Lens on the Legislature: Proposed Constitutional Amendments

Readers of this column undoubtedly vote in every election, so the nine proposed constitutional amendments should be of interest. Recall from the March 4th Lens on the Legislature that the vehicle for the legislature to propose such a change is the joint resolution.

Joint resolutions to amend the Texas Constitution must receive the approval of two thirds of all the members elected to each legislative chamber and are not subject to gubernatorial veto. In a public meeting later this month, the Secretary of State will drawn the nine numbers from a bin and that drawing will determine the sequence in which they appear on the November 8th ballot.

Here are the nine joint resolutions:

• HJR6 provides that marriage in this state consists only of the union of one man and one woman.
• HJR54 creates the Texas rail relocation and improvement fund and authorizes grants of money and issuance of obligations for financing the relocation, construction, reconstruction, acquisition, improvement, rehabilitation, and expansion of certain rail facilities.
• HJR 79 authorizes the legislature to provide for a six-year term for a board member of a regional mobility authority.
• HJR80 clarifies that certain economic development programs do not constitute a debt.
• HJR87 relates to the membership of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
• SJR7 authorizes line-of-credit advances under a reverse mortgage.
• SJR17 authorizes the denial of bail to a criminal defendant who violates a condition of the defendant's release pending trial.
• SJR21 authorizes the legislature to define rates of interest for commercial loans.
• SJR40 clears land titles by relinquishing and releasing any state claim to sovereign ownership or title to interest in certain land.

Last week's article used procurement bills as an example of how to search for bills that passed in a field of interest. Next week's article will analyze some of those bills and should be of special interest to readers who deal with procurement matters.