By Rabuck                                             H.J.R. No. 26
       74R2272 JSA-D
                                  A JOINT RESOLUTION
    1-1  proposing a constitutional amendment relating to the length of the
    1-2  term of office of a member of the house of representatives and
    1-3  imposing term limits on members of the legislature.
    1-4        BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Article III, Section 4, of the Texas Constitution
    1-6  is amended to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 4.  (a)  The Members of the House of Representatives
    1-8  shall be chosen by the qualified electors for the term of four
    1-9  years, but a new House of Representatives shall be chosen after
   1-10  every apportionment, and the Members elected after each
   1-11  apportionment shall be divided by lot into two classes.  The
   1-12  Members of the first class shall vacate their seats two years after
   1-13  the date on which their term of office begins, and the Members of
   1-14  the second class shall vacate their seats four years after the date
   1-15  on which their term of office begins, so that half of the Members
   1-16  will be elected biennially <two years>.
   1-17        (b)  Representatives shall take office following their
   1-18  election, on the day set by law for the convening of the Regular
   1-19  Session of the Legislature, and shall serve thereafter for the full
   1-20  term of years to which elected and until their successors shall
   1-21  have been elected and qualified.
   1-22        (c)  Members of the House of Representatives shall be elected
   1-23  to terms as provided by Subsection (a) of this section beginning
   1-24  with the election of Members of the 75th Legislature, to convene in
    2-1  1997.  Members of the House elected to the 75th Legislature shall
    2-2  draw lots for two-year and four-year terms as if elected after a
    2-3  reapportionment.  Members of the House of Representatives of the
    2-4  74th Legislature serve two-year terms as provided by the law in
    2-5  effect when those Members were elected.  This subsection expires
    2-6  January 1, 2003.
    2-7        SECTION 2.  Article III of the Texas Constitution is amended
    2-8  by adding Section 7a to read as follows:
    2-9        Sec. 7a.  (a)  A person is not eligible to be elected to the
   2-10  house of representatives if the person served as a member of the
   2-11  house during all or part of the six regular sessions of the
   2-12  legislature immediately preceding the date of the election.
   2-13        (b)  A person is not eligible to be elected to the senate if
   2-14  the person served as a member of the senate during all or part of
   2-15  the six regular sessions of the legislature immediately preceding
   2-16  the date of the election.
   2-17        (c)  For an election that occurs during a regular session of
   2-18  the legislature, that session is not considered as a preceding
   2-19  regular session for purposes of determining a person's eligibility
   2-20  under this section to be elected at that election.
   2-21        (d)  Legislative service before the legislature convenes in
   2-22  regular session in 1997 is not counted in determining whether a
   2-23  person is disqualified from election to office under this section.
   2-24        SECTION 3.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
   2-25  submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 7, 1995.
   2-26  The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
   2-27  following proposition:  "The constitutional amendment to impose
    3-1  term limits on members of the Texas Legislature and to provide for
    3-2  four-year terms for members of the Texas House of Representatives."