By Driver                                       H.J.R. No. 26

      75R1991 JSA-D                           

                                 A JOINT RESOLUTION

 1-1     proposing a constitutional amendment to limit the time that a

 1-2     person may serve in legislative office or on a state board of

 1-3     education.

 1-4           BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by

 1-6     adding Section 7a to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 7a.  (a)  A person is not eligible to be elected to the

 1-8     house of representatives if, on the date of the election, the

 1-9     person has served as a member of the house during all or part of

1-10     the eight most recent regular sessions of the legislature.

1-11           (b)  A person is not eligible to be elected to the senate if,

1-12     on the date of the election, the person has served as a member of

1-13     the senate during all or part of the eight most recent regular

1-14     sessions of the legislature.  This subsection does not prohibit a

1-15     person who has served as a member of the senate during all or part

1-16     of the seven most recent regular sessions of the legislature from

1-17     being elected to or serving a four-year term in the senate even

1-18     though at the end of that term the person will have served during

1-19     all or part of the eight most recent regular sessions.

1-20           (c)  Legislative service before the legislature convenes in

1-21     regular session in 1999 is not counted in determining whether a

1-22     person is disqualified from election to office under this section.

1-23           SECTION 2.  Article VII, Texas Constitution, is amended by

1-24     adding Section 7 to read as follows:

 2-1           Sec. 7.  (a)  A person is not eligible to a full or partial

 2-2     term as a member of the State Board of Education or another

 2-3     statewide board or commission the principal functions of which

 2-4     relate to public education at the primary and secondary levels  if

 2-5     on the date the term begins the person has served on that board or

 2-6     commission during any part of each of the 16 most recent calendar

 2-7     years preceding the calendar year in which the term begins.

 2-8           (b)  Nothing in this section prohibits a person from

 2-9     continuing to serve in an office covered by this section after the

2-10     end of a term as a holdover under Section 17, Article XVI, of this

2-11     constitution until a successor is qualified.

2-12           (c)  For purposes of this section, a calendar year begins

2-13     January 1 and ends December 31.

2-14           (d)  Service in office before January 1, 1999, is not counted

2-15     in determining whether a person is disqualified from office under

2-16     this section.

2-17           SECTION 3.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be

2-18     submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 1997.

2-19     The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the

2-20     following proposition:  "The constitutional amendment to limit the

2-21     time that a person may serve as a member of either house of the

2-22     Texas Legislature or as a member of the State Board of Education."