On May 31, 2011, Governor Perry added congressional redistricting to the list of topics to be considered by the 1st Called Session of the 82nd Legislature.  Below you will find resources and information on congressional redistricting in Texas.



How many congressional seats did Texas gain after the 2010 Census?
Texas gained 4 seats, giving it a total of 36 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

What will be the average population of each Texas Congressional district?
According to the Texas Legislative Council's Redistricting website, the "ideal," or average, population of each congressional district in Texas is 698,488, based on 36 districts.  For comparison, in 2001, the ideal district population was 651,619, based on 32 districts (House Research Organization, Census 2010: Implications for Texas)

Where can I find data on current U.S. Congressional districts in Texas?
Maps, socioeconomic profiles, election reports, and population counts for Texas congressional districts are available on the Congressional Districts page of the Texas Legislative Council's Redistricting website.   Similar data for individual districts is also available in Who Represents Me?

What are the current congressional redistricting bills and where are maps of the proposed districts?
At the time of this post, The Texas Legislature Online shows seven bills filed during the 1st Called Session of the 82nd Legislature related to congressional redistricting.  Proposed maps are available on the Texas Legislative Council's Redistricting website.

How can I view congressional redistricting bills from previous legislative sessions?
The Legislative Reference Library has compiled a list of all redistricting bills introduced in the Texas Legislature from the 17th Legislature (1881) through the 81st Legislature (2009).  Go to Congressional Redistricting Bills in Texas, 17th-81st Legislatures.

Is congressional redistricting required by the constitution?
Yes.  The United States constitution calls for reapportionment of congressional seats according to the population from a decennial census (Section 2, Article I).  The Texas Constitution requires the legislature to redistrict Texas house and senate seats during its first regular session following publication of each United States decennial census (Section 28, Article III).  For additional information on legal requirements, see Texas Redistricting - Legal Requirements for the Process.

Additional resources:
Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts, 1789-1983 (Leg. Reference Library 912.73 M366H - Room use only.)
Historical Atlas of State Power in Congress, 1790-1990 (Leg. Reference Library 328.3345 C76H)

Census 2010: Implications for Texas (House Research Organization, Jan. 21, 2010)
Congressional Apportionment (U.S. Census Bureau)
Data for 2011 Redistricting in Texas (Texas Legislative Council, Feb. 2011)
Guide to 2011 Redistricting (Texas Legislative Council, July 2010)
Texas Congressional District Maps (1846-2010) (Texas Legislative Council)
Texas Redistricting Library (Texas Legislative Council)
Texas State Data Center
 

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• Find out which states grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. (Capitol Ideas E-newsletter, May/June 2011)
• Explore an interactive map of Latino populations in major cities. (Pew Hispanic Center, May 26, 2011)
• Get results of a poll on Medicaid block grants. (Kaiser Family Foundation, May 2011)
• Review an explanation of Medicaid managed care. (Stateline, May 31, 2011)
• Read about the size and employment categories of the U.S. Postal Service workforce. (Congressional Research Service, April 4, 2011)

This entry was posted on June 2, 2011 at 3:06 PM and has received 1033 views. Print this entry.

The 1st Called Session of the 82nd Legislature begins today.  Below you will find answers to frequently asked questions regarding special sessions.  For a list of all special sessions and dates, see the library's Special Sessions and Years page.

Does the Governor have to wait twenty days after the end of the regular session before calling a special session?
No. Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 8(a) does not place time limits on the Governor's power to convene a special session, nor does it include a requirement that he or she provide advance notice of his or her intention to call a special session. The Constitution states, "The Governor may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the Legislature at the seat of Government, or at a different place, in case that should be in possession of the public enemy or in case of the prevalence of disease threat. His proclamation therefore shall state specifically the purpose for which the Legislature is convened."

The interpretive commentary following Article 4, section 8 in Vernon's Constitution of the State of Texas Annotated explains: [The Governor] "may call at any time and for any reason, although he must state his purpose the proclamation."

How many other times has the special session convened the day after the close of a regular session?
In addition to the 82nd, 1st Called Session, six other special sessions have convened the day after the close of the regular session: the 1st Called Sessions of the 25th, 28th, 38th, 62nd, 69th and 70th Legislatures.  Three special sessions have convened on the last day of the regular session: the 1st Called Sessions of the 29th, the 30th and the 31st Legislatures.

Can the Legislature consider any topic during a special session?
No. Article 3, Section 40 of the Texas Constitution states that when the Legislature is convened in special session, there shall be no legislation upon subjects other than those designated in the proclamation of the Governor calling such session, or presented to them by the Governor.
An extensive discussion of this issue can be found in the Senate Rules of the 82nd Legislature, Appendix.

Can more than one topic be covered in a special session?
Texas Constitution, Article 3, Section 40 places no limitation on the number of topics a Governor can designate in a special session proclamation. All topics need not be listed in a single proclamation; the governor may expand his/her call to include additional topics at any time.  As an example, legislation was allowed on 240 topics during the 36th Legislature, 2nd Called Session and 165 topics during the 35th Legislature, 4th Called Session.

Do special sessions have to last 30 days?
No. Texas Constitution Article 3, Section 40 limits special sessions to a maximum of thirty days but imposes no minimum.

Is there a limit on the number of special sessions that can be called between regular legislative sessions?
No. The Texas Constitution does not limit the number of special sessions a governor may call in between two regular legislative sessions.

Does there have to be a break between special sessions?
No. The governor may call special sessions back-to-back. As an example, the 1st Called Session of the 79th Legislature ended on July 20, 2005 and the 2nd Called Session began on July 21, 2005.

The governor may also convene a new special session on the same day that a special session ends. As an example, the 1st Called Session of the 78th Legislature ended on July 28, 2003 and the 2nd Called Session began at 3:15pm the same day.

How long after a special session ends does the Governor have to veto bills?
Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 14, which grants the Governor the power to veto bills, draws no distinction between regular and special sessions.

If a bill is presented to the Governor fewer than 10 days (not counting Sundays) prior to final adjournment, the Governor has 20 days (counting Sundays) after the final day of the session to sign or veto it.  If neither action is taken, the bill becomes law without the Governor's signature (Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 14).

If a bill is presented to the Governor prior to the final ten days of session (not counting Sundays), the Governor has 10 days (not counting Sundays) to return the bill to the Legislature with objection.  If after 10 days the bill is not returned to the Legislature by the Governor with objections, the bill becomes law as if the Governor had signed it.

Vetoes going back to the 1st Legislative Session are available on the library's Vetoed Bills page.

Can the Legislature override a veto of a regular session bill during a special session?
There is some debate over this matter, however the 1875 Constitutional Convention removed the ability for the Legislature to consider veto items from a previous session.
References:
Postadjournment Veto (In Texas Legislative Council, Gubernatorial Veto: Powers, Procedures, and Override History (May 22, 1990), pp. 11-12).
George D. Braden, et al., The Constitution of the State of Texas: An Annotated Comparative Analysis (1977), pp. 333-334.
Texplainer: Can a Veto Be Overturned After Sine Die?, Texas Tribune, retrieved 6/8/2011.

What was the shortest special session? What was the longest?
The 1st Called Session of the 38th Legislature met for only one hour.  No legislation was enacted.  The 1st Called Session of the 12th Legislature met for 112 days, longer than any previous or subsequent special session. 

Which legislative session has had the most called sessions?
Between 1989-1990, Governor Bill Clements called six special sessions of the 71st Legislature to consider over 100 items.

Where can I see topics covered in previous special sessions?
Special session topics are available on the library's Special Sessions and Years page. Special session topics can be searched by keyword from the library's Special Sessions page.

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The Texas Constitution authorizes the Governor to veto bills sent to him by the Legislature.  As the 82nd Regular Session draws to a close and bills that have passed out of both chambers of the Legislature are being sent to the Governor, it is common for the Governor to veto some of these bills.  Below is a list of frequently asked questions regarding the veto process and where to find veto information.

How long does the Governor have to veto legislation?
The Governor has twenty days after final adjournment to consider bills received in the final ten days (not counting Sundays) of the session.

Sunday, June 19th is the last day the Governor can sign or veto bills that he receives in the final ten days (not counting Sundays) of the legislative session.

Does the Governor have to sign a bill for it to become law?
No. A bill that the Legislature passed during its regular legislative session and that was not vetoed by the Governor becomes law even if the Governor does not sign it.  A more in-depth explanation is available in this FAQ about how long the Governor has to sign a bill.

Has the Governor vetoed any bills this session?
The General Reports section of the Texas Legislature Online provides a list of vetoed bills from the current session.  You will also find a list of bills from this session that have been signed by the Governor and a list of bills filed without the Governor's signature.  For your convenience, these links are duplicated below.

82nd Legislature:
Bills vetoed by the Governor
Bills signed by the Governor
Bills filed without the Governor's signature

What bills were vetoed in previous sessions?
A list of vetoed bills going back to the 1st Regular Session is available on the Library's website.  See: Vetoed Bills, 1846-2009.

Can the legislature override a veto from a previous session?
There is some debate over this matter, however the 1875 Constitutional Convention removed the ability for the legislature to consider veto items from a previous session. 
References:
Postadjournment Veto (In Texas Legislative Council, Gubernatorial Veto: Powers, Procedures, and Override History (May 22, 1990), pp. 11-12).
George D. Braden, et al., The Constitution of the State of Texas: An Annotated Comparative Analysis (1977), pp. 333-334.
Texplainer: Can a Veto Be Overturned After Sine Die?, Texas Tribune, retrieved 6/8/2011.

Where can I find additional information on the veto process?
Additional information about the veto process is available on our FAQs page. You can also find information about the veto process, as well as the entire legislative process, in How a Bill Becomes Law, 82nd Legislature (House Research Organization).

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• Review Medicaid's roles for Black Americans and for Hispanic Americans. (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, May 20, 2011)
• Read about puppy mills in Missouri and dog breeding anti-cruelty legislation in various states. (Stateline, May 24, 2011)
• Explore graphs on partisanship, incumbency, and size of the Texas Delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives (Texas Politics project, University of Texas at Austin, 2011)
• Grilling this weekend? Try out a meat thermometer to ensure the meat has cooked to a safe temperature. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, May 23, 2011)

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• Explore how declining tax revenue and school financing changes have led to significant state budget cuts in Texas, even as the state experiences a high rate of population growth. (Stateline, May 16, 2011)
• See whether Americans think college is a good value. (Pew Research Center, May 15, 2011)
• Consider the effects of rising household gasoline expenditures. (Consumer Federation of America, May 16, 2011)
• Review federal spending on highways. (Congressional Budget Office, May 17, 2011)
• Track the social life of health information. (Pew Internet, May 12, 2011)

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• Explore state and local budgetary difficulties that have led to the underfunding of state and local pension plans. (Congressional Budget Office, May 2011)
• Read an analysis that projects the state-by-state impact of the U.S. House Republican Medicaid plan. (The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, May 10, 2011)
• See how gasoline taxes have stagnated because of rising gas prices and vocal opposition to raising the gas tax. (Stateline, May 10, 2011)
• Review the Obama Administration's proposal for immigration reform. (The White House, May 2011)
• Consider a survey of state policies related to postsecondary education for prison populations. (Institute for Higher Education Policy, May 2011)

This entry was posted on May 12, 2011 at 3:46 PM and has received 1212 views. Print this entry.