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)

Governor
Rick Perry
Lieutenant Governor
David Dewhurst

• Signing or vetoing bills passed by the Legislature.
• Serving as commander-inchief 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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.

Passes and creates laws
Bicameral-
House of
Representatives
& 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.

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 evennumbered years. Sessions last for 140 days.

Term:
Age:
Residency:
Sessions:
Senate House of
Representatives
4 years 2 years
26+
5+ years
21+
2+ years
Once every 2 yrs for
140 days
Once every 2 yrs for
140 days

Term:
Age:
Residency:
Sessions:
Members:
Senate
6 yrs
30+
House of
Representatives
2 yrs
25+
9+ yrs as U.S. Citizen 7+ yrs as U.S. citizen
At least once each yr; no time limit
Each state has 2 senators
At least once a yr; no time limit
Proportional to population of each state

Interprets the laws & resolves legal disputes
(determines if a law has been broken)

• 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

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 ’ 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.

• 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)

• 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

• 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?