By Rabuck                                       H.J.R. No. 27

      75R2134 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.  Section 4, Article III, Texas Constitution, is

 1-6     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.  A new House of Representatives shall be chosen after every

1-10     apportionment that changes the population of any district according

1-11     to the most recent federal decennial census by one percent or more,

1-12     and the Members elected after each such apportionment shall be

1-13     divided by lot into two classes.  The Members of the first class

1-14     shall vacate their seats two years after the date on which their

1-15     term of office begins, and the Members of the second class shall

1-16     vacate their seats four years after the date on which their term of

1-17     office begins, so that half of the Members will be elected

1-18     biennially [two years].

1-19           (b)  Representatives shall take office following their

1-20     election, on the day set by law for the convening of the Regular

1-21     Session of the Legislature, and shall serve thereafter for the full

1-22     term of years to which elected and until their successors shall

1-23     have been elected and qualified.

1-24           (c)  Members of the House of Representatives shall be elected

 2-1     to terms as provided by Subsection (a) of this section beginning

 2-2     with the election of Members of the 76th Legislature, to convene in

 2-3     1999.  Members of the House elected to the 76th Legislature shall

 2-4     draw lots for two-year and four-year terms as if elected after a

 2-5     reapportionment.  Members of the House of Representatives of the

 2-6     75th Legislature serve two-year terms as provided by the law in

 2-7     effect when those Members were elected.  This subsection expires

 2-8     January 1, 2005.

 2-9           SECTION 2.  Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by

2-10     adding Section 7a to read as follows:

2-11           Sec. 7a.  (a)  A person is not eligible to be elected to the

2-12     house of representatives if the person served as a member of the

2-13     house during all or part of the six regular sessions of the

2-14     legislature immediately preceding the date of the election.

2-15           (b)  A person is not eligible to be elected to the senate if

2-16     the person served as a member of the senate during all or part of

2-17     the six regular sessions of the legislature immediately preceding

2-18     the date of the election.

2-19           (c)  For an election that occurs during a regular session of

2-20     the legislature, that session is not considered as a preceding

2-21     regular session for purposes of determining a person's eligibility

2-22     under this section to be elected at that election.

2-23           (d)  Legislative service before the legislature convenes in

2-24     regular session in 1999 is not counted in determining whether a

2-25     person is disqualified from election to office under this section.

2-26           SECTION 3.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be

2-27     submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 1997.

 3-1     The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the

 3-2     following proposition:  "The constitutional amendment to impose

 3-3     term limits on members of the Texas Legislature and to provide for

 3-4     four-year terms for members of the Texas House of Representatives."