The 1876 constitution does not provide an adequate foundation for governing a growing urban state in the twenty-first century. Provisions established in the Texas Constitution are outdated, and in constant need of amending. “Since its adaptation, as of November, 2011 a total of 653 amendments have been proposed, of which 474 were approved by voters and 179 were rejected.”
The Constitution of Texas should be rewritten for these reasons:
It is too long and disorganized, making it difficult to read and adequately understand. Due to the addition of so many amendments, Texas has earned the characteristic of having one of the longest and confusing constitutions in the United States.
The current constitution limits the governor’s executive power. The power of the chief executive is divided among other statewide elected officials. Which leads the executive branch members to jealously guard their jurisdiction, power, and their prerogatives. This makes the group effort to govern Texas a difficult task.
The Part-Time Legislature is allowed 140-day biennial sessions. This provision limits the Legislature to meet only every two years for a short time which makes governing a large, urban state difficult. The need to prepare a budget for a two-year period is particularly burdensome; it leaves room for error in calculations and ultimately, a deficit.
The underpaid legislature is also an issue, which leads officials to be easily influenced by special interest groups. The low pay helps explain the high percentage of lawyers and businessmen in the Texas Legislature, as well as the influence of lobbyists.
These are only some of the burdens caused by the outdated Constitution of Texas. Texans need motions to fix these problems, however, major constitutional revision won’t happen without the demand from the general public. It is doubtful that any state leader will take on this difficult task without the incentive of voter support.
