| 1 | 1 | | 88R1697 BEF-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Vasut H.J.R. No. 34 |
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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 to limit the time that a |
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| 7 | 7 | | person may serve as a member of the Texas Legislature or as a |
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| 8 | 8 | | statewide elected officer in the executive branch. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Section 7a to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 7a. (a) A person is not eligible to be elected to the |
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| 13 | 13 | | house of representatives if, before the date of the election, the |
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| 14 | 14 | | person has served as a member of the house during all or part of six |
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| 15 | 15 | | regular sessions of the legislature. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) A person is not eligible to be elected to the senate if, |
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| 17 | 17 | | before the date of the election, the person has served as a member |
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| 18 | 18 | | of the senate during all or part of six regular sessions of the |
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| 19 | 19 | | legislature. This subsection does not prohibit a person who has |
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| 20 | 20 | | served as a member of the senate during all or part of five regular |
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| 21 | 21 | | sessions of the legislature from being elected to or serving a |
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| 22 | 22 | | four-year term in the senate even though at the end of that term the |
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| 23 | 23 | | person will have served during all or part of more than six regular |
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| 24 | 24 | | sessions. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (c) Legislative service before the legislature convenes in |
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| 26 | 26 | | regular session in 2025 is not counted in determining whether a |
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| 27 | 27 | | person is disqualified from election to office under this section. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 2. Article IV, Texas Constitution, is amended by |
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| 29 | 29 | | adding Section 2a to read as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | Sec. 2a. (a) A person is not eligible to be elected to an |
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| 31 | 31 | | elective office listed in Section 1 of this article or to any other |
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| 32 | 32 | | state office elected by the voters at a statewide election, other |
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| 33 | 33 | | than a judicial office, if on the date of the election the person |
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| 34 | 34 | | has served in that office during any part of each of 12 or more |
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| 35 | 35 | | calendar years. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) Nothing in this section prohibits a person from |
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| 37 | 37 | | continuing to serve in an office covered by this section after the |
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| 38 | 38 | | end of a term as a holdover under Section 17, Article XVI, of this |
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| 39 | 39 | | constitution until a successor is qualified. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (c) For purposes of this section, a calendar year begins |
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| 41 | 41 | | January 1 and ends December 31. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (d) Service in office before January 1, 2025, does not count |
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| 43 | 43 | | for purposes of determining whether a person is disqualified from |
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| 44 | 44 | | office under this section. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 3. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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| 46 | 46 | | submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 7, 2023. |
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| 47 | 47 | | The ballot shall be printed to provide for voting for or against the |
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| 48 | 48 | | following proposition: "The constitutional amendment to limit the |
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| 49 | 49 | | time that a person may serve as a member of the Texas Legislature or |
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| 50 | 50 | | as a statewide elected officer in the executive branch." |
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