Texas Government
Name
Date
Institution
Texas government: The legislature
1.
Texas legislature is the state legislature of the state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body comprised of two chambers; the House of Representatives and the senate. Texas legislature is composed of a 31 member senate and a 150 member house of representatives.
2.
The representatives are elected one year before the election and represent the district in which they come from. They are elected on a two-year term and run for re-election in even-numbered years. Senators are elected to represent the district in which they come from and serve for a four-year term. Senate is divided into two classes; one class faces re-election every two years while the other face re-election every four years.
3.
The lieutenant governor is the title of the senate’s presiding officer who is not a senate member. He is also chosen for a four-year term through a popular vote in a complete state election. The speaker is the title of the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. Chairs meetings of the House enforces the rules of the House and appoints committees. The current Lieutenant governor of the senate of Texas is Honourable Dan Patrick. The current speaker of the House of representatives of Texas is Honourable Dennis Bonnen.
4.
The legislature is the main body that carries out the law-making process within the state.
Members of the different chambers represent their districts and work to help the citizens.
The Texas legislature performs an oversight on the executive branch of the state.
The legislature also ensures the appropriation of funds for the operation of all the state sectors.
5.
Impeachment refers to a charge of misconduct that s made against a holder of a public office. The Governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor, comptroller, land commissioner, and Texas judges are subject to impeachment by the state senate.
Impeachment powers in the Texas legislature are vested in the House of representatives. An article of impeachment has presented an investigation of the matter relating to impeachment begins. Finally, the action is taken on the article of impeachment.
6.
The Texas legislature meets in regular sessions once in every two years for only 140 days. This begins in January of odd-numbered years. The legislature always stays in session, and the Governor has the authority to convene the legislature at other times during the biennium.
7.
There are a total of 181 members in the Texas legislature. Thirty-one in the senate and 150 in the House of Representatives.
8.
Reapportionment refers to the redistribution of seats in the legislature based on changes in the population. Reapportionment is done under the constitutional basis of the US House of Representatives.
9.
Redistricting refers to the dividing into new political sections called districts. In Texas, the constitution requires the legislature to conduct redistricting during every first regular session following the decennial census.
10.
Upon receiving a bill, the Governor sends the bill to both the senate and the House of Representatives. At the two houses, the bill is discussed, and further amendments can be made to it. Each House requires a two-thirds majority for the bill to be passed. After the two-thirds majority rule has been given, it is signed by the Governor and officially becomes law.
Texas government: The Governor’s office
1.
The governor signs or vetoes bills passed by the legislature.
The Governor serves as the commander in chief of the state military forces.
The Governor protects and defends the constitution.
The Governor also convenes special sessions of the state legislature.
2.
The Governor can either approve or veto a bill passed by the legislature.
The Governor can convene the legislature for special sessions.
The Governor can propose the state budget.
The Governor can fill vacant positions via appointment.
3.
With powers bestowed to it by the constitution, the US Congress can impeach and remove the Governor of Texas from office through the federal House of Representatives. In case of official misconduct, the Governor of Texas can be impeached through a two-thirds vote of the state senate and a majority of the House of Representatives.
4.
In Texas, the House of Representatives is given the mandate and authority to carry out a governor’s impeachment charges. Two-thirds of the senate is required to carry out the conviction of a governor. In the case of abuse of office and misconduct, a trial is held in front of the senate.
5.
The term of office for the Governor of Texas is four years, and the Governor of Texas resides in a historic home in Downtown Austin, Texas.
6.
The current Governor of Texas is honorable Greg Abbott. The previous Governor of Texas was honorable Rick Perry 1. The first governor of the state of Texas was esteemed James Pinckney Henderson. Honourable Sam Houston was the Governor of Texas when Texas was a confederate state.
7.
Cabinet members appointed by the Governor of Texas include; commissioner of education, commissioner of health and human services, commissioner of insurance, and adjutant general.
8.
Texas constitution establishes a weak governor. This is because the constitution results in the dispersion of power among elected top officials, leading to Texas’s plural executive.
9.
Edmund Jackson Davis was an American soldier, lawyer, and politician. He served as the general of the Union army in the American civil war. From 1870 to 1874, he served as the 14th governor of Texas.
10.
Davis supported freed slaves’ rights and steered towards the division of Texas into several republican controlled states. Davis created the state guard of Texas and the reserve forerunners Guard’s forerunners Texas National Guard. Under his reign, Davis’ government faced corruption, controversy, and disenfranchisement of public funds. Davis goes down in history as the Governor who used the carpetbagger rule.
Texas government: The state judicial system.
1.
Appellate courts in the state judiciary of Texas include; Supreme Court, the court of criminal appeals, and the 14 courts of appeals located throughout the state’s 14 cities. Supreme Court comprises of the chief justice and eight justices. Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Texas. The court of criminal appeals is also consist of a presiding judge and eight judges. Judges are elected through partisan elections by the voters of the entire state and hold offices for six years. The appellate courts consider cases appealed from lower courts. Supreme Court hears civil appeals, and the court of criminal appeals hears related criminal cases that include death penalty appeals.
2.
Texas court system contains over 450 state district courts. These courts are spread throughout the state and help in solving disputes among the Texans.
3.
Court of record refers to a trial or appellate court where the proceedings’ papers are captured and preserved. Such courts are considered courts of records since all oral proceedings within the court are recorded and preserved.
4.
Courts of original jurisdiction refer to courts that are limited to cases being heard for the first time.
5.
Eleven judicial state districts serve Hidalgo County. These include; the 92, 93, 139, 206, 275, 332, 370, 389, 398, 430, 449 and the 464 judicial state district.
6.
100N Closner Blvd, Edinburg, TX 78539 is the location where the state district courts’ sessions are held in Hidalgo County.
7.
The selection of state courts judges in Texas is made through partisan elections, including a vote of the people.
8.
Texans vote for state judges as speculated in article five of the Texas constitution. This gives the Texans a voice in the court system to freely choose a judge of their choice. Judges in Texas serve for a term of six years. This includes the chief justice and the state judges. At the same time, the judges of district courts in Texas serve for four-year terms. In four ways, judges in Texas can be removed; in case of any misconduct, the state commission on judicial conduct investigates and prosecutes the allegations raised against the judge. The Governor can also remove a judge if approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate of Texas. Similarly, judges can be impeached by the House of Representatives and drawn by two-thirds of the senate. Lastly, the Supreme Court can remove a judge from office.
9.
Article one of the Texas constitution deals with the bill of rights and has 34 sections. The article stipulates the political rights and freedoms of the Texan citizen. It addresses the fundamental limitations of power to the state government. It also highlights certain rights that cannot be ignored at any point.
10.
Article 5. It describes the entire judicial department of the Texas government. It also indicates the composition of powers and highlights the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction, the court of criminal appeals, the court of appeals, and district county and commissioners courts. The justice of the peace courts is also addressed.
References.
Turner, B. (2019). 86th Texas Legislature Now in Session. Ranch and Rural Living, 100(5), 16-20.
Anderson, G. C. (2019). The Conquest of Texas: Ethnic Cleansing in the Promised Land, 1820–1875. University of Oklahoma Press.
Codes, T. E. (2019). Texas Constitution and Statutes. Retrieved from.
Monroe, B., Payne, L. W., & Mitchell, N. Judicial Primary Elections: A Study of Texas High Courts.