| 1 | 1 | | 87R3930 MAW-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Johnson S.J.R. No. 20 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A JOINT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the lieutenant |
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| 7 | 7 | | governor and speaker of the house of representatives to call the |
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| 8 | 8 | | legislature into special session on petition of at least two-thirds |
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| 9 | 9 | | of the members of each house of the legislature in response to a |
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| 10 | 10 | | fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or emergency. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | adding Section 5A to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 5A. The lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of |
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| 15 | 15 | | representatives shall by joint proclamation convene the |
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| 16 | 16 | | legislature in special session on receipt of a petition that is |
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| 17 | 17 | | signed by at least two-thirds of the members of each house of the |
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| 18 | 18 | | legislature requesting the special session for the purpose of |
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| 19 | 19 | | responding to a fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or emergency. |
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| 20 | 20 | | The proclamation must provide for convening the legislature not |
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| 21 | 21 | | later than the 60th day after the date the lieutenant governor and |
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| 22 | 22 | | speaker of the house of representatives receive the petition. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. Section 40, Article III, Texas Constitution, is |
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| 24 | 24 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | Sec. 40. (a) When the legislature is [Legislature shall be] |
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| 26 | 26 | | convened in a special session called by the governor as authorized |
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| 27 | 27 | | by Section 8, Article IV, of this constitution, the legislature may |
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| 28 | 28 | | not consider [there shall be no] legislation on a subject [upon |
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| 29 | 29 | | subjects] other than a subject [those] designated in the |
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| 30 | 30 | | proclamation of the governor [Governor] calling the [such] session, |
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| 31 | 31 | | or presented to the legislature [them] by the governor. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (b) When the legislature is convened in a special session |
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| 33 | 33 | | required by Section 5A of this article, the legislature may not |
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| 34 | 34 | | consider legislation on a subject other than a subject directly |
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| 35 | 35 | | related to the state's response to the fiscal crisis, war, natural |
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| 36 | 36 | | disaster, or emergency for which the special session is convened. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (c) No special [Governor; and no such] session shall be of |
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| 38 | 38 | | longer duration than thirty days. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 3. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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| 40 | 40 | | submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 2, 2021. |
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| 41 | 41 | | The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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| 42 | 42 | | proposition: "The constitutional amendment requiring the |
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| 43 | 43 | | lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of representatives to |
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| 44 | 44 | | call the legislature into special session on petition of at least |
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| 45 | 45 | | two-thirds of the members of each house of the legislature in |
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| 46 | 46 | | response to a fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or emergency." |
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