32nd 1st Called Session
July 31, 1911 - August 29, 1911

Leadership

Governor: Oscar Branch Colquitt
Lieutenant Governor: Asbury Bascom Davidson
Speaker(s) of the House: Sam Rayburn 

Special Session Topics

• Apportioning the State into Senatorial Districts and into Representative Districts and fixing the basis of representation therefore. [Tue Jun 20, 1911]
• Appropriations for the support of the State Government and for the public service for the fiscal years beginning September 1, 1911, and September 1, 1912. [Tue Jun 20, 1911]
• Fix the ad valorem tax rate for general revenue purposes, and for the maintenance of public free schools, and the repeal of Chapter 98, Acts of the Twenty-ninth Legislature, Regular Session, and Chapter 13, Acts of the First Called Session of the Twenty-ninth Legislature, known as the "automatic tax law." [Mon Jul 31, 1911]
• Providing for the payment of deficiencies arising out of the administration of public affairs. [Mon Jul 31, 1911]
• Increase the appropriation for the enforcement of the law. [Sat Aug 5, 1911]
• Prescribing a uniform system of text-books for use in the public schools of the State. [Mon Aug 14, 1911]
• Providing for the appointment of a commission of five competent lawyers, who shall sit at Austin, for the purpose of reforming and revising our civil and criminal codes and our court procedure; prescribing adequate compensation for the services of members of said commission, who shall devote their entire time to this work until the same is completed. [Mon Aug 14, 1911]
• Relief of the Supreme Court, by prescribing and fixing its jurisdiction. [Mon Aug 14, 1911]
• Amending the Feed Control and Pure Food Laws, which will consolidate the work and control of pure food and feed inspection under the Dairy and Pure Food Commissioner. [Tue Aug 15, 1911]
• Amendment to the fire insurance laws which will more adequately protect the public from frauds and impositions now being practiced upon them by the organizers and managers of the wildcat fire insurance companies. [Tue Aug 15, 1911]
• Create a State Normal School Board of Regents, who shall have management and control of the four State Normal Schools for white teachers; to provide for the appointment of said Board and define its duties and powers. [Tue Aug 15, 1911]
• Create the position of Public Highway Engineer, whose duty shall be to cooperate with county and precinct officers in laying cut and building better public roads, and otherwise defining his duties and fixing his compensation. [Tue Aug 15, 1911]
• Amending Section 5, Art. 172 of the General Laws of the State of Texas, passed by the Thirtieth Legislature at its Regular Session, approved April 24, 1907, providing for the sale of land situated on Mustang Island, so as to provide that the proceeds of such sale may be transferred to the permanent school fund and invested for its benefit. [Wed Aug 16, 1911]
• Apportioning the State into congressional districts. [Wed Aug 16, 1911]
• Passing a concurrent resolution or a bill authorizing the correction of errors in the codified civil and criminal codes, and the code of procedure. [Wed Aug 16, 1911]
• To consider an Act prescribing the number of hours constituting a legal day's labor, and fixing penalties for its violation, with a provision that nothing in said Act shall be construed to prohibit the right to contract for extra hours of labor for extra pay in cases of emergency. [Wed Aug 16, 1911]
• Amending Chapter 7, Acts of the First Called Session of the Thirty-first Legislature, so as to provide that precincts and counties by a majority vote may authorize the issuance of bonds for the building or making of good roads. [Thu Aug 17, 1911]
• Amending Section 6, Chapter 68, of the General Laws of the Thirty-second Legislature, which fixes the minimum price at which the Game, Fish and Oyster Commissioner may sell marl, sand and shells, or mudshell, etc., so as to fix a reduced minimum price in order to encourage the consumption of the same. [Thu Aug 17, 1911]
• Amending the law relating to the duties of the Live Stock Sanitary Commission, and prescribing penalties for a violation of the Live Stock Sanitary Laws, as defined by Article 5043c, of Chapter 7, Title 102, of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, and as provided by Article 824c, Ch. 4, Title 17 of the Penal Code, so as to make said provisions more effective. [Thu Aug 17, 1911]
• For a better protection of public health by providing against the spread of what is known as charbon. [Thu Aug 17, 1911]
• Amending Chapter 3, Section 6, of the Acts of the Regular Session of the Thirty-second Legislature, so as to permit the State Treasurer to accept designated bonds or deposit as security from the State depositories at their market value. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Amending Chapter 74, Acts of the Regular Session of the Thirty-second Legislature, prescribing the time for holding court in the Forty-sixth Judicial District. Said Act fails to fix a time for holding court in Hardeman county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Amending subdivision 5 of Section 2 of Article 2 of the city charter of the city of Dallas, so as to authorize the city of Dallas to increase its bonded indebtedness to $8,000,000... [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Amending the city charter of the city of Austin, which will permit the city council to establish, operate and maintain one or more free public libraries, and providing that a plot of ground, 207 by 128 feet, out of the north half of block 101, in the city of Austin may be designated for church or free public library purposes. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Amending the city charter of the city of Tyler, in Smith county, so as to provide for the issuance of bonds for the erection of a public high school building. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Amending the law creating the independent school district of Crosbyton, in Crosby county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Amending the law to create the Mertzon Independent School District, in Irion county, marking the same more definite, and authorizing the levy of school taxes and the issuance of bonds to build a school house. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Attaching the unorganized county of Bailey to Parmer county for judicial purposes. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Creating an independent school district for Cuero, in DeWitt county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Creating an independent school district for Lakeview, in Hall county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Creating an independent school district for Robstown, in Nueces county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Creation of an additional criminal district court for Dallas county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Enacting a law preventing cruelty to animals. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Bosque county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Robertson county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Wichita county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Enacting a special stock law for Matagorda county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Fixing the time for holding the district court in the Twenty-eighth Judicial District. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Giving the right to the Board of Regents of the University of Texas to condemn land for the use of the University. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Giving to the county commissioners of Galveston county the right to convey or lease that portion of the seawall right of way which is north of Strand and east of Eighth street, in the city of Galveston, to the Board of Regents of the University of Texas, to be used for hospital purposes in connection with the John Sealy Hospital. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Protecting merchants and others against the passage of bogus bank checks. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Providing furnishing office stationery [sic] to district judges and county officers. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Validating the incorporation of the city of Big Springs, in Howard county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Validating the incorporation of the town of Munday, in Knox county. [Fri Aug 18, 1911]
• Amending Chapter 120, Section 8, Acts of the Regular Session of the Thirty-second Legislature so as to add Culberson county to the list of counties composing the Eighth Supreme Judicial District. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Amending Chapter 7, Acts of the Thirty-first Legislature, relating to the powers of cities and towns, so as to authorize them to condemn and impound water in public streams for public use. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Amending Chapter 79, Special Laws of the Regular Session of the Thirty-second Legislature, creating the Jourdanton Independent School District. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Amending the charter of the city of Longview, in Gregg county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Amending the city charter of the city of Galveston, in Galveston county, authorizing the raising and filling to grade alleys and streets between Thirty-third and Forty-fifth streets and Avenue H and Postoffice. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Amending the city charter of the city of Sherman, in Grayson county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Amending the special road law of Shelby county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Creating a new city charter for the city of Mineral Wells, in Palo Pinto county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Creating a special charter for the city of McKinney, in Collin county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Creating an independent school district for Murphy, in Collin county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Creating an independent school district for Premont, Riviera, Bishop, all in Nueces county, and for Agua Dulce, partly situated in Nueces and partly in Jim Wells county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Creating an independent school district for Rylie, in Dallas county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Houston county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Knox county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Liberty county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Navarro county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Wood county. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Prescribing the time for holding district court in the counties of the Sixty-fourth Judicial District. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Providing for change in the venue of all cases now pending in the district and other courts of the State, arising in territory now comprising the new counties of Brooks, Willacy, and Jim Wells, from the counties where such cases are now pending to courts of like jurisdiction in said counties of Brooks, Willacy and Jim Wells. [Sat Aug 19, 1911]
• Amending an Act to grant a new charter for the city of Houston, Harris county, Texas, repealing all laws or parts of laws in conflict herewith, and declaring an emergency, passed by the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Texas on the 28th day of March, 1905, by adding thereto an article to be known as "Article 4a," providing for the improvement of highways in the city of Houston... [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Amending Article 548 of the Revised Civil Statutes as amended by Chapter 7, Acts of the Thirty-first Legislature, so as to more fully authorize incorporated towns and cities to condemn private property... [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Amendment to the special road law for Lamar county. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Blanco county. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Kaufman county. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Tarrant county. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Enacting legislation providing for the payment of costs of proceedings in the cases of coroners' inquests over the death of a State convict, or in lunacy proceedings where the sanity of a State convict is inquired into. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Legislation authorizing railroad companies to issue and sell bonds, certificates and other evidences of indebtedness, to be secured by lien upon their property, for the purpose of making permanent improvements and betterments of such railroads, acquiring and constructing depots, terminals, and adequate equipment, by permission of the Railroad Commission of Texas, and under its regulation, and prescribing penalties for misappropriation of funds derived from the sale of such securities. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Legislation granting to persons and corporations formed under the laws of the State of Texas the right, power, privilege and authority to erect, build, construct, maintain and operate dams across the Guadalupe river, when such persons or corporations are engaged in furnishing light and water to cities and towns, or the inhabitants thereof. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Legislation providing for the conversion of the present authorized tax for the maintenance of public schools in District No. 9 of Galveston county, or in any other public free school district that may hereafter be created out of territory which now comprises all or part of said School District No. 9. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Legislation providing for the extension of seining waters under regulations prescribed by the Fish and Oyster Commission. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Legislation regulating and controlling pearl fishing in Caddo Lake, or any other waters in the State of Texas. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Providing for the payment into the State Treasury of any funds due to volunteers from Texas in the war between the United States and Spain, and providing the manner and form for the payment of claims to such money by volunteers to whom it may be due. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Validating incorporation of Rusk, Cherokee county. [Mon Aug 21, 1911]
• Amending the city charter of Port Arthur: (1) To amend official election ballot; (2) to amend section of chapter relating to street and sidewalk improvements; (3) to amend section of chapter with reference to drainage. [Thu Aug 24, 1911]
• Amending the city charter of the city of Temple, in Bell county, so as to confer upon the city of Temple concurrent jurisdiction with Bell county in the matter of trying and punishing juvenile offenders against the ordinances of said city. [Thu Aug 24, 1911]
• Creating an independent school district for Provident City District, located in the counties of Lavaca, Colorado, Wharton and Jackson. [Thu Aug 24, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Cooke county. [Thu Aug 24, 1911]
• Creation of an independent school district for South Park, in Jefferson county. [Fri Aug 25, 1911]
• Creation of the independent county line school district for Rising Star, in Eastland county. [Fri Aug 25, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Frio county. [Fri Aug 25, 1911]
• Enacting a special road law for Montague county. [Fri Aug 25, 1911]
• Independent school district for Sabinal, in Uvalde county. [Fri Aug 25, 1911]

Bill statistics for the 32nd Legislature, 1st Called Session

Status	HB	HCR	HJR	HR	SB	SCR	SJR	SR	Total HB & SB	Total
Filed	94	6	0	71	71	5	1	61	165	309
Passed	26	4*	0	61	20	2	0	49	46	162
Vetoed	1	3	0	0	2	1	0	0	3	7

*HCR 4 was passed by the House and Senate, but did not receive the governor's approval and did not take effect. See Texas Constitution Article 4, Section 15.