The Texas Constitution

1
The Texas Constitution
2
The (Not Quite Magnificent) Seven Texas
Constitutions

• 1827 - Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas
• 1836 - Constitution of the Republic
• 1845 - Constitution of 1845
• 1861 - Civil War Constitution
• 1866 - Constitution of 1866
• 1869 - Reconstruction Constitution
• 1876 Texas Constitution

3
The Constitution of 1876

• 1.) Anti-government charter
• 2.) Reaction to authoritarianism and corruption
• 3.) Increased limits on the legislature, courts,
  and governor
• 4.) Significant local control
• 5.) Trying to restore government to the people
  (popular sovereignty)
• 6.) Attempt to reestablish economic stability
• 7.) Limits on taxation capabilities
• 8.) Influential agricultural interests, including
  protection against governmental intervention and
  taxation

4
General Principles of the Texas Constitution

• Popular Sovereignty
• Limited Government
• Separation of Powers

5
Recent Attempts to Reform the Texas Constitution

• 1971 ? Legislatures leadership supports
  full-scale constitutional revision
• 1972 ? Voters approve a constitutional amendment
  to have a constitutional convention comprised of
  House and Senate members elected the same year
• 1973 ? Legislature creates a 37 member
  Constitutional Revision Commission to hold
  hearings and make recommendations to the
  Convention
• January 8, 1974 ? State Constitutional Convention
  convenes
• July 30, 1974 ? State Constitutional Convention
  ends in failure
• 1971-1999 ? 171 amendments approved by Texas
  voters
• 1876 -2003 ? 432 amendments approved by Texas
  voters

6
Future Change to the Texas Constitution?

• DO NOT expect broad, massive public pressure to
  comprehensively reform the Texas Constitution
• 1.) Suspicions of governmental power
• Texans worry over governmental abuses and
  excesses more than they worry about its inability
  to respond quickly, efficiently, and effectively
  to modern problems
• 2.) Complicated and complex charter
• difficult for average voters to comprehend and
  react to it
• 3.) Multiple groups and interests benefit from
  todays Constitution
• reform efforts may be undermined to minimize
  change harmful to them