Branches of Texas Government

Texas and U.S. Constitution3 branches of government

Texas Executive Branch:Carries out the laws passed by the

national and state legislature• Governor (Chief Executive, Commander in Chief of

Texas National Guard)• Lieutenant Governor (serves as governor when chief

executive is out of state; serves on executive & legislative boards)

• Attorney general (state’s chief lawyer)• Comptroller (chief tax collector)• Treasurer (Authorizes payments of bills)• Commissioners of land & agriculture (handles use of

state lands)• Secretary of state (handles election matters,

publishes state laws)

Texas Executive Branch

GovernorRick Perry

Lieutenant GovernorDavid Dewhurst

Governor• Signing or vetoing bills

passed by the Legislature.

• Serving as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.

• Convening special sessions of the Legislature for specific purposes.

• Delivering a report on the condition of the state to the Legislature at the beginning of each regular session.

• Estimating of the amounts of money required to be raised by taxation. Rick Perry

Governor• Granting reprieves and

commutations of punishment and pardons upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and revoking conditional pardons.

• Appointing qualified Texans to state offices that carry out the laws and direct the policies of state government. Some of these offices are filled by appointment only. Others are ordinarily elected by the people, but the Governor must occasionally appoint individuals to fill vacancies in those offices. The Governor also appoints Texans to a wide range of advisory bodies and task forces that assist him with specific issues. Rick Perry

Lieutenant Governor• The Lieutenant

Governor in Texas is unique in that he is part of both the Executive and Legislative branches.

• The Lieutenant Governor in Texas assumes the powers and duties of the Governor when the Governor is unable to serve or is absent from the state. David Dewhurst

Lieutenant Governor• The Lieutenant Governor is

elected separately from the Governor, and each can be members of different political parties.

• The Texas Constitution names the Lieutenant Governor the Constitutional President of the Senate, but the Constitution also gives the Senate the authority to write its own rules. That's where the Lieutenant Governor derives most of his power.

David Dewhurst

U.S. Executive branch members:

• President (Chief Executive, Chief Diplomat, Commander in chief, Chief of state, Legislative leader)

• Includes the Cabinet, executive departments, and several independent agencies responsible for different areas of government.

Texas Legislative BranchPasses and creates laws

Bicameral- House of Representatives & Senate

Texas Senate

Composed of 31 Members

A senator must be at least 26 years of age, a citizen of Texas five years prior to election, and a resident of the district from which elected one year prior to election.

Each senator serves a four-year term and one-half of the Senate membership is elected every two years. Sessions last for 140 days.

Texas House of Representatives

The Texas House of Representatives has 150 members

A representative must be at least 21 years of age, a citizen of Texas for two years prior to election, and a resident of the district from which elected one year prior to election.

They are elected for two-year, running for re-election in even-numbered years. Sessions last for 140 days.

Texas Legislative

Senate House of Representatives

Term: 4 years 2 years

Age: 26+ 21+

Residency: 5+ years 2+ years

Sessions: Once every 2 yrs for 140 days

Once every 2 yrs for 140 days

U. S. Legislative

Senate House of Representatives

Term: 6 yrs 2 yrs

Age: 30+ 25+

Residency: 9+ yrs as U.S. Citizen 7+ yrs as U.S. citizen

Sessions: At least once each yr; no time limit

At least once a yr; no time limit

Members: Each state has 2 senators

Proportional to population of each state

Texas Judicial SystemInterprets the laws & resolves legal disputes (determines if a law has

been broken)

Texas Courts:• Highest Courts: Supreme Court (civil &

juvenile cases); Court of Criminal Appeal (criminal cases)

• Intermediate: Courts of Appeals • State Trial Courts: District Court• County Trial Courts: County-Level Courts• Local Trial Courts: Justice & Municipal

Courts

Texas Supreme Court 

COMPOSED OF NINE JUSTICES, all elected to staggered six-year

terms

Texas Supreme Court has final authority in all civil and juvenile delinquency cases in the state.

Texas Court of Criminal appealsTexas’ highest court for criminal

cases.

The Court of Criminal Appeals consists of a Presiding Judge and eight Judges. They are elected by the voters of the entire state. They hold their offices for terms of six

years.

U.S. Courts

• Supreme Court (highest court in branch; hears limited cases involving important questions regarding the Constitution and federal law)

• Trial Courts (federal cases including civil & criminal)

• Appellate Courts (hears appeals from district courts)

How does each branch block actions of others???

• Read each power and determine which branch it belongs to and which branch it blocks the actions of. When you have decided fill it in the correct space…

1. President can veto laws passed by Congress

2. President nominates judges to Supreme Court

3. President can pardon criminals 4. Congress can overturn a presidential veto

with a 2/3 vote in each house 5. President nominates judges to federal

court system

6. Congress can impeach & remove President

7. Congress can amend the Constitution to overturn decisions of the Supreme Court

8. Congress can impeach judges and remove from the bench

9. Supreme Court can use power of judicial review to rule laws unconstitutional

10.Supreme Court can use power of judicial review to rule presidential actions unconstitutional

11.Supreme Court can use judicial review to rule treaties unconstitutional

Compare and Contrast

• What are some similarities and differences between the federal Executive Branch and the State Executive Branch?

• The United States Legislative branch has two chambers with a total of over 500 members. Is the Texas Legislative Branch exactly the same?

• Why is the Texas Judicial Branch considered to be EXTREMELY different from the federal Judicial Branch?