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A JOINT RESOLUTION
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proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing the governor to |
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reduce the amount of an item of appropriation in an appropriations |
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bill. |
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 14, Article IV, Texas Constitution, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 14. (a) Every bill which shall have passed both houses |
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of the Legislature shall be presented to the Governor for his |
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approval. If he approve he shall sign it; but if he disapprove it, |
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he shall return it, with his objections, to the House in which it |
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originated, which House shall enter the objections at large upon |
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its journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such |
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reconsideration, two-thirds of the members present agree to pass |
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the bill, it shall be sent, with the objections, to the other House, |
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by which likewise it shall be reconsidered; and, if approved by |
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two-thirds of the members of that House, it shall become a law; but |
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in such cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas |
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and nays, and the names of the members voting for and against the |
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bill shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively. If |
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any bill shall not be returned by the Governor with his objections |
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within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been |
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presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he |
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had signed it, unless the Legislature, by its adjournment, prevent |
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its return, in which case it shall be a law, unless he shall file the |
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same, with his objections, in the office of the Secretary of State |
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and give notice thereof by public proclamation within twenty days |
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after such adjournment. |
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(b) If any bill presented to the Governor contains several |
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items of appropriation, the Governor [he] may object to one or more |
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of those [such] items, or reduce the amount of one or more of those |
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items, and approve the other portion of the bill. In such case the |
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Governor [he] shall append to the bill, at the time of signing it, a |
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statement of the items to which the Governor [he] objects, and a |
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statement of the items of appropriation that the Governor has |
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reduced that specifies the amount of each reduction. No [and no] |
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item so objected to shall take effect, and the amount of an item of |
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appropriation reduced by the Governor shall be in accordance with |
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the Governor's reduction. If the Legislature be in session, the |
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Governor [he] shall transmit to the House in which the bill |
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originated a copy of such statement, and the items objected to or |
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reduced shall be separately considered. If, on reconsideration, |
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one or more of such items objected to be approved by two-thirds of |
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the members present of each House, the same shall be part of the |
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law, notwithstanding the objections of the Governor. If, on |
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reconsideration, the amount of an item of appropriation reduced by |
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the Governor is increased by two-thirds of the members present of |
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each House to a specific amount that does not exceed the amount of |
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the original appropriation, the amount of the item of appropriation |
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as increased by the Legislature on reconsideration shall be part of |
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the law, notwithstanding the reduction made by the Governor. |
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(c) If any such bill, containing several items of |
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appropriation, not having been presented to the Governor ten days |
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(Sundays excepted) prior to adjournment, be in the hands of the |
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Governor at the time of adjournment, the Governor [he] shall have |
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twenty days from such adjournment within which to file objections |
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to or reduce any items thereof and make proclamation of the same. |
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Such[, and such] item or items to which the Governor objects shall |
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not take effect, and the amount of an item of appropriation reduced |
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by the Governor shall be in accordance with the Governor's |
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reduction. |
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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 3, 2015. |
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The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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proposition: "The constitutional amendment granting the governor, |
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in addition to the existing power to veto an appropriation by |
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line-item veto, the power to reduce the amount of an appropriation |
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made by the legislature." |