By: Cain, Nelson S.J.R. No. 54 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 1-1 proposing a constitutional amendment to provide for submitting 1-2 certain legislation to the voters for their approval. 1-3 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by 1-5 adding Section 39a to read as follows: 1-6 Sec. 39a. (a) In addition to amendments to this 1-7 constitution, the legislature may submit a proposed statute to the 1-8 voters and make the enactment of the statute into law subject to 1-9 the approval of the voters. 1-10 (b) The legislature may submit alternative proposals for a 1-11 statute and provide that the measure receiving the highest number 1-12 of votes in the election held on the issue shall prevail over any 1-13 other, provided that in all cases a measure must receive at least a 1-14 majority of the votes cast in the election in order to be adopted. 1-15 (c) A statute or statutes to be submitted to the voters must 1-16 be approved by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to 1-17 each house of the legislature, entered by yeas and nays on the 1-18 journals. 1-19 (d) A measure submitted to the voters under this section 1-20 shall not be subject to veto by the governor. 1-21 (e) A brief explanatory statement of the proposed statute, 1-22 together with the date of the election and the wording of the 1-23 proposition as it is to appear on the ballot, shall be published in 2-1 the same manner as the statements required for proposed amendments 2-2 to this constitution. 2-3 (f) The election on proposed statutes submitted to the 2-4 voters under this section shall be held on the first Tuesday of 2-5 November. The election shall be held in accordance with the 2-6 procedures established by the legislature for voting on proposed 2-7 amendments to this constitution, and the returning officer in each 2-8 county shall make returns to the secretary of state of the number 2-9 of legal votes cast at the election for and against each proposed 2-10 statute. If it appears from the returns that a majority of the 2-11 votes cast have been cast in favor of a statute, proclamation 2-12 thereof shall be made by the governor, and the statute shall become 2-13 law under its own terms. 2-14 (g) During the first five years after the adoption of a 2-15 statute by the voters under this section, a two-thirds vote of the 2-16 members of both houses of the legislature shall be required to 2-17 amend or repeal the statute. 2-18 SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be 2-19 submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 7, 1995. 2-20 The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the 2-21 proposition: "The constitutional amendment allowing voters to 2-22 approve or disapprove proposed statutes submitted to them by the 2-23 legislature."