1-1  By:  Cain, Nelson                                     S.J.R. No. 54
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1995; March 16, 1995, read
    1-3  first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;
    1-4  April 24, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 8,
    1-5  Nays 4; April 24, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                        SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
    1-7  proposing a constitutional amendment to provide for submitting
    1-8  certain legislation to the voters for their approval.
    1-9        BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-10        SECTION 1.  Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by
   1-11  adding Section 39a to read as follows:
   1-12        Sec. 39a.  (a)  In addition to amendments to this
   1-13  constitution, the legislature may submit a proposed statute to the
   1-14  voters and make the enactment of the statute into law subject to
   1-15  the approval of the voters.
   1-16        (b)  The legislature may submit alternative proposals for a
   1-17  statute and provide that the measure receiving the highest number
   1-18  of votes in the election held on the issue shall prevail over any
   1-19  other, provided that in all cases a measure must receive at least a
   1-20  majority of the votes cast in the election in order to be adopted.
   1-21        (c)  A statute or statutes to be submitted to the voters must
   1-22  be approved by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to
   1-23  each house of the legislature, entered by yeas and nays on the
   1-24  journals.
   1-25        (d)  A measure submitted to the voters under this section
   1-26  shall not be subject to veto by the governor.
   1-27        (e)  A brief explanatory statement of the proposed statute,
   1-28  together with the date of the election and the wording of the
   1-29  proposition as it is to appear on the ballot, shall be published in
   1-30  the same manner as the statements required for proposed amendments
   1-31  to this constitution.
   1-32        (f)  The election on proposed statutes submitted to the
   1-33  voters under this section shall be held on the first Tuesday of
   1-34  November.  The election shall be held in accordance with the
   1-35  procedures established by the legislature for voting on proposed
   1-36  amendments to this constitution, and the returning officer in each
   1-37  county shall make returns to the secretary of state of the number
   1-38  of legal votes cast at the election for and against each proposed
   1-39  statute.  If it appears from the returns that a majority of the
   1-40  votes cast have been cast in favor of a statute, proclamation
   1-41  thereof shall be made by the governor, and the statute shall become
   1-42  law under its own terms.
   1-43        (g)  During the first five years after the adoption of a
   1-44  statute by the voters under this section, a two-thirds vote of the
   1-45  members of both houses of the legislature shall be required to
   1-46  amend or repeal the statute.
   1-47        SECTION 2.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
   1-48  submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 7, 1995.
   1-49  The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
   1-50  proposition:  "The constitutional amendment allowing voters to
   1-51  approve or disapprove proposed statutes submitted to them by the
   1-52  legislature."
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