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R E S O L U T I O N
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BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of |
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Texas, That, in accordance with Sections 9(b) and 11, Article III, |
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Texas Constitution, the House of Representatives of the 80th |
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Legislature shall elect a speaker of the house from its own |
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membership as follows: |
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SECTION 1. NOMINATIONS. (a) The secretary of state shall |
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call for nominations from the floor for the election of speaker of |
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the house of representatives and shall recognize every member who |
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desires to make a nomination. The order in which members desiring to |
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make a nomination shall proceed shall be determined by lot. |
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(b) Each member recognized for this purpose shall |
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immediately advance to the front microphone and make the nomination |
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in a nominating speech not to exceed five minutes in length. |
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(c) After all nominations have been made, the secretary of |
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state shall declare nominations to be closed. |
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SECTION 2. SECONDS. (a) A person is not considered a |
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nominee unless the nomination is seconded by at least one member. |
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(b) One seconding speech shall be allowed for each |
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nomination in the order in which nominations were made, then other |
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seconding speeches shall be allowed in rotation in the same order. |
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(c) No more than five seconding speeches shall be allowed |
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for each nominee. |
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(d) A seconding speech may not exceed three minutes in |
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length. |
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SECTION 3. VOTING. (a) The secretary of state shall direct |
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the chief clerk to distribute to each member, at the member's desk, |
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a ballot to be used in the election of the speaker. The ballot shall |
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be a blank sheet of paper sized 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches. |
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(b) Each member shall complete the member's ballot by: |
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(1) writing the name of the nominee for whom the member |
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votes; |
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(2) printing only the member's district number on the |
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ballot; and |
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(3) folding the ballot. |
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(c) The chief clerk shall designate a voting area near |
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the reading clerk's desk and shall provide a voting box for the |
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marked ballots. Upon completing the member's ballot, the member |
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shall proceed to the voting area and deposit the member's folded |
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ballot in the voting box. As each member deposits the member's |
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ballot in the voting box, the chief clerk shall record, on a roster |
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of the members elected to the 80th Legislature, that the member has |
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deposited the member's ballot in the voting box. When it appears |
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that all ballots have been deposited in the box, the secretary of |
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state shall ask if all ballots have been cast and provide those |
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members who have not cast their ballots a final opportunity to |
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deposit their ballots in the voting box. |
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(d) After all ballots have been cast and placed in the |
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voting box, the chief clerk shall sign the roster indicating which |
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members cast ballots and deliver the roster to the |
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sergeant-at-arms. The ballots shall then be counted by the |
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sergeant-at-arms and the secretary of state on the house floor. The |
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sergeant-at-arms and secretary of state shall prepare and sign a |
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tally sheet indicating the total votes received by each nominee. |
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The secretary of state shall announce only the total votes cast for |
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each nominee, as reflected on the tally sheet. Immediately after |
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the results are announced, the sergeant-at-arms and secretary of |
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state shall securely seal the ballots and the chief clerk's roster |
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in an envelope, sign the outside of the envelope, and deliver the |
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envelope to the chief clerk. The envelope containing the ballots |
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shall be kept sealed and secure by the chief clerk until the 140th |
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day of the Regular Session of the 80th Legislature, at which time |
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the envelope shall be presented to the journal clerk, who shall |
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record each member's vote for speaker in the journal. |
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SECTION 4. RESULTS; RUNOFF. (a) The secretary of state |
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shall announce the results of the election. If a nominee receives a |
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majority of the votes cast, the secretary of state shall declare |
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that nominee to be elected to the office of speaker of the house of |
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representatives. For purposes of determining a majority of the |
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votes cast for speaker under this resolution, only a ballot |
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indicating the name of a single nominee is considered a vote cast. |
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(b) If no nominee has received a majority of the votes cast, |
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the two nominees receiving the largest number of votes in the first |
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ballot shall be in a runoff election conducted in accordance with |
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the voting procedures for the first ballot. The secretary of state |
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shall announce the results of the runoff election and declare the |
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nominee receiving a majority of the votes cast to be elected. |
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SECTION 5. TIE VOTES. (a) If in the first ballot no nominee |
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receives a majority of the votes cast and it is not possible to |
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determine the two nominees receiving the largest number of votes |
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cast because of a tie vote, additional rounds of balloting shall |
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occur in the same manner as the first ballot among the same |
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nominees, other than a nominee who withdraws, until a nominee |
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receives a majority of the votes cast, or if no nominee receives a |
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majority of the votes cast, until it is possible to determine the |
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two nominees who receive the largest number of votes cast. |
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(b) If in a runoff between two nominees no nominee receives |
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a majority of the votes cast because of a tie vote, additional |
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rounds of runoff balloting shall occur in the same manner as the |
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first runoff between the same two nominees until one of the nominees |
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in the runoff receives a majority of the votes cast. |
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SECTION 6. OATH. After the election, the secretary of state |
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shall direct the administration of the oath of office to the |
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speaker-elect. The speaker shall take the chair immediately after |
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taking the oath of office. |