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A JOINT RESOLUTION
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proposing a constitutional amendment to require each house of the |
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legislature to take a record vote on final passage of a bill and to |
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publish the record vote on the Internet. |
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 12, Article III, Texas Constitution, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 12. (a) Each house of the legislature [House] shall |
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keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish the same. |
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(b) A vote taken by either house must be by record vote with |
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the vote of each member entered in the journal of that house if the |
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vote is on final passage of a bill, except that either house by rule |
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may provide for exceptions to this requirement for a bill that |
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applies only to one district or political subdivision of this state |
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or one defined geographic territory within this state; and the yeas |
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and nays of the members of either house [House] on any other |
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question shall, at the desire of any three members present, be |
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entered on the journals. For purposes of this subsection, a vote on |
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final passage includes a vote on a bill's third reading in a house |
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or on second reading if the house suspends the requirement for three |
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readings, on whether to concur in the other house's amendments to |
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the bill, and on whether to adopt a conference committee report on |
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the bill. |
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(c) Each house shall make each record vote required by |
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Subsection (b) of this section that indicates the vote of each |
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member on final passage of a bill available to the public, for a |
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reasonable time as determined by that house, through the Internet |
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or a successor electronic communications system accessible by the |
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public by reference to the subject and number of the bill. |
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SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 6, 2007. |
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The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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proposition: "The constitutional amendment to require that a |
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record vote be taken by a house of the legislature on final passage |
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of any bill, subject to exceptions for bills of purely local |
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applicability, and to provide for public access on the Internet to |
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record votes on bills." |