted the cite and release initiative, and one would depict that the policy is a good policy for Texas.
The primary reason as to why the policy is acceptable is because it is a step towards decriminalizing the black community in Texas. Black people and immigrants have experienced incarceration and criminalization in America for too long. The initiative will reduce the sentencing and imprisonment of black people on a broader perspective. Instead of arresting a black man with marijuana or traversing in Texas, the police would have to cite or ticket the individual and later on release the person. Also, the police would give the offender a warning instead of enacting punitive actions and practices that would lead to longer jail terms (Champagne & Harpham, 2013). Thus, cite and release policy is a good policy that would benefit black and immigrant communities in Texas. The initiative taken by San Marcos city is a step forward to mitigate unlawful incarceration.
Another reason as to why the policy is acceptable is because it intends to mitigate racial discrimination and profiling that lead to deportation, loss of jobs, arrests, and loss of housing facilities (Champagne & Harpham, 2013). Incarcerations and arrests in Texas destabilize communities and tear uprooted families in the U.S. An arrested person in the U.S always has a criminal record in his folder. He or she will not be able to find a well-paying job. Losing access to get a job in the U.S due to a criminal record subjected to an individual who committed a petty offence like misdemeanour theft is critical in contemporary society. Therefore, cite and release policy stems out as an excellent policy to help curb such atrocities of racial profiling. Racial profiling quickly leads to the deportation of immigrants in the U.S. Texas has the largest number of immigrants in America. Thus, the policy is also good because it will help curb the deportation of low-level crime offenders who have been profiled as immigrants or black people.
Cite and release policy is a good policy in the sense that it improves a society’s needs in Texas. Citizens perceive that the policy’s aim is not to defund the police but to enhance the communities in the state. Notably, an arrested person is booked in jail and uses tax payers’ money collected by the government. Maintenance cost for jails are expensive in Texas, and the initiative of cite and release is not to jail people all the time, especially when they are low-level criminals. The money used to maintain prisons in Texas can be directed to other community programs such as mental health services, healthcare, social services, and proper housing. The narrative mentioned above is a narrative that helps improves the community courtesy of the policy. Besides, the COVID-19 global pandemic is spreading in prisons, and frequent incarceration of criminals would lead to loss of life in Texas; thus, the adoption of cite and release policy is essential. In this regard, it necessary to note that cite and release policy is a good policy because it fights back against incarceration, policing, criminalization, and racial profiling.