HBA-KDB, RKM H.J.R. 18 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.J.R. 18
By: Turner, Bob
State Affairs
3/1/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, members of the Texas House of Representatives serve two-year
terms.  Members could focus more attention on the needs of their districts
if they did not have to spend so much time campaigning for reelection.   As
proposed, House Joint Resolution 18 requires the submission to the voters
of a constitutional amendment providing members with four-year terms of
office. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this resolution
does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Joint Resolution 18 amends the Texas Constitution to provide the
members of the house of representatives with four-year terms of office.
The resolution requires the members of the House of Representatives of the
78th Legislature, which convenes in 2003, to be divided by lot into two
classes.  The resolution requires the members of the first class to vacate
their seats two years after the date on which their term of office begins,
and the members of the second class are required to vacate their seats four
years after the date on which their term of office begins, so that half of
the members will be elected biennially.   

The resolution also provides that if a member of the house of
representatives announces the member's candidacy or becomes a candidate in
any state senate election at any time before the end of the last regular
session of the legislature during the member's term of office, then the
announcement constitutes an automatic resignation of the member's office,
and the resulting vacancy is required to be filled in a manner provided by
the state constitution.  The resolution exempts from such automatic
resignation an announcement of candidacy or actual candidacy that occurs
after the beginning of the period provided by law for a person to file as a
candidate in the general or primary election for the next regular term of
the house of representatives.   

FOR ELECTION

This proposed constitutional amendment shall be submitted to the voters at
an election to be held  
November 6, 2001.  If the amendment is approved by the voters then the
automatic resignation  
provision takes effect January 1, 2003.