Amend HJR 19 on third reading by striking all below the
resolving clause and substituting the following:
SECTION 1. Section 12, Article III, Texas Constitution, is
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 12. (a) Each house of the legislature [House] shall
keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish the same.
(b) A vote taken by either house must be by record vote with
the vote of each member entered in the journal of that house if the
vote is on final passage of a bill, a resolution proposing or
ratifying a constitutional amendment, or another resolution other
than a resolution of a purely ceremonial or honorary nature. Either
house by rule may provide for exceptions to this requirement for a
bill that applies only to one district or political subdivision of
this state. For purposes of this subsection, a vote on final
passage includes a vote on third reading in a house, or on second
reading if the house suspends the requirement for three readings,
on whether to concur in the other house's amendments, and on whether
to adopt a conference committee report.
(c) The[; and the] yeas and nays of the members of either
house [House] on any other question shall, at the desire of any
three members present, be entered on the journals.
(d) Each house shall make each record vote required under
Subsection (b) of this section, including the vote of each
individual member as recorded in the journal of that house,
available to the public for a reasonable period of not less than two
years through the Internet or a successor electronic communications
system accessible by the public. For a record vote on a bill or on a
resolution proposing or ratifying a constitutional amendment, the
record vote must be accessible to the public by reference to the
designated number of the bill or resolution and by reference to its
subject.
SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 6, 2007.
The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
proposition: "The constitutional amendment to require that a
record vote be taken by a house of the legislature on final passage
of any bill, other than certain local bills, of a resolution
proposing or ratifying a constitutional amendment, or of any other
nonceremonial resolution, and to provide for public access on the
Internet to those record votes."