TITLE: Requesting the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study a non-substantive reorganization of the Texas Constitution.

SUMMARY: Requesting the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study a non-substantive reorganization of the Texas Constitution.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The current Texas Constitution is this state's fifth charter document since statehood, having been formed on the basis of previous documents dating back to the days when Texas was an independent republic; and, WHEREAS, The proud independence of Texas has carried forth inimitably through each of its constitutions, in both the Republic of Texas and State of Texas constitutions, granting the government limited powers and giving broad control to voters, thereby embodying the principle of "consent of the governed"; and, WHEREAS, First enacted in 1876, the Texas Constitution was organized into 289 sections contained within 17 articles outlining the scope, role, and limitations of governance in this state; and, WHEREAS, Through proposed changes sent to Texas voters by the legislature, sections within those same 17 articles have been added and deleted, bringing our current document to 383 sections; and, WHEREAS, The Texas Constitution of 1876 has expanded through the ratification of proposed amendments, with 467 amendments being approved, while 176 have been defeated; and, WHEREAS, By far, the Texas Constitution is the nation's lengthiest document; sections have been placed in the constitution with apparent disregard for the appropriate article with which it belongs; outdated bonding authority and other archaic references remain bound in the document, despite previous attempts to address non-substantive revisions to the Texas Constitution, the most recent of which occurred in 1999; and WHEREAS, The Texas Constitution of 1876 remains the Supreme Law of the State of Texas, and a strong, independent statement asserting the right of Texans to shape their government to their view and their capacity to support it; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study a non-substantive reorganization of the Texas Constitution; and, be it further RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including findings and recommendations, to the 83rd Texas Legislature in January 2013.