| 1 | 1 | | 89R4977 MLH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Plesa H.J.R. No. 89 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A JOINT RESOLUTION |
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| 8 | 8 | | proposing a constitutional amendment to allow the legislature to |
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| 9 | 9 | | override a veto of the governor following a legislative session. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 14, Article IV, Texas Constitution, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 14. (a) Every bill which shall have passed both houses |
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| 14 | 14 | | of the Legislature shall be presented to the Governor for [his] |
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| 15 | 15 | | approval. If the Governor approves of the bill, the Governor [he |
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| 16 | 16 | | approve he] shall sign it. If the Governor disapproves of the bill, |
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| 17 | 17 | | the Governor [; but if he disapprove it, he] shall return it, with |
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| 18 | 18 | | [his] objections, to the House in which it originated. The House to |
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| 19 | 19 | | which the bill is returned [, which House] shall enter the |
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| 20 | 20 | | objections at large upon its journal, and proceed to reconsider the |
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| 21 | 21 | | bill [it]. If after [such] reconsideration [,] two-thirds of the |
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| 22 | 22 | | members present agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, with the |
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| 23 | 23 | | objections, to the other House, by which likewise it shall be |
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| 24 | 24 | | reconsidered. If [; and, if] approved by two-thirds of the members |
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| 25 | 25 | | of that House, the bill [it] shall become a law. In [; but in] such |
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| 26 | 26 | | cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, |
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| 27 | 27 | | and the names of the members voting for and against the bill shall |
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| 28 | 28 | | be entered on the journal of each House respectively. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (b) If any bill shall not be returned by the Governor with |
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| 30 | 30 | | [his] objections within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall |
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| 31 | 31 | | have been presented to the Governor [him], the same shall be a law, |
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| 32 | 32 | | in like manner as if [he had] signed by the Governor [it], unless |
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| 33 | 33 | | the Legislature, by its adjournment, prevent its return, in which |
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| 34 | 34 | | case it shall be a law, unless the Governor [he] shall file the bill |
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| 35 | 35 | | [same], with [his] objections, in the office of the Secretary of |
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| 36 | 36 | | State and give notice thereof by public proclamation within twenty |
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| 37 | 37 | | days after such adjournment. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) If any bill presented to the Governor contains several |
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| 39 | 39 | | items of appropriation, the Governor [he] may object to one or more |
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| 40 | 40 | | of such items, and approve the other portion of the bill. In such |
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| 41 | 41 | | case the Governor [he] shall append to the bill [Bill], at the time |
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| 42 | 42 | | of signing it, a statement of the items to which the Governor [he] |
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| 43 | 43 | | objects, and no item so objected to shall take effect. If the |
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| 44 | 44 | | Legislature be in session, the Governor [he] shall transmit to the |
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| 45 | 45 | | House in which the bill originated a copy of such statement and the |
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| 46 | 46 | | items objected to shall be separately considered. If, on |
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| 47 | 47 | | reconsideration, one or more of such items be approved by |
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| 48 | 48 | | two-thirds of the members present of each House, the same shall be |
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| 49 | 49 | | part of the law, notwithstanding the objections of the Governor. If |
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| 50 | 50 | | any such bill, containing several items of appropriation, not |
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| 51 | 51 | | having been presented to the Governor ten days (Sundays excepted) |
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| 52 | 52 | | prior to adjournment, be in the hands of the Governor at the time of |
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| 53 | 53 | | adjournment, the Governor [he] shall have twenty days from such |
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| 54 | 54 | | adjournment within which to file objections to any items thereof in |
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| 55 | 55 | | the office of the Secretary of State and make proclamation of the |
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| 56 | 56 | | same, and such item or items shall not take effect. |
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| 57 | 57 | | (d) On the call of the presiding officers of both Houses of |
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| 58 | 58 | | the Legislature as provided by Subsection (e) of this section, the |
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| 59 | 59 | | Legislature shall convene to reconsider any bill disapproved by the |
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| 60 | 60 | | Governor under Subsection (a) of this section or any item of |
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| 61 | 61 | | appropriation in a bill to which the Governor objects under |
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| 62 | 62 | | Subsection (c) of this section if the bill or statement of objection |
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| 63 | 63 | | to the item of appropriation is: |
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| 64 | 64 | | (1) returned to the House in which the bill originated |
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| 65 | 65 | | on or after the third day before the date of adjournment of the |
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| 66 | 66 | | session at which the bill was passed; or |
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| 67 | 67 | | (2) filed in the office of the Secretary of State after |
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| 68 | 68 | | the adjournment of the session at which the bill was passed. |
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| 69 | 69 | | (e) Not later than the fifth day following the last day on |
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| 70 | 70 | | which the Governor is authorized to file a disapproval of a bill or |
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| 71 | 71 | | objection to an item of appropriation in the office of the Secretary |
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| 72 | 72 | | of State under this section after adjournment of the Legislature, a |
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| 73 | 73 | | member of either House in writing filed with the chief clerk or |
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| 74 | 74 | | secretary of that House may request the presiding officer of that |
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| 75 | 75 | | House to call the Legislature into session as provided by |
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| 76 | 76 | | Subsection (f) of this section to reconsider one or more bills or |
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| 77 | 77 | | items of appropriation described by Subsection (d) of this section. |
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| 78 | 78 | | If and only if a majority of the members of either House file |
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| 79 | 79 | | requests with the applicable chief clerk or secretary within that |
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| 80 | 80 | | period, the presiding officers of both Houses shall jointly call |
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| 81 | 81 | | the Legislature into session for purposes of Subsection (d). |
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| 82 | 82 | | (f) The period for reconsideration under Subsection (d) of |
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| 83 | 83 | | this section begins at 10 a.m. on the second Tuesday following the |
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| 84 | 84 | | last day on which the Governor is authorized to file a disapproval |
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| 85 | 85 | | or objection in the office of the Secretary of State and may not |
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| 86 | 86 | | exceed three consecutive days. During this period, unless the |
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| 87 | 87 | | Legislature has been called into special session by the Governor, |
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| 88 | 88 | | the Legislature may not consider any subject other than the |
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| 89 | 89 | | reconsideration of bills or items of appropriation described by |
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| 90 | 90 | | Subsection (d) of this section. Reconsideration of a bill or item |
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| 91 | 91 | | of appropriation during this period is conducted in the manner |
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| 92 | 92 | | provided by Subsection (a) or (c) of this section, as applicable. |
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| 93 | 93 | | SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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| 94 | 94 | | submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 2025. |
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| 95 | 95 | | The ballot shall be printed to provide for voting for or against the |
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| 96 | 96 | | proposition: "The constitutional amendment to allow the |
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| 97 | 97 | | legislature to override a veto of the governor following a |
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| 98 | 98 | | legislative session." |
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