Texas Almanac, 1952-1953 Page: 353
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TEXAS STATE CONSTITUTION. 353
Article II I.-(Continued.)
same substance shall be passed into a law
during the same session. After a resolution
has been acted on and defeated, no resolu-
tion containing the same substance shall be
considered at the same session.
Sec. 35. Bills to Contain but One Subject,
Which Must Be Expressed in Title.-No bill
(except .general appropriation bills, which
may embrace the various subjects and ac-
counts for and on account of which moneys
are appropriated) shall contain more than
one subject, which shall be expressed in its
title. But if any subject shall be embraced
in an act which shall not be expressed in the
title such act shall be void only as to so
much thereof as shall not be so expressed.
Sec. 36. Reviving or Amending Laws.-No
law shall be revived or amended by refer-
ence to its title; but in such case the act
revived, or the section or sections amended,
shall be re-enacted and published at length.
SSec. 37. Reference to Committees.-No bill
shall be considered unless it has been first
referred to a committee and reported thereon,
and no bill shall be passed which has not
been presented and referred to and reported
from a committee at least three days before
the final adjournment of the Legislature.
Sec. 38. Signing Bills.-The presiding of-
ficer of each house shall, in the presence of
the house over which he presides, sign all
bills and joint resolutions passed by the
Legislature, after their titles have been pub-
licly read before signing, and the fact of
signing shall be entered on the journals.
Sec. 39. When Laws Take Effect.-No law
passed by the Legislature, except the gen-
eral appropriation act, shall take effect or
go into force until ninety days after the ad-
journment of the session at which it was en-
acted, unless in case of an emergency, which
emergency must be expressed in a preamble
or in the body of the act, .the Legislature shall.
by a vote of two thirds of all the members
elected to each house, otherwise direct; said
vote to be taken by yeas and nays, and en-
tered upon the journals.
Sec. 40. Business and Duration of Special
Sessions.-When the Legislature shall be con-
vened in special session, there shall be no
legislation upon subjects other than those
designated in the proclamation of the Gov-
ernor calling such session, or presented to
them by the Governor; and no such session
shall be of longer duration than thirty days.
See. 4L Elections: Votes, How Taken.-In
all elections by the Senate and House of
Representatives, jointly or separately, the
vote shall be given viva voce, except in the
election of their officers.
Requirements and Limitations.
Sec. 42. To Pass Necessary Laws.-The
Legislature shall pass such laws as may be
necessary to carry into effect the provisions
of this Constitution:
Sec. 43. Revision and Publication of Laws.-
The first session of the Legislature under this
Constitution shall provide for revising, digest-
ing and publishing the laws, civil and crimi-
nal; and a like revision, digest and publica-
tion may be made every ten years thereafter;
provided, that in the adoption of and giving
effect to any such digest or revision the
Legislature shall not be limited by Secs. 35
and 36 of this article.
Sec. 44. Compensation of Officers: Pay-
ment of Claims.-The Legislature shall pro-
vide by law for the compensation of all
officers, servants, agents and public contrac-
tors, not provided for in this Constitution,
but shall not grant extra compensation to
any officer, agent, servant or public contrac-
tors, after such public service shall have
been performed or contract entered into for.
the performance of the same; nor grant, by
appropriation or otherwise, any amount ofmoney out of the Treasury of the State, to
any individual, on a claim, real or pretended,
when the same shall not have been provided
for by pre-existing law; nor employ anyone
in the name of the State, unless authorized
by pre-existing law.
Sec. 45. Change of Venue.-The power to
change the venue in civil and criminal cases
shall be vested in the courts, to be exer-
cised in such manner as shall be provided
by law; and the Legislature shall pass laws
for. that purpose.
Sec. 46. Legislature Shall Enact Vagrant
Laws.-The Legislature shall, at its first
session after the adoption of this Constitu-
tion, enact effective vagrant laws.
Sec. 47. Lotteries Shall Be Prohibited.-
The Legislature shall pass laws prohibiting
the establishment of lotteries and gift enter-
prises in" this State, as well as the sale of
tickets in lotteries, gift enterprises or other
evasions involving the lottery principle, estab-
lished or existing in other states.
Sec. 48. Power to Levy Taxes Limited.-
The Legislature shall not have the right to
levy taxes or impose burdens upon the people
except to raise revenue sufficient for the
economical administration of the government,
in which may be included the following pur-
poses:
The payment of all interest upon the bonded
debt of this State.
The erection and repairs of public build-
ings.
The benefit of the sinking fund, which shall
not be more than 2 per centum of the public
debt; and for the payment of the present
floating debt of the State, including matured
bonds, for the payment of which the sinking
fund is inadequate.
The support of public schools, in which
shall be included colleges and universities es-
tablished by the State, and the maintenance
and support of the Agricultural and Mechani-
cal College of Texas.
The payment of the cost of assessing and
collecting the revenue; and the payment of
all officers, agents and employees of the State
Government, and all incidental expenses con-
nected therewith.
The support of the Blind Asylum, the Deaf
and Dumb Asylum and the Insane Asylum,
the State Cemetery and the public grounds
of the State.
The enforcement of quarantine regulations
on the coast of Texas.
The protection of the frontier.
Sec. 48-a. Teachers' Retirement Fund.-In
addition to the powers given to the Legisla-
ture, under Section 48 of Article III, it shall
have the right to levy taxes to provide a re-
tirement fund for persons employed in public
schools, colleges and universities, supported
wholly or partly by the State; provided that
the amount contributed by the State to such
retirement fund shall equal the amount paid
for the same purpose from the income of
each such person, and shall not exceed at
any time 5 peT centum of the compensation
paid to each such person by the State, and/or
school districts, and shall in no one year ex-
ceed the sum of one hundred eighty ($180)
dollars for any such person, provided no per-
son shall be eligible for a pension under this
amendment who has not taught twenty years
in the State of Texas, but shall be en itled
to a refund of the moneys paid into the fund.
All funds provided from the compensation
of said persons, or by the State of Texas,
for such retirement fund, as are received
by the Treasury of the State of Texas, shall
be invested in bonds of the United States,
the State of Texas, or counties or cities of
this State, or in bonds issued by any agency
ef the United States Government, the pay-
ment of the principal of and interest on
which is guaranteed by the United States;
provided that a sufficient amount of said
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Texas Almanac, 1952-1953, book, 1951; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117137/m1/355/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.