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."