Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HJR29 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R277 TJB-D
2	2	By: Guillen H.J.R. No. 29
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7	7	A JOINT RESOLUTION
8	8	proposing a constitutional amendment prescribing certain
9	9	requirements applicable to the impeachment of an officer by the
10	10	house of representatives and repealing the requirement that an
11	11	officer against whom articles of impeachment have been preferred be
12	12	suspended from the exercise of the duties of office during the
13	13	pendency of the impeachment.
14	14	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
15	15	SECTION 1. Section 1, Article XV, Texas Constitution, is
16	16	amended to read as follows:
17	17	Sec. 1. (a) The power of impeachment is [shall be] vested in
18	18	the House of Representatives.
19	19	(b) The House of Representatives may not impeach an officer
20	20	unless a committee of the House has first adopted articles of
21	21	impeachment against the officer and filed the articles with the
22	22	chief clerk of the House or the successor officer performing the
23	23	chief clerk's functions. The House of Representatives may not
24	24	consider the articles of impeachment earlier than the 14th day
25	25	after the date the articles are filed by the committee.
26	26	(c) Not later than 24 hours after the time a committee files
27	27	articles of impeachment as provided by Subsection (b) of this
28	28	section, the committee shall make available to each member of the
29	29	House of Representatives each document or other item of evidence
30	30	considered by the committee as part of the committee's
31	31	investigation.
32	32	(d) A witness who testifies before a committee conducting an
33	33	impeachment investigation or before the House of Representatives
34	34	when conducting an impeachment proceeding must testify under oath.
35	35	(e) An officer who is the subject of an impeachment
36	36	investigation or impeachment proceeding is entitled to
37	37	cross-examine any witness testifying during the investigation or
38	38	proceeding.
39	39	SECTION 2. Section 5, Article XV, Texas Constitution, is
40	40	repealed.
41	41	SECTION 3. The following temporary provision is added to
42	42	the Texas Constitution:
43	43	TEMPORARY PROVISION. (a) This temporary provision applies
44	44	to the constitutional amendment proposed by the 89th Legislature,
45	45	Regular Session, 2025, prescribing certain requirements applicable
46	46	to the impeachment of an officer by the house of representatives and
47	47	repealing the requirement that an officer against whom articles of
48	48	impeachment have been preferred be suspended from the exercise of
49	49	the duties of office during the pendency of the impeachment.
50	50	(b) The amendment to Section 1, Article XV, of this
51	51	constitution, and the repeal of Section 5, Article XV, of this
52	52	constitution, take effect January 1, 2026, and apply only to the
53	53	impeachment of an officer under Article XV of this constitution for
54	54	whom the house of representatives has not preferred articles of
55	55	impeachment on or before that date.
56	56	(c) This temporary provision expires January 1, 2027.
57	57	SECTION 4. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
58	58	submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 2025.
59	59	The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
60	60	proposition: "The constitutional amendment prescribing certain
61	61	requirements applicable to the impeachment of an officer by the
62	62	house of representatives and repealing the requirement that an
63	63	officer against whom articles of impeachment have been preferred be
64	64	suspended from the exercise of the duties of office during the
65	65	pendency of the impeachment."