Texas No Salary Without Budget Amendment, SJR 21 (2017)
| Texas No Salary Without Budget Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2017 | |
| Topic Salaries of government officials and State legislatures measures | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Texas No Salary Without Budget Amendment, also known as SJR 21, was not on the ballot in Texas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 7, 2017.
The measure would have prohibited members of the Texas State Legislature and lieutenant governor from receiving their salaries after a specific date unless a biennium budget had been approved and certified.[1]
Sen. Van Taylor (R-8) introduced the amendment as Senate Joint Resolution 21 in the Texas Legislature.[2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The following ballot title was proposed to appear on the ballot:[1]
| “ | The constitutional amendment providing that members of the legislature and the lieutenant governor will not receive a state salary or per diem during certain periods unless the legislature has passed the state ’s budget and that budget is certified by the comptroller.[3] | ” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article 3, Texas Constitution
The measure would have added a Subsection (d) to Section 34 of Article 3 of the Texas Constitution:[1]
Support
Sen. Van Taylor (R-8), sponsor of the amendment in the legislature, stated:[4]
| “ | Growing up I spent my summers as a ranch hand in the panhandle. We got up early and didn’t get paid until the job was done. The Texas constitution requires that the legislature pass a balanced budget and the people of Texas expect us do our job. This bill simply holds the legislature to the same standard that the people of Texas face at their jobs -- if members of the legislature can't do their job and pass a budget, then they shouldn’t get paid.[3] | ” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Texas Constitution
The proposed constitutional amendment was filed by Sen. Van Taylor (R-8) as Senate Joint Resolution 21 on November 15, 2016.[2] A two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Texas State Legislature was required to refer this amendment to the ballot. Texas is one of 16 states that require a two-thirds supermajority vote in both chambers.
The amendment did not receive a vote in the state legislature during the 2017 legislative session.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Texas Legislature, "Senate Joint Resolution 21," accessed November 16, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Texas Legislature, "SJR 21 Overview," accessed November 16, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 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 Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Plano Star Courier, "Senator Van Taylor files “No Budget, No Pay” constitutional amendment," November 16, 2016
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