| Key to Texas |
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Texas Government
The Texas legislature makes the laws for the state. It has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 150 members, and the Senate has 31. Representatives serve two-year terms. Senators have four-year terms. The legislature only meets every two years and convenes in January. The political party that has a majority of members elects the leaders in each house. Any senator or representative can propose a bill that becomes law if a majority of each house vote for it and if the governor signs it. If the governor disagrees with the legislature, he can veto the bill. It will not become law unless a two-thirds legislative majority override the veto. Then the bill becomes law. The executive branch of the government, headed by the governor, enforces laws and provides services for citizens. The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, the secretary of state, comptroller of public accounts, commissioner of agriculture, and the commissioner of the general land office are elected for four-year terms. Members of the Texas Railroad Commission have six-year terms. The commission is very powerful. It regulates production of oil, natural gas and coal and also oversees the railroad industry and the trucking industry in Texas. The judicial branch interprets the meaning of state laws, and it judges if people have broken such laws. It handles disputes about personal rights (civil cases) or crimes against the state (criminal cases). The judicial branch includes a supreme court, a court of criminal appeals, intermediate courts of appeals and many district courts. The supreme court, the court of criminal appeals and the court of civil appeals each have nine members. All are elected for six-year terms. The state has many major trial courts; they are called district courts. Their judges are elected to four-year terms. The state also has corporation and municipal courts. Major state revenue sources come from taxes, federal funding, users fees and interest and investment income. The primary state taxes include sales taxes, motor vehicle and motor fuels taxes, franchise taxes and natural gas and oil taxes. In 1998, federal funds made up about 28% of the state's revenues. Local Government Texas has more counties (254) than any other state. It has 1,171 cities and towns. Each county is governed by an elected commissioners court, which usually has three members. Other important officials are the county treasurer, the county clerk, the county attorney, the county coroner and the assessor-collector of taxes. Most are elected to four-year terms. The county government enforces state and local laws, collects taxes, maintains county roads and provides many other services, too. Municipal (city or town) governments have their own local laws called ordinances. But local laws can not conflict with state or federal laws. Municipal governments can levy local taxes and provide services such as maintaining city streets and providing police and fire protection. A mayor and city council govern most Texas cities and towns. Most of the counties and cities revenue comes from property taxes assessed on persons and businesses and local sales taxes. In addition, they can issue bonds to pay for building projects and other capital expenditures that cannot be paid for from the usual revenue sources. Civic Responsibilities The US and state constitutions spell out the rights of the citizens and the responsibilities of government. A democratic government also requires its citizens to exercise their civic responsibilities to operate successfully. Citizens need to be active, supportive members of society. They need to be informed about political issues and the performance of their elected representatives. They need to understand and follow the laws established by the government, vote in elections, pay taxes and participate in public service such as jury duty or the military.
Additional Resources
Study Guide Questions:
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