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The Constitution Of The State Of Texas

Decent Essays

The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document representing the structure and function of the Texas government. The current Constitution took effect on February 15, 1876 and is the sixth Constitution in the history of Texas. When first constructed, the Texas Constitution was a poorly organized document that did not explain clearly the responsibility for government actions. Since its conception (through June 2011), there have been 646 proposed amendments and 476 adopted amendments added to this document. The Texas Constitution is also highly restrictive; it only grants enumerated powers to the State of Texas and does not allow for implied powers. The constant change to this Constitution has added to its poor organized condition that is extremely difficult to understand, even by the courts. The amendment process for the Texas Constitution is basic in that, there is only one way to propose and ratify an amendment. A two-thirds majority vote of both the Houses is required to propose an amendment and ratification is executed through a statewide public vote. Once an amendment 's proposed, the legislature sets a date for the election of the proposed amendment. . Before the election takes place, it is mandated that at least three months out from the vote all counties in Texas must publish the proposed amendment once a week for four weeks in a newspaper. Once it is time to vote, general elections are used (whenever possible) throughout the state to avoid the expense of

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