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Texas Constitution, Article 3

Texas/Constitution

← All Texas coverage

Article 3, Legislative Department

142 sections · 0 paragraphs in this article.

All articles478 Art. 141 Art. 21 Art. 3142 Art. 429 Art. 540 Art. 67 Art. 732 Art. 845 Art. 917 Art. 109 Art. 1113 Art. 127 Art. 130 Art. 148 Art. 159 Art. 1676 Art. 172

142 provisions·Filtered byArt. 3✕

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 1 SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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The legislative power of this State shall be vested in a Senate and House of Representatives, which together shall be styled "The Legislature of the State of Texas."
Tex. Const. art. 3, § 2 MEMBERSHIP OF SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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The Senate shall consist of thirty-one members. The House of Representatives shall consist of 150 members.
Tex. Const. art. 3, § 3 ELECTION AND TERM OF OFFICE OF SENATORS
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The Senators shall be chosen by the qualified voters for the term of four years; but a new Senate shall be chosen after every apportionment, and the Senators elected after each apportionment shall be divided by lot into two classes. The seats of the Senators of the first class sh…
Tex. Const. art. 3, § 4 ELECTION AND TERM OF MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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The Members of the House of Representatives shall be chosen by the qualified voters for the term of two years. Representatives shall take office following their election, on the day set by law for the convening of the Regular Session of the Legislature, and shall serve thereafter…

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Tex. Const. art. 3, § 5 Section 5

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MEETINGS; ORDER OF BUSINESS.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 6 QUALIFICATIONS OF SENATORS

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No person shall be a Senator, unless he be a citizen of the United States, and, at the time of his election a qualified voter of this State, and shall have been a resident of this State five years next preceding his election, and the last year thereof a resident of the district f…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 7 QUALIFICATIONS OF REPRESENTATIVES

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No person shall be a Representative, unless he be a citizen of the United States, and, at the time of his election, a qualified voter of this State, and shall have been a resident of this State two years next preceding his election, the last year thereof a resident of the distric…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 8 EACH HOUSE JUDGE OF QUALIFICATIONS AND ELECTION OF ITS MEMBERS; ELECTION CONTESTS

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Each house shall be the judge of the qualifications and election of its own members; but contested elections shall be determined in such manner as shall be provided by law.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 9 Section 9

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PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF SENATE; LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR VACANCY; SPEAKER OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; OTHER OFFICERS.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 10 QUORUM; ADJOURNMENTS FROM DAY TO DAY; COMPELLING ATTENDANCE

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Two-thirds of each house shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 11 RULES OF PROCEDURE; PUNISHMENT OR EXPULSION OF MEMBER

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Each house may determine the rules of its own proceedings, punish members for disorderly conduct, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member, but not a second time for the same offense.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 12 Section 12

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JOURNALS OF PROCEEDINGS; RECORD VOTES.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 13 Section 13

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VACANCY IN LEGISLATURE.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 14 PRIVILEGE FROM ARREST DURING LEGISLATIVE SESSION

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Senators and Representatives shall, except in cases of treason, felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during the session of the Legislature, and in going to and returning from the same.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 15 DISRESPECTFUL OR DISORDERLY CONDUCT; OBSTRUCTION OF PROCEEDINGS

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Each house may punish, by imprisonment, during its session, any person not a member, for disrespectful or disorderly conduct in its presence, or for obstructing any of its proceedings; provided, that such imprisonment shall not, at any one time, exceed forty-eight hours.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 16 OPEN SESSIONS

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The sessions of each house shall be open, except the Senate when in executive session.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 17 ADJOURNMENTS

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Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that where the Legislature may be sitting.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 18 INELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER OFFICES; VOTING FOR OTHER MEMBERS; INTEREST IN STATE OR COUNTY CONTRACTS

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No Senator or Representative shall, during the term for which he was elected, be eligible to (1) any civil office of profit under this State which shall have been created, or the emoluments of which may have been increased, during such term, or (2) any office or place, the appoin…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 19 INELIGIBILITY OF PERSONS HOLDING OTHER OFFICES

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No judge of any Court, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Clerk of any Court of Record, or any person holding a lucrative office under the United States, or this State, or any foreign government shall during the term for which he is elected or appointed, be eligible to the Leg…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 20 ELIGIBILITY OF COLLECTORS OF TAXES OR PERSONS ENTRUSTED WITH PUBLIC MONEY

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No person who at any time may have been a collector of taxes, or who may have been otherwise entrusted with public money, shall be eligible to the Legislature, or to any office of profit or trust under the State government, until he shall have obtained a discharge for the amount …

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 21 WORDS SPOKEN IN DEBATE

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No member shall be questioned in any other place for words spoken in debate in either house.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 22 DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL OR PRIVATE INTEREST IN MEASURE OR BILL; NOT TO VOTE

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A member who has a personal or private interest in any measure or bill, proposed, or pending before the Legislature, shall disclose that fact, to the house of which he is member, and shall not vote thereon.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 23 VACANCY FOLLOWING REMOVAL FROM DISTRICT OR COUNTY FROM WHICH ELECTED

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If any senator or representative remove his residence from the district or county for which he was elected, his office shall thereby become vacant, and the vacancy shall be filled as provided in section 13 of this article.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 23a Section 23a

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(Repealed by the voters on November 4, 1997.)

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 24a Section 24a

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TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION; LEGISLATIVE SALARIES AND PER DIEM.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 24 Section 24

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COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES OF MEMBERS OF LEGISLATURE; DURATION OF REGULAR SESSIONS.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 25 SENATORIAL DISTRICTS

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The State shall be divided into Senatorial Districts of contiguous territory, and each district shall be entitled to elect one Senator.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 26a Section 26a

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(Repealed by the voters on November 2, 1999.)

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 26 APPORTIONMENT OF MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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The members of the House of Representatives shall be apportioned among the several counties, according to the number of population in each, as nearly as may be, on a ratio obtained by dividing the population of the State, as ascertained by the most recent census of the United Sta…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 27 ELECTIONS FOR LEGISLATORS

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Elections for senators and representatives shall be general throughout the State, and shall be regulated by law.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 28 TIME FOR APPORTIONMENT; APPORTIONMENT BY LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING BOARD

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The Legislature shall, at its first regular session after the publication of each United States decennial census, apportion the state into senatorial and representative districts, agreeable to the provisions of Sections 25 and 26 of this Article. In the event the Legislature shal…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 29 ENACTING CLAUSE OF LAWS

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The enacting clause of all laws shall be, "Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas."

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 30 LAWS PASSED BY BILL; AMENDMENTS CHANGING PURPOSE PROHIBITED

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No law shall be passed except by bill, and no bill shall be so amended in its passage through either house as to change its original purpose.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 31 ORIGINATION IN EITHER HOUSE; AMENDMENT

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Bills may originate in either house, and when passed by such house may be amended, altered or rejected by the other.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 32 READING ON THREE SEVERAL DAYS

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No bill shall have the force of a law, until it has been read on three several days in each House, and free discussion allowed thereon; but four-fifths of the House, in which the bill may be pending, may suspend this rule, the yeas and nays being taken on the question of suspensi…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 33 ORIGINATION OF REVENUE BILLS IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 34 DEFEATED BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS

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After a bill has been considered and defeated by either house of the Legislature no bill containing the same substance shall be passed into a law during the same session. After a resolution has been acted on and defeated no resolution containing the same substance shall be consid…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 35 Section 35

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SUBJECTS AND TITLES OF BILLS.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 36 REVIVAL OR AMENDMENT BY REFERENCE PROHIBITED; RE-ENACTMENT AND PUBLICATION AT LENGTH

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No law shall be revived or amended by reference to its title; but in such case the act revived, or the section or sections amended, shall be re-enacted and published at length.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 37 REFERENCE TO COMMITTEE AND REPORT

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No bill shall be considered, unless it has been first referred to a committee and reported thereon, and no bill shall be passed which has not been presented and referred to and reported from a committee at least three days before the final adjournment of the Legislature.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 38 SIGNING BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS; ENTRY ON JOURNALS

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The presiding officer of each house shall, in the presence of the house over which he presides, sign all bills and joint resolutions passed by the Legislature, after their titles have been publicly read before signing; and the fact of signing shall be entered on the journals.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 39 TIME OF TAKING EFFECT OF LAWS

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No law passed by the Legislature, except the general appropriation act, shall take effect or go into force until ninety days after the adjournment of the session at which it was enacted, unless the Legislature shall, by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each Hous…

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 40 SPECIAL SESSIONS; SUBJECTS OF LEGISLATION; DURATION

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When the Legislature shall be convened in special session, there shall be no legislation upon subjects other than those designated in the proclamation of the governor calling such session, or presented to them by the governor; and no such session shall be of longer duration than …

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 41 ELECTIONS BY SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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In all elections by the Senate and House of Representatives, jointly or separately, the vote shall be given viva voce, except in the election of their officers.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 42 Section 42

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(Repealed by the voters on August 5, 1969.)

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 43 Section 43

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REVISION OF LAWS.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 44 COMPENSATION OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND CONTRACTORS; EXTRA COMPENSATION; UNAUTHORIZED CLAIMS; UNAUTHORIZED EMPLOYMENT

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The Legislature shall provide by law for the compensation of all officers, servants, agents and public contractors not provided for in this Constitution, but shall not grant extra compensation to any officer, agent, servant, or public contractors, after such public service shall …

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 45 POWER OF COURTS TO CHANGE VENUE

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The power to change the venue in civil and criminal cases shall be vested in the courts, to be exercised in such manner as shall be provided by law; and the Legislature shall pass laws for that purpose.

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 46 Section 46

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UNIFORMITY IN COLLECTION OF FEES. (NOTE: A previous Section 46, dealing with vagrant laws, was repealed by the voters on August 5, 1969.)

Tex. Const. art. 3, § 47 Section 47

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PROHIBITION ON LOTTERIES AND GIFT ENTERPRISES; EXCEPTIONS FOR CHARITABLE BINGO, CHARITABLE RAFFLES, AND STATE LOTTERIES.