By:  Cain                                             S.J.R. No. 24
         99S0432/1                           
                               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, however, that in all cases a measure must receive
1-14     at least a majority of the votes cast in the election in order to
1-15     be adopted.
1-16           (c)  A statute or statutes to be submitted to the voters must
1-17     be approved by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to
1-18     each house of the legislature, entered by yeas and nays on the
1-19     journals.
1-20           (d)  A measure submitted to the voters under this section
1-21     shall not be subject to veto by the governor.
1-22           (e)  A brief explanatory statement of the proposed statute,
1-23     together with the date of the election and the wording of the
 2-1     proposition as it is to appear on the ballot, shall be published in
 2-2     the same manner as the statements required for proposed amendments
 2-3     to this constitution.
 2-4           (f)  The election on proposed statutes submitted to the
 2-5     voters under this section shall be held on the first Tuesday of
 2-6     November.  The election shall be held in accordance with the
 2-7     procedures established by the legislature for voting on proposed
 2-8     amendments to this constitution, and the returning officer in each
 2-9     county shall make returns to the secretary of state of the number
2-10     of legal votes cast at the election for and against each proposed
2-11     statute.  If it appears from the returns that a majority of the
2-12     votes cast have been cast in favor of a statute, proclamation
2-13     thereof shall be made by the governor, and the statute shall become
2-14     law under its own terms.
2-15           (g)  During the first five years after the adoption of a
2-16     statute by the voters under this section, a two-thirds vote of the
2-17     members of both houses of the legislature shall be required to
2-18     amend or repeal the statute.
2-19           SECTION 2.  This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
2-20     submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 2, 1999.
2-21     The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
2-22     proposition:  "The constitutional amendment allowing voters to
2-23     approve or disapprove proposed statutes submitted to them by the
2-24     legislature."