Texas Bonds for Economically Distressed Areas Program Amendment, HJR 36 (2017)
| Texas Bonds for Economically Distressed Areas Program Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2017 | |
| Topic Bond issues and Water | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Texas Bonds for Economically Distressed Areas Program Amendment, also known as HJR 36, was not on the ballot in Texas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 7, 2017.
The measure would have authorized the Texas Water Development Board to issue up to $200 million in general obligation bonds to provide funds for the Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP).[1]
As of 2017, the EDAP was a program designed to provide funds to economically distressed areas for water and wastewater services.[2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title would have been as follows:[1]
| “ | The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board in an amount not to exceed $200 million to provide assistance to economically distressed areas.[3] | ” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article 3, Texas Constitution
The measure would have added a Section 49-d-14 to Article 3 of the Texas Constitution. The following text would have been added:[1]
Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.
(b) The additional general obligation bonds authorized by this section may be issued as bonds, notes, or other obligations as permitted by law and shall be sold in forms and denominations, on terms, at times, in the manner, at places, and in installments, as determined by the Texas Water Development Board. The bonds shall bear a rate or rates of interest the Texas Water Development Board determines. The bonds authorized by this section shall be incontestable after execution by the Texas Water Development Board, approval by the attorney general, and delivery to the purchaser or purchasers of the bonds.[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Texas Constitution
In Texas, a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Texas State Legislature during one legislative session is required to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot. Texas is one of 16 states that require a two-thirds supermajority vote in both chambers.
Rep. Mary E. Gonzalez (D-75) filed the amendment in the state legislature as House Joint Resolution 36 on November 14, 2016. The Texas House of Representatives approved the amendment 113 to 27 with 10 members not voting on May 8, 2017. The measure was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, where it was not considered.[4]
House vote
May 8, 2017[4]
| Texas HJR 36 House Vote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 113 | 80.71% | ||
| No | 27 | 19.29% | ||
| Partisan breakdown of House votes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party Affiliation | Yes | No | Abstain | Total |
| Democrat | 51 | 0 | 4 | 55 |
| Republican | 62 | 27 | 6 | 95 |
| Total | 113 | 27 | 10 | 150 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Texas Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 36," accessed May 9, 2017
- ↑ Texas Water Development Board, "Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP)," May 9, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Texas Legislature, "HJR 36 Overview," accessed May 9, 2017
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