Constitution Amendments

Texas is one of the American states that have too many problems with their Constitutions. This document is often criticized because this is too long and complicated, with too many details included in it. What is more, even though it is so complex, it still does not allow the three branches of power to function effectively. In order to achieve the better performance of these branches, the governor should be given the right to exercise the executive order effectively and without legislation interference. At the same time, judicial power should be chosen in a different way, and the legislation itself should become a full-time body.

To begin with, it is often argued that a Constitution that requires numerous amendments to be made from year to year is outdated. Even though it is hard to imagine a full remake of the present document, there are several fundamental changes that must be done before the state goes into a deep crisis. The lack of efficiency and capacity is what the government is characterized by. Therefore, the present situation should be changed. First, the governor‘s executive order is an issue because it cannot be fully and independently exercised in Texas. There are many minor issues that are stuck because the governor cannot simply issue an order the way the US President does. For example, some problems in the education sphere (namely the restroom policy change) cannot be reached because of the legislation’s constraints (Ramsey). Therefore, the first amendment that should be made is providing Texas’ governor with full capacity in terms of executive orders.

The second obvious problem with Texas’ Constitution is the ineffective system of judges’ election. For instance, the judges in Texas are elected in a partisan way. This formula is used only by 7 other States, which demonstrates that most of them prefer not to use it anymore. In terms of the Texas government system which already has many flaws, the partisan system becomes a serious problem. The electorate simply votes for a party, with most of the judges being previously appointed. It means that the same people usually stay in office for many terms. Only some scandals and other serious problems with judge’s competency may lead to some changes. In order to change this situation, a retention system could be chosen. It is used by 25 states, which means it is popular and, most definitely, quite effective. Retention means that a judge is a subject to referendum at the same time when a general election is held. A judge is removed from office if the majority votes against retention. Such a system could bring real changes to Texas’ Supreme Court.

The third issue that should be addressed is the way legislation in Texas works. For instance, it is part-time now, which means that it is usually called in the office when some issues should be solved. However, the real result of such a situation is that numerous bills are not passed. What is more, Texas has a large population, which requires a full-time body to serve all its needs. It is obvious that many of the bills died simply because of the time constraints caused by the fact that the legislature is a part-time body. Thus, the need for such a change is obvious.

All in all, the Constitution of Texas is a document that needs many amendments. However, several of these changes are the most obvious. Particularly, the governor should be given larger power in terms of the executive order. Moreover, judges should be chosen in another way in order to prevent the same people from spending decades in office. Lastly, the legislature should become a full-time body in order to serve the needs of Texas’ population.

Explanations to the legislative norms from Donna White journalist and editor https://plagiarismsearch.com/