SJR38 - Proposing a constitutional amendment to limit the authority of the governor to veto a bill passed by both houses of the Texas Legislature with a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of each house.

  89R5943 MLH-D     By: Birdwell S.J.R. No. 38       A JOINT RESOLUTION   proposing a constitutional amendment to limit the authority of the   governor to veto a bill passed by both houses of the Texas   Legislature with a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of   each house.          BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 14, Article IV, Texas Constitution, is   amended to read as follows:          Sec. 14.   (a) Every bill which shall have passed both houses   of the Legislature shall be presented to the Governor for [ his ]   approval. If the Governor approves of the bill, the Governor [ he   approve he ] shall sign it . If the Governor disapproves of the bill,   the Governor [ ; but if he disapprove it, he ] shall return it, with   [ his ] objections, to the House in which it originated . The House to   which the bill is returned [ , which House ] shall enter the   objections at large upon its journal, and proceed to reconsider the   bill [ it ]. If after [ such ] reconsideration [ , ] two-thirds of the   members present agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, with the   objections, to the other House, by which likewise it shall be   reconsidered . If [ ; and, if ] approved by two-thirds of the members   of that House, the bill [ it ] shall become a law . In [ ; but in ] such   cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays,   and the names of the members voting for and against the bill shall   be entered on the journal of each House respectively.           (b)   If any bill shall not be returned by the Governor with   [ his ] objections within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall   have been presented to the Governor [ him ], the same shall be a law,   in like manner as if [ he had ] signed by the Governor [ it ], unless   the Legislature, by its adjournment, prevent its return, in which   case it shall be a law, unless the Governor [ he ] shall file the bill   [ same ], with [ his ] objections, in the office of the Secretary of   State and give notice thereof by public proclamation within twenty   days after such adjournment.           (c)   If any bill presented to the Governor contains several   items of appropriation , the Governor [ he ] may object to one or more   of such items, and approve the other portion of the bill. In such   case the Governor [ he ] shall append to the bill [ Bill ], at the time   of signing it, a statement of the items to which the Governor [ he ]   objects, and no item so objected to shall take effect. If the   Legislature be in session, the Governor [ he ] shall transmit to the   House in which the bill originated a copy of such statement and the   items objected to shall be separately considered. If, on   reconsideration, one or more of such items be approved by   two-thirds of the members present of each House, the same shall be   part of the law, notwithstanding the objections of the Governor.  If   any such bill, containing several items of appropriation, not   having been presented to the Governor ten days (Sundays excepted)   prior to adjournment, be in the hands of the Governor at the time of   adjournment, the Governor [ he ] shall have twenty days from such   adjournment within which to file objections to any items thereof in   the office of the Secretary of State and make proclamation of the   same, and such item or items shall not take effect.           (d)     The Governor may not disapprove a bill under Subsection   (a) of this section if the bill was passed by both Houses of the   Legislature by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members present   in each House.   This subsection does not apply to the Governor's   authority to object to one or more items of appropriation under   Subsection (c) of this section.          SECTION 2.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be   submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 2025.     The ballot shall be printed to provide for voting for or against the   proposition: "The constitutional amendment to limit the authority   of the governor to veto a bill passed by both houses of the Texas   Legislature with a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of   each house."