September 8, 1931 - October 3, 1931

Leadership

Governor: Ross S. Sterling -  Vetoes

Lieutenant Governor: Edgar E. Witt

Speaker of the House: Fred Hawthorne Minor 

Special Session Topics

 Proclamations   Messages

• Provide for soil conservation and the alleviation of the conditions of agriculture in Texas and establish a policy which other agricultural states may follow. [Sat Sep 5, 1931]
• To reduce acreage planted in cotton in order to avert the calamity of wornout soil and impoverished agriculture [Tue Sep 8, 1931]
• Leasing of river beds for oil and gas development. [Fri Sep 18, 1931]
• The tax rate for the present year. [Fri Sep 18, 1931]
• Reduce all salaries of State employees with the exception of those fixed by the Constitution and those salaries that are less than One Hundred and Thirty-four Dollars ($134.00) per month. [Mon Sep 21, 1931]
• Direct the State Treasurer and the Highway Department to invest the sum of $3,000,000.00 in State Warrants. [Tue Sep 22, 1931]
• Affecting the canalization of the Trinity River. [Wed Sep 23, 1931]
• Amend Section 14, Article 7047, of the Revised Civil Statues of 1925, relating to and imposing an occupation tax on loan brokers and defining same and providing for certain exceptions, and declaring an emergency. [Wed Sep 23, 1931]
• Amend Article 619 of the Penal Code of 1925, relating to keeping a gaming table or bank so as to omit reference therein to slot machines, and making it a misdemeanor to keep or exhibit any slot or vending machine for the purpose of gaming, and defining the same; prescribing penalties for a violation thereof; declaring the existence of any slot or vending machine to be against public policy and a public nuisance; declaring the existence of any lottery or raffle to be against public policy and a public nuisance; providing for the seizure and destruction as a nuisance of any slot or vending machine, or any lottery or raffle, and declaring an emergency. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amending Article 1020, Chapter 2, Title 15, Code of Criminal Procedure, fixing the amount of fees to be paid by the State to county judges, justices of the peace, constables, sheriffs, district attorneys, in examining courts; prescribing the conditions on which said fees shall be paid and declaring an emergency. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amending Article 1025 of Chapter 2, Title 15, Code of Criminal Procedure, fixing the fees paid by the State or district attorneys, criminal district attorneys or county attorneys for representing the State in the district court in felony cases and in habeas corpus cases where the defendant is charged with a felony; repealing Article 1024, of Chapter 2, Title 15, Code of Criminal Procedure, and declaring an emergency. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amending Article 15 of the Revised Civil Statutes of 1925 to read that no judge or justice shall sit in any case wherein he may be interested or where either of the parties may be connected with him by affinity or by consanguinity within the third degree, or where any attorney representing either party shall be related to him within the first degree, or where he shall have been counsel in the case; and declaring an emergency. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amending Article 7332, Chapter 10, Title 122, of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas 1925, as amended, relating to other fees in cases of delinquent taxes. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amending Article 773 of the Revised Penal Code of Texas, 1925 regarding physicians soliciting patients so as to make the provisions of said bill apply to optometrists, and re-enacting Article 774 of the Revised Penal Code of 1925, of the State of Texas, and declaring an emergency. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amending of Section 7, Chapter 163, of the General Laws of the State of Texas passed at the Regular Session of the Forty-second Legislature, relating to requirements covering advertising for bids by counties and cities and the funding, refunding or cancellation of evidence of debt; specifying the role of the Commissioners' Court or city governing body. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amending Section 22, Chapter 34, Acts of the First Called Session of the Forty-first Legislature, relating to compensation of road commissioners in McLennan County. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amending Section 3 of Chapter 20, of the general laws of the Forty-first Legislature, fourth called session, an/or as amended, relating to disposition of fees of office. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amendment of Chapter 212, Section 18, Acts of the Regular Session of the Fortieth Legislature: abolishing the office of "permanent auditor for the Prison System" and placing this duty under the direction and supervision of the State Auditor and Efficiency Expert. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Amends Chapter 286 General Laws of the Forty-second Legislature relating to an oil and gas royalty audit of the permanent school fund and other funds. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Appropriation for relief of the almost helpless condition of the Valentine Independent School District which condition was brought about by an unprecedented calamity in the form of an earthquake which recently occurred in West Texas. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Appropriations to pay salaries and expenses of district judges in judicial districts numbers 123, 124, 126 and the assistant district attorney of the 47th Judicial District. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Authorizing counties in Texas not having exceeding fifteen thousand (15,000) population according to the 1930 census, to purchase property at any bankruptcy sale, receivership sale or any other judicial proceeding in cases where such county holds claims of at least fifty per cent (50%) of all claims against the debtor or debtors whose property is being sold at such sale. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Provides that all interest and penalties accrued on all State, county, special, school district, road district, levee improvement district, and irrigation district taxes and taxes of other defined subdivisions of the State, other than incorporated cities and towns, which are delinquent up to and including October 20th, 1931, shall be released provided said taxes are paid by January 1st, 1932. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Relating to changing the time for holding courts in some of the Judicial Districts in this State, where it is necessary to cure any errors or conflicts heretofore existing. [Thu Sep 24, 1931]
• Cooperative marketing of unrefined natural petroleum and its distribution. [Fri Sep 25, 1931]
• Provide that the Texas Prison Board would be permitted by law to bid upon and contract for printing, binding, and supplies of like character on State contracts. [Fri Sep 25, 1931]
• Amending H.B. No. 943, Chapter 159 of the Special Laws of the Forty-second Legislature as amended by H.B. No. 37, Chapter 31 of the General and Special Laws of the First Called Session of the Forty-second Legislature, repealing closed season for killing quail in Atascosa county. [Mon Sep 28, 1931]
• Congressional re-districting as necessary under the Federal and State Constitution and laws. [Wed Sep 30, 1931]

Journals

The House Journal and Senate Journal for the 42nd 2nd Called Session are available from the Legislative Reference Library.

Rules
House Rules (42nd R.S.)
Joint Rules (42nd R.S.)
Senate Rules (42nd R.S.)

Bill statistics for the 42nd Legislature, 2nd Called Session

Status	HB	HCR	HJR	HR	SB	SCR	SJR	SR	Total HB & SB	Total
Filed	99	34	0	42	54	17	0	35	153	281
Passed	27	10	0	31	15	6	0	28	42	117
Vetoed	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1