Pros And Cons Of The Texas Executive Branch

Moreover, it is full of nonessential, and unorganized legislations that have since become outdated and invalidated, and this should be ratified by being rewritten in a more clear, to-the-point, and modernized manner so that the Texas legislating process can function more efficiently and effectively. In addition, the lack of time the Texas Constitution allocates for the Texas House and Senate to meet in correlation with the demands of such a vastly populated state, is beyond outdated, and calls for modification. Moreover, the small salaries these members receive also unduly limits the attention our Executive Branch members can direct towards their responsibilities to Texas and its citizens. Furthermore, although it is important to put some limitations on the power of government, the extreme limitations that the Texas Constitution places on the Legislative and Executive branches unnecessarily impedes the Texas legislating

In my analysis of the Texas Constitution I will assess the three branches of our State Government, the Legislative Branch, Executive Branch and finally the Judicial Branch. Our State Government resembles our National Government in various ways but also in very different ways which we will review in this essay. I will identify a handful of criticisms and problems associated with the provisions in each of these branches of our State Government and identify suggested reforms that many feel are needed.

The Texas government reflects a negative attitude towards having centralized governments. A centralized government is when the power of the government belongs to very few people and is not dispersed among a larger group. That could include things like monarchies and dictatorships where there only a single authority. Centralized governments is exactly the opposite of what Texas displays. Texas is an example of a decentralized government where the power is dispersed amongst a group of multiple people. There is no single authority in a Texas government because it includes many people with power like attorney generals, governor, senators and representatives. What really makes Texas decentralized is the citizens having the ability to choose whoever they want to have power in the Texas government.

For instance, the Speaker of the House must set the agenda, appoint chairs of committees and, have an impact over what gets voted on in the legislature (Champagne et al., 2017, p.209). Another important persona in the state legislature is the lieutenant governor; the president of the state senate. He is held accountable for setting the legislative agenda and appointing committee chairs (Champagne et al., 2017, p.210). Moreover, the committee system of the state legislature must work together to perform more common governmental tasks. Such as, when the Texas Senate and House members work together to pass a new law (Champagne et al., 2017, p. 211-212).

According to Texas Politics, "The only executive official appointed by the Governor is the Secretary of State. The other officials campaign independently and do not have to campaign as a unified group or slate. Furthermore, these officials that are elected independently and do not have to answer to the governor. I like this structure because at the national level, the public elects the President and from there on our, he decides and personally elects his on candidates.

The legislative branch plays an important role in the constitution and forces legislators to let voters make the decisions and changes within the state, instead of just picking and choosing which laws or amendments they see fit to pass, or reject, regardless of the how large or small the significance or importance of the issue is. The presidential candidate, for the United States, generally chooses who his or her vice president running mate will be. Unlike the executive branch in the Texas Constitution, compared to the U.S. Constitution, those who run for political office in Texas such as the governor, who will be chief executive of the state, lieutenant governor, comptroller, commissioner of General Land Office, attorney general and members of the Texas Railroad Commission are all elected by the citizens of Texas statewide, and are not chosen or appointed by any of the officials or the governor elected. All of the governors counterparts will be elected, and key elected policy-making boards, and not personally chosen. The last branch included in the Texas constitution is the judicial branch. Article V in the constitution has three distinctive features; first is it has six different types of courts and two supreme courts (civil and criminal courts). Second, the state has different levels of trial courts and those courts can overlap each other, county

Texas governors are not as powerful as some people think. Their personality and appearance matter the most when being considered for a vote. The governor is seen the most rather the other officials, which is why their personality and appearance is so important. Governors used to be able to serve a 2 year term but that changed in 1974. The service term increased by 2 years. Rick Perry was elected in 2000 and is Texas’ longest serving governor. To be an eligible candidate the aspiring governor should be at least 30 years of age. Usually, the governor is a white, mid-age, male. Over time things changed when Miriam Ferguson and Ann Richards were elected. To be a candidate you must also be a U.S. citizen and at least lived in the state 5

The executive branch consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. Texas has a plural executive branch system, which limits the power of the Governor. Except for the Secretary of State, all executive officers are elected independently, making them directly answerable to the public but not the Governor. The executive branch also includes several boards and commissions that are made up of a mixture of elections and gubernatorial appointments confirmed by the Senate. In addition, there are many independent boards, commissions, and agencies that operate independently of the governor. Power is decentralized among many officials. Although the governor appoints over 3,000 individuals to 285-plus state boards and commissions, he has very limited removal authority and thus, has little control over the executive branch. Even with the Governor appointing several members of boards and commissions, the overall effect is a large network of administrative groups that neither the

There are many different opinions on how much power the governor of Texas should have than other states. Some people debate on whether Texas government should have a singular executive instead of plural executive. There are pros and cons of having a plural executive model and at times they believe that it can be more democratic than the single executive model. The governor’s power is debated about whether or not they have not enough or too much power with governing the state of Texas.

Texas has been through a lot of changes and constitutions. After constants debates of what the constitution should be, the current Texas constitution was established in 1876 and is the 7th constitution Texas has had. It created 3 branches of government: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The current constitution has great qualities, but it also contains a lot of weaknesses that shouldn’t be ignored for the sake of pride.

The core function of the Texas Legislature is to formulate and enact laws. Apart from the enactment of laws, the legislative body is also mandated with the functions of shaping the state’s political agenda, performing checks and balances on state of the state’s government, pass the state’s budget, as well as oversee the functions of the administration. Similarly, the body also sets the critical details or a court’s organizational procedures when it comes to matters that pertain to impeachment and court disputes regarding election petitions. It is equally important to mention that the body is also mandated with the function of informing and educating the electorate regarding the critical functions the body is required to deliver to the people as provided for by the laws of the State of Texas (Dautrich and Yalof 684).

The most common Governmental figure in Texas is the Governor. This power is nothing more than that of a celebrity status. Although the Governor has the power to appoint independent boards and commissions, the senate has to confirm these appointments. This is called senatorial courtesy What is meant when this job is more like a celebrity is because of the Governor‘s ceremonial roles as acting as Chief of State. This increases the Governor‘s popularity and prestige, and broadens the image of the office. One important power or role that the Governor is responsible for is coordinating relations between Texas and other states. This can definitely be an important factor. For example, the need of federal aid during the time of an emergency can require the help of other states. The Governor also acts as the Chief Budget officer of the state. Even though the presiding officer presides over this office, the Governor does have some control.

First is the executive branch. The executive branch is often referred to as a “plural executive” because many of the offices in that branch of government are elected directly by Texas voters. The Executive Department of the State is composed of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Commissioner of the General Land Office, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State, all of whom are elected except the Secretary of State (who is appointed by the Governor). The current governor of Texas (48th) is Republican Greg Abbott, a former lawyer and former Attorney General. In order to be the governor of Texas, one must be at least 30 years of age, a US citizen, a registered voter, and must be living in Texas for at least the last 5 years. Being Governor is a 4 year term with no term limits and is a full time job with a salary of $150,000 per year. The Governor has powers including some law enforcement powers, some military powers, the title of “Head of State” who gives the State of the State Address, can appoint department heads like the department head of Park and Wildlife and Department of Transportation, and he

Texas Legislature met for the 85th time last spring since statehood. The Texas Legislature passed several laws from State budget, protecting children, schools, sanctuary cities, and many more, at the same time some laws where not passed.

Article 153 of the Constitution requires that there shall be a Governor for each State. One person can be appointed as Governor for two or more States. Article 154 vests the executive power of the State in the Governor. Article 155 says that “The Governor of a State shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal”. Article 156 provides that “The Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President”. The term of the Governor is prescribed as five