Branches of Texas Government

Texas and U.S. Constitution 3 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 Governor Rick Perry Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst

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. Governor Rick Perry

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. Governor Rick Perry

Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst 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 David Dewhurst 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 Branch Passes 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 Age: 26+ 21+ Residency: 5+ years 2+ years Sessions: 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 System Interprets 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 appeals Texas’ 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…

President can veto laws passed by Congress President nominates judges to Supreme Court President can pardon criminals Congress can overturn a presidential veto with a 2/3 vote in each house President nominates judges to federal court system

Congress can impeach & remove President Congress can amend the Constitution to overturn decisions of the Supreme Court Congress can impeach judges and remove from the bench Supreme Court can use power of judicial review to rule laws unconstitutional

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