Texas Constitutional Convention Updates
Texas
Constitutional Convention Updates
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I. We hold that the foundation of this nation is that an individual's body, life, labor, ideas, thoughts, and material possessions that the individual has created or acquired without coercion are that individual's property and that no individual, majority, society, or government may legitimately take or control an individual's property without that individual's consent.
II. We hold that the foundation of our economy shall be the free market system unfettered by intrusions of government and based upon the free and voluntary exchange of goods and services.
III. We hold that peaceful relations with other nations is based upon the concept of mutual respect and that war and other interference in the affairs of other nations serves only to destroy such peaceful relations. It is therefore declared that Texas shall remain neutral in the affairs of, and between, other nations.
We, the People of Texas, invoking the blessings of God our Creator, do ordain and establish this constitution.
Section 1. All political power is inherent in the people, and all governments exist by the will of the people. The people of Texas retain the right of altering, reforming, or abolishing their government in any manner they believe proper, at any time.
Section 2. Every individual has the inherent right of life from physical conception to natural death.
Section 3. Every individual has the inherent right of liberty, which is the unrestrained exercise of free will, which shall never be infringed provided the exercise thereof does not violate the rights of any other individual.
Section 4. Every individual's body, life, labor, ideas, thoughts, and possessions that the individual has lawfully created or acquired are that individual's property. Every individual has the inherent right of the ownership, non-coercive acquistion, and use of property.
Section 5. Every individual has the inherent right of defending the life, liberty, or property of any individual using whatever force is necessary, through whatever means available, including the use of deadly force.
Section 6. Every individual has the inherent right of owning, using, and carrying arms of any description.
Section 7. All rights are retained by each individual and shall never be denied, infringed, or violated in any way except in the sole circumstance of conviction of a crime or tort by due process of law as defined in this constitution, and then only as directed in the particular case.
Section 1. Government has no rights or powers, neither implicit nor explicit.
Section 2. Government shall never infringe the rights of individuals nor modify any governmental processes, duties, responsibilities, or form of government as specified in this constitution.
Section 3. Government shall never operate outside the limits of a budget which shall never exceed ninety percent of the revenue collected the previous year.
Section 4. Government shall never grant monopolies or perpetuities nor in any way restrict or control the free flow of trade within or across the geographical boundaries of Texas.
Section 5. Government shall never restrict individuals from assembling to train with arms for the individual or collective defense of life, liberty, or property.
Section 6. Government shall never restrict nor control the manufacture, sale, purchase, ownership, use, storage, transportation, or carrying of any arms, parts, accessories, or ammunition.
Section 7. Government shall never issue charters, licenses, certificates of competency, or any form of recognition or registration for any organization or individual.
Section 8. Government shall never promote, control, nor interfere with any religious or philosophical organization or activity.
Section 9. Government shall never restrict nor control the free flow of ideas using any present or future form or medium of expression.
Section 10. Government shall never infringe the inherent right of privacy of any individual without due process of law.
Section 11. Government shall never operate, own, control, nor fund any means of education not specifically related to performing the functions of government authorized by this constitution.
Section 12. Government shall never infringe the right of the free movement of individuals within or across the geographical boundaries of Texas.
Section 13. Government shall never borrow money nor pledge the assets of individuals or non-governmental organizations.
Section 14. Government shall never offer nor provide gifts, subsidies, or assistance of any kind to any individual, group of individuals, organization, or nation.
Section 15. Government shall never accept gifts, subsidies, or assistance of any kind from any foreign government, organization, or nation.
Section 16. Government shall never issue currency nor cause currency to be issued.
Section 17. No organization established, controlled, employed, or enabled by government shall violate any part of this constitution.
Section 18. Government shall never own title to any real property which is not specifically authorized by this constitution.
Section 19. Government shall never restrict individuals from freely associating or assembling.
Section 20. Government shall never extend payment, credit, gifts, subsidies, endowments, retirement benefits, nor anything else of value or worth to any individual beyond the time of actual service to the government in whatever capacity.
Section 21. Government shall never impose taxation of any kind.
Section 22.
a. Government shall never own minerals of any sort, including water.
b. Government shall never own methods of extracting any mineral, including water, from it's source.
Section 23. Government shall never regulate the use of publicly owned rights of way.
Section 24. Government shall never impose emergency powers nor suspend any part of this constitution, neither in time of war nor for any other reason.
Section 1. A crime is any action taken by an individual wherein the individual intentionally initiates physical force, fraud, or theft which results in damage to another individual or damage or loss of another individual's property without the consent of that individual; or an action taken by a government official in violation of this constitution.
Section 2. Tort is any unintentional action that results in damage to another individual or damage or loss of another individual's property.
Section 3. No body of law other than the law defined in this constitution has any force or effect on anyone on or under the soil of Texas, on or in the waters of Texas, or in the airspace of Texas unless all parties to an action have previously knowingly, voluntarily, and intentionally agreed to that body of law by contract.
Section 4. The obligations of contracts shall not be impaired provided only that all parties to the contract entered the contract knowingly, willingly, and voluntarily.
Section 5. Except in the case of a crime in progress, no individual shall be detained, imprisoned, nor held against his or her will in any manner, unless a lawfully executed warrant specifying the charges has been issued in accordance with this constitution. Any individual so detained will be informed of the reason for detention within one hour of being detained.
Section 1. Any individual accused of a crime or tort shall be:
a. presumed innocent until proven guilty;
b. given the opportunity of facing the accusers in court;
c. granted a trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve other individuals;
d. informed of the exact nature of the charges;
e. given adequate notice for preparing a defense;
f. given access to all evidence collected; and
g. given the opportunity, if convicted, of appealing to at least three other county courts in the same or adjacent Texas counties.
Section 2. No individual shall be forced to testify. Litigants may appear in person or may be represented by counsel of their choosing.
Section 3. Each county shall create and maintain at least one county court. Counties may create and maintain additional county courts as necessary.
Section 4. County courts have original jurisdiction for all cases involving the violation of rights of any individual and for extradition requests. Complaints must be filed in a county court within the precinct or county where the alleged offense occurred or where the subject of the extradition request is currently located. The Law to be administered by the courts shall be as defined in this constitution. County courts have no jurisdiction over contract disputes except those involving bad faith breach of contract. All other contract disputes shall be resolved as stated in the contract.
Section 5. Grand Juries
a. Each county shall have at least one Grand Jury, consisting of twenty-three Texas citizens living in the county.
b. Jurors shall be chosen at random with compensation and terms of service determined by the county administrative council.
c. Prior to seating, each juror shall be required to make the following oath or affirmation:
I, (insert full and correct name), will carefully consider all information, testimony, and evidence to be presented in this Grand Jury hearing and will endeavor to the best of my ability to determine if a crime as defined in the constitution has been committed and if it is probable that the accused is responsible for committing the crime.
If the juror refuses to make the oath or affirmation, the juror shall be released from service without compensation and another juror shall be selected.
d. If any juror becomes unable to complete service on the grand jury, a replacement juror shall be chosen.
e. Upon complaint of an alleged crime and presentation of sufficient cause, the grand jury shall direct the sheriff to conduct an investigation of the alleged crime.
f. A grand jury indictment shall be issued only when an investigation by the sheriff shows sufficient cause, as determined by the grand jury, at which time any individual may file charges against the accused.
g. Each grand jury shall elect a foreman from among its members. The county clerk or appointed deputy shall record grand jury proceedings, which shall be closed to all except witnesses called by the grand jury.
h. The grand jury shall hold a hearing on each complaint no later than thirty days following the filing of the complaint.
i. The grand jury may issue warrants for search or seizure provided that:
(1) the warrant specifically names the place to be searched and specifically describes the person or thing to be seized; and
(2) the grand jury has in its possession at the time an affidavit supported by oath or affirmation that evidence of a crime is located at the place to be searched or that the person to be seized is guilty of a crime. Any property siezed must be evidence of the crime described in the warrant.
j. All decisions of the grand jury shall be by majority vote, the foreman voting only in the case of a tie vote.
Section 6. County Court Juries
a. All county court proceedings shall be open to the public.
b. A jury pool of no fewer than twenty-four Texas citizens living in the county where the court is located shall be chosen at random. Compensation and terms of service for jurors and jury pool members shall be determined by the county administrative council provided that juries serve for a minimum of one case.
c. A jury of twelve individuals shall be impaneled by lot from the available jury pool. The justice shall direct the bailiff to draw names for jury selection. A total of fourteen names shall be drawn for a panel of twelve jurors and two alternates. Any member of the jury pool scheduled to participate in a trial for which a jury is being selected shall be excluded from the jury for that trial.
d. A juror may be removed from a jury by a unanimous vote of the other jurors only if the juror fails to appear at the appointed times and places or is known to be a close family member of the accused or the accuser. In the event that a juror is so removed, an alternate juror shall be impaneled.
e. Prior to the seating of each juror, the juror shall be required to make the following oath or affirmation.
I, (insert full and correct name), will carefully consider all information, testimony, and evidence to be presented in this trial and will endeavor to the best of my ability to determine if a crime as defined in the constitution has been committed and if, beyond all reasonable doubt, the accused committed the crime. If compensation is requested, I will endeavor to the best of my ability to determine if the damages were caused by the accused and if the compensation requested by the accuser is reasonable and just.
If the juror refuses to make the oath or affirmation, the juror shall be released from service without compensation and a replacement juror shall be selected.
f. The impaneled jury shall select a foreman from its members.
g. Prior to the trial, the justice shall inform the jury of general court decorum and the general sequence of case presentations, rebuttals, witness questioning, and summations. The justice shall inform the jury concerning the chain of evidence and what he believes is customarily expected for that evidence to be considered. The justice shall inform the jury that they are not bound by anyone's opinions. The justice shall not render any legal opinions nor rule on the admissability of any evidence or testimony.
h. The justice shall preside over and keep order in all proceedings of the court. Jury members may, by majority vote, overrule any decision of the justice regarding ejection of individuals from the court.
i. The jury shall hear all testimony and view all evidence presented, may question witnesses concerning their testimony, and may request additional information from any source the jury deems appropriate.
j. The jury shall first determine if the alleged actions violated the law and then the facts of the case. After all evidence has been heard, the jury may deliberate its final decision privately until a verdict is reached. They shall render their decision, verdict, or order concerning all aspects of the case as they deem just and proper. All convictions shall be by unanimous jury vote only; otherwise, the accused shall be acquitted. All tort verdicts must be by majority vote, the foreman not voting.
k. Penalty for the accused, if found guilty of a crime, shall be determined by the jury by majority vote, the foreman not voting, except that the death penalty may be imposed only by a unanimous vote of the jury and for a crime which resulted in the death of another individual or individuals.
l. In any case, the jury may award monetary compensation against the accuser, paid to the accused, if the charges are found to be frivilous of malicious.
Section 7. County Court Appeals
a. Any individual found guilty in a county court may appeal that decision.
b. Appeals must be filed in a county court in the same or adjacent Texas counties within thirty days of the previous jury decision. No individual may be a juror on more than one trial of the accused for the same offense. If any of the courts of appeal find for the accused, no other action may be taken by any county court for the same offense.
c. The first appeal shall be a review of the procedures to determine that all constitutional guarantees were observed.
d. If the court in the first appeal finds against the accused, a second or third appeal may be made by the accused to county courts in the same or adjacent Texas counties. The entire case shall be presented to juries using the same procedures as the original trial. The decision of the third appeal is final.
Section 8. No juror shall be tried for any decision rendered while serving on a jury.
Section 9. Writ of Habeas Corpus
a. Any individual may petition any justice of any county court with a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of any individual whose liberty is restrained or denied.
b. The request for writ shall be addressed by name or title to the individual holding the individual in question, and shall describe the individual being held by any means that will allow the individual to be identified.
c. The request must show cause and sufficient evidence to warrant action on the writ and must be supported by oath or affirmation of the content.
d. The request for a writ of habeas corpus shall never be disregarded and shall be acted upon by the individual holding the individual in question with all haste and never later than eight hours after the request is presented.
e. Any official who refuses to act on a lawfully executed request for writ, who delays action on a lawfully issued writ, or who is found to have aided or abetted another in such delay or refusal shall be held accountable under the law. Any justice who is approached with evidence of such delay or refusal shall immediately issue a warrant for the arrest of the official in question.
Section 1. This constitution authorizes 254 Texas counties, maintaining existing geographic borders. Each county shall include no less than four geographic precincts.
Section 2. The County Administrative Council shall consist of the following offices, to be elected by the qualified voters in each county: a sheriff, a treasurer, a county recorder, a commissioner for each precinct, and at least one justice and one clerk of court for each county or one justice and one clerk of court for each precinct.
a. The sheriff shall maintain and operate county penal facilities where called for by two-thirds vote of qualified voters of the county, provide bailiffs for the courts in that county, enforce orders of the courts, and uphold the law as defined by this constitution.
b. The county treasurer shall maintain accurate and timely records of revenue collections and expenditures, and shall disburse funds to support constitutionally authorized county government functions.
c. The county recorder shall conduct an at-random lottery of citizens every six months to serve as county grand jurors, verify each grand juror's service based on the grand jury roll call records, provide accurate records of grand jury proceedings, maintain accurate records of all County Administrative Council proceedings, maintain accurate records of qualified voters casting ballots, conduct elections, maintain all records at county expense at such places as to safeguard said records, make records of every County Administrative Council proceeding publicly available after filing, in an easily searchable form, which shall be open for public inspection, and ensure that records are filed within thirty days of completion of each County Administrative Council proceeding.
d. The precinct commissioner shall represent the people of the precinct from which elected.
e. The precinct justice shall preside over and keep order in all proceedings of the county court in accordance with this constitution and shall issue or cause to be issued processes and communications necessary for proper operation of the court.
f. The county clerk of court shall conduct an at-random lottery of citizens to serve as county court jurors, record and maintain all files pertaining to each case as a court of record, maintain said files at court expense at such places as to safeguard said records, make records of every county court proceeding publicly available after filing, in an easily searchable form, which shall be open for public inspection, ensure that records are filed within thirty days of completion of each county court proceeding, place the seal of the court on all documents where a seal is necessary, and witness the authenticity of the documents.
Section 3. The County Administrative Council shall administer the following functions:
a. With the approval of two-thirds of all qualified voters casting ballots in an election, establish, operate, and maintain water and sewer systems to be paid for through user fees by those who voluntarily choose to use the services.
b. Organize and train voluntary county defense forces.
c. Establish rules of and maintain and publish all records of official proceedings.
d. Operate and maintain facilities for county government use.
e. Appoint one citizen to represent the county in the National Assembly, who shall have lived in that county for at least two years prior to the appointment, be at least thirty years of age at the time of the appointment, serve a term of four years, and be subject to recall on the vote of at least one-third of the County Administrative Council. The County Administrative Council shall provide county office space for the National Assembly appointee.
f. Conduct elections as authorized by this constitution.
g. Maintain existing publicly owned rights of way which do not exceed the boundaries of the county.
h. Maintain county court systems.
i. Determine the appropriate location of county courts and the number of justices and clerks necessary to secure due process of law for all individuals.
j. With the approval of two-thirds of all qualified voters casting ballots in an election, maintain and operate penal facilities.
k. Establish procedures for the collection of revenues as authorized by this constitution.
l. Approve or deny annual budgets submitted by the county courts.
Section 4. Operating Procedures
a. The County Administrative Council may recommend financial compensation for grand jurors, county court jurors, and elected officers for a period of no more than two years. Compensation may only be implemented upon approval of two-thirds of all qualified voters casting ballots in an election. The election ballot must specify names of officers, offices they hold, the recommended compensation for each officer, and the rate of compensation for jurors.
b. The County Administrative Council shall prepare an annual budget based on a twelve-month calendar year. The amount of expenditures for any budget year shall not exceed ninety percent of the revenue collected for the previous budget year. An auditor shall be appointed, through an annual competitive sealed bidding process, to prepare and present to the County Administrative Council a comprehensive financial audit of all county revenues and expenditures no less than once every twelve months.
c. The County Administrative Council may create additional precincts or alter the boundaries of precincts upon approval of two-thirds of all qualified voters.
d. Two-thirds of the officers of the County Administrative Council shall constitute a quorum to do business. All decisions of the council shall be by three-fourths vote of those present for approval.
e. The County Administrative Council shall meet at least monthly, on a date and time convenient and at a location easily accessible to all citizens. All meetings shall be open to the public at all times.
f. The County Administrative Council shall elect a chair and vice-chair from among their number once every twelve months. The chair shall ensure that an agenda is posted in widely accessible public places not less than 72 hours prior to every meeting.
g. The County Administrative Council shall determine and approve the appropriate number of deputies to assist elected officials.
h. The County Administrative Council may authorize the staffing of offices.
Section 1. The judicial duties of the national court shall be vested in one supreme court and in one district court per district. The national courts shall only hear cases concerning international treaty disagreements, public officials, military or maritime issues, internal government disputes, or disputes between county governments. The trial of public officials in a national level court shall not prevent their trial in a Texas county court for the same offense.
Section 2. Justices shall serve four-year terms, with compensation to be determined by the National Assembly. Compensation for justices shall not be changed during the term in which they were elected.
Section 3. Texas shall be divided into convenient judicial districts, not less than thirteen nor more than thirty, concurrent with existing county lines, to be reapportioned based on the votes cast in the last general election, but not more often than every ten years. A justice shall be elected by ballot of the electors for each district. Each district justice shall reside in the district and hold court at the designated district seat which shall be determined by the National Assembly.
Section 4. One clerk shall be elected for each district court, to be elected at the same time and serve the same term as the district justice. The district clerk's duties and compensation shall be determined by the National Assembly.
Section 5. District Court Trials
a. Litigants in district courts may elect to have the justice hear and decide the case or they may exercise their right of a jury trial. The right of a jury trial by either party takes precedence over the option to waive that right by the other.
b. Jury trials shall be conducted by the same rules of proceedings as the Texas county courts.
c. The district courts shall contract with private or county penal facilities to satisfy judgments of incarceration.
Section 6. The supreme court shall consist of a chief justice and twelve associate justices with district justices serving in rotation as associate justices. Three-fourths of the associate justices and the chief justice shall constitute a quorum to proceed. The district justices shall rotate their positions on the supreme court every session. All members voting on each case shall place their handwritten signature on the decision with their vote as yes to uphold or no to overturn the case.
Section 7. The chief justice of the supreme court shall be appointed by a two-thirds vote of the district justices. The chief justice shall have no other official duties, shall hold office for four years, not to exceed his elected term of office, shall not hold office for more than two consecutive terms, and shall vote only in the case of a tie vote among the associate justices.
Section 8. The supreme court shall have exclusive appellate jurisdiction for district court cases only. Decisions of the supreme court shall be conclusive within the limits of Texas. The Supreme court shall hold its sessions quarterly, at such times and places as may be fixed by the National Assembly by a simple majority vote. All cases shall be decided by no less than a two-thirds majority of the voting members of the supreme court. No associate justices shall sit on a case heard by them in the district court.
Section 9. Complete records of every court proceeding shall be made publicly available immediately after filing in an easily searchable form and shall be open for public inspection. Records shall be filed within 30 days of completion of each court proceeding.
Section 10. National courts are authorized to establish procedures, rules, and regulations only for the administration and implementation of their duties.All court proceedings shall be open to the public at all times.
Section 11. National courts shall prepare and submit annual budgets to the national assembly for approval or rejection.
Section 12. National government courts shall maintain and operate facilities to perform duties specified by this constitution and shall prepare annual budgets which shall be presented to the National Assembly for approval or rejection.
Section 1. The President, Vice President, and Treasurer shall comprise the National Executive Council.
Section 2. The office of president shall be limited to the following functions:
a. Conduct treaty negotiations and ambassadorial functions with foreign governments. Treaties shall never affect any individual within the geographical boundaries of Texas and shall recognize that only Texas county courts may act on extradition requests.
b. Submit proposed treaties to the National Assembly for approval or rejection.
c. Organize and maintain national defense forces.
d. Declare war only upon armed invasion or blockade by a foreign power.
Section 3. The office of vice president shall be limited to the following functions:
a. Serve as president in the absence of the president.
b. Maintain and publish records of all official National Executive Council proceedings.
c. Operate and maintain physical facilities for official functions of the National Executive Council.
Section 4. The office of treasurer shall be limited to the following functions:
a. Receive and disburse funds to support constitutionally authorized national government functions.
b. Maintain accurate and timely records of national revenue collections, expenditures, and disbursements.
c. Serve as president in the absence of the president and the vice-president.
Section 5. Financial compensation for executive officers shall be determined by the National Assembly. Such compensation shall not be changed during a single term of office.
Section 6. National Executive Council officers must be Texas citizens and be at least thirty years of age.
Section 7. National Executive Council officers shall be elected by qualified voters in a national election to a term of six years, and shall be ineligible to hold any national government office for six years following their term of office.
Section 8. The National Executive Council is authorized to establish procedures, rules, and regulations only for the administration and implementation of their official functions.
Section 9. Texas Rangers
a. The National Executive Council shall organize and maintain a corps of officers called the Texas Rangers. The corps shall consist of no more than 150 individuals.
b. Texas Rangers shall be nominated by the President, confirmed by the National Assembly, and commissioned by the President.
c. Texas Rangers shall provide physical security for the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer.
d. Texas Rangers shall maintain investigative services for use only as requested by Grand Juries.
Section 1. Each County Administrative Council shall appoint one representative to the National Assembly. Representatives shall serve a four-year term and may be recalled by the County Administrative Council at any time. Financial compensation shall be determined by and paid by the County Administrative Council which appointed the representative.
Section 2. Three-fourths of the entire National Assembly shall form a quorum. All acts or decisions must have two-thirds approval of the entire body to be effective.
Section 3. The national assembly may establish procedures, rules, and regulations only for the administration and implementation of the functions listed in this section. The national assembly shall:
a. Establish appropriate regulations for the control of government agents or agencies in the maintenance of those existing publicly owned rights of way which extend beyond the boundaries of any one county. This authority for maintenance is strictly limited to those publicly owned rights of way existing at the time of ratification of this constitution. There shall be no authority to regulate the use of publicly owned rights of way.
b. Approve or reject treaties as proposed by the President.
c. Establish uniform standards for maintaining public records.
d. Issue foreign travel documents on request of any Texas citizen and maintain records of same.
e. Confirm or deny appointments of Texas Rangers.
f. Establish uniform standards for all elections.
g. Establish rules of and publish all records of National Assembly proceedings.
h. Operate and maintain facilities for National Assembly use.
i. Terminate or extend presidential declarations of war within twenty days and every six months thereafter.
Section 4. The National Assembly shall meet in session no less than one month in a calendar year but no more than three consecutive months in any calendar year. In extraordinary circumstances, the National Assembly may be called into session by the approval of no less than two-thirds of the County Administrative Councils.
Section 5. The National Assembly shall approve or deny annual budgets submitted by the National Executive Council and the national courts.
Section 6. The National Assembly shall prepare and provide a copy of the annual budget for the national government to each County Administrative Council.
Section 7. The National Assembly may authorize the National Executive Council to purchase real property in foreign nations for embassy use only, with the title to be held in the name of the nation of Texas.
Section 8. Foreign governments may own no more than ten acres of real property within Texas, to be used only for embassies, and only with the express permission of the National Assembly.
Any national act or decision may be declared null and void by independent action of at least one-third of County Administrative Councils.
Section 1. Qualified voters in Texas elections shall be Texas citizens who have attained the age of 18 years or older.
Section 2. Elections for officers of the national and county governments shall be held every two years.
Section 3. The county recorder shall conduct elections according to standards established by the National Assembly.
Section 1 - Government shall be funded by a voluntary percentage charge on sales of goods and services. All individuals collecting this voluntary charge shall disburse all collected funds to the county treasurer once every calendar month.
Section 2 - County Administrative Councils may raise additional funds by using voluntary methods, providing that these methods are advertised as, and are in fact, strictly voluntary.
Section 3 - County Administrative Councils shall retain seventy percent of revenue for funding county government functions.
Section 4 - County Administrative Councils shall disburse thirty percent of revenue to the National Treasurer for funding national government functions.
Section 1. National and county governments are authorized to retain title to publicly owned rights of way which exist at the time of ratification of this constitution.
Section 2. The national government is authorized to retain title to those lands and buildings constituting the Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas at the time of the ratification of this constitution.
Section 3. County governments are authorized to retain title to the lands and buildings constituting the county courthouse grounds at the time of the ratification of this constitution.
Section 4. Title to other lands and buildings may be held by county governments upon the approval of two-thirds of the voters of that county not to exceed one-percent of the total land area of the county.
Section 5. A Texas citizen is an individual who voluntarily declares citizenship provided that:
a. the individual was born on the soil of Texas; or
b. at least one of the individual's parents was born on the soil of Texas; or
c. the individual has lived in Texas for not less than six consecutive months.
Section 6. Individuals may retain citizenship in any nation of their choice.
Section 7. Texas boundaries shall be as herein defined. Beginning eastmost at the geographic center of the Sabine River northerly following the geographic center through Sabine Lake and Sabine Pass to 32° Latitude. All islands existing prior to April 8, 1812 belong to Louisiana. All islands formed after April 8, 1812 on the west side belong to Texas and on the east side belong to Louisiana. Continue due north to the Red River. Follow the geographic center of the Red River westerly to the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. Continue westerly along the Prairie Dog Town Fork to 100° Longitude, proceed due north to 30° 36' Latitude, due west to 2 miles west of 103° Longitude, due south to 32° Latitude, and then due west to the Rio Grande River otherwise known as the Rio Bravo del Norte. Follow the Rio Grande along its deepest channel to the Gulf of Mexico. Follow the Gulf of Mexico easterly to the geographic center of the Sabine River. All islands along the coastline of Texas belong to Texas.
Section 8. New territory may be annexed to existing Texas boundaries by treaty when approved by three fourths of all members of the National Assembly.
Section 9. The national government is authorized to purchase or retain title to real property for use as military installations provided that such real property does not exceed one-half of one percent of the total land area of Texas.
Section 10. All officers elected or appointed or any agent of government shall take the following oath of office:
"I, (name), being fully aware of the consequences of exceeding the authority of my office, do solemnly affirm that I will adhere to the Texas constitution in its entirety, and will perform the functions of the office of (office) to the best of my abilities."
Section 11. Government shall pay its obligations using alamos, defined as one-quarter ounce of 0.999 pure silver; bluebonnets, defined as one-quarter ounce of 0.999 pure gold; or drafts on accounts containing sufficient amounts of such to cover the total amounts of all outstanding drafts.
Section 12. Words used in this constitution are defined in Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, based on the Second Edition of The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, the Unabridged Edition, copyright 1993, 1987; copyright 1996 by Random House Value Publishing, Inc.; published 1996 by Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-0288-8.
Section 1. The Texas Constitutional Convention secretary shall prepare a formal notification of the completion of the new constitution to the State of Texas Secretary of State. Upon approval by the convention, the notification and the adopted constitution shall be signed by all delegates present. The notification and the adopted constitution shall be delivered personally by officers of the Texas Constitutional Convention.
Section 2. The constitutional convention shall appoint 12 Texans to the Texas Constitution Ratification Committee (TCRC) which shall be responsible for ensuring the lawful and peaceful ratification of this constitution.
Section 3. Texas Constitution Ratification Committee
a. Members of the TCRC shall:
(1) have lived no less than six consecutive months on the soil of Texas;
(2) have attained the age of 21 years or older preceding the adoption of this constitution by the convention; and
(3) have demonstrated ability to perform the duties of the office to the satisfaction of the delegates to this convention.
b. Members of the TCRC shall serve at the discretion of the Texas Constitutional Convention.
c. The TCRC shall establish procedures for conducting county ratification conventions for the purpose of ratifying the constitution, appoint county ratification convention coordinators, and ensure lawful notification of the date, time, and place of county ratification conventions.
d. Individuals who have lived on the soil of Texas for no less than six consecutive months and have attained the age of 18 years of age or older preceding the date of the county ratification convention shall be authorized to participate in the convention of the county in which they live.
Section 4. The Texas Constitutional Convention shall establish a Pure Contract Trust Organization to be known as Texas Constitution Ratification Fund (TCRF).
a. Texas Constitutional Convention of 1997 seated delegates at the time of final adoption of this constitution by the convention shall serve as trustees of the TCRF provided they voluntarily accept this responsibility.
b. Trustees shall enter into contract with members of the TCRC which shall include specified financial compensation to TCRC members.
c. There shall be two managing directors of the TCRF. One director shall be the chairman of the TCRC and one shall be one of the delegates to the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1997.
d. The trust shall accept and use donations and contributions to support the ratification of this constitution.
Section 5. The ratification of this constitution by the ratification conventions of 176 Texas counties shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the counties so ratifying the same.
The title of the article was decided but the body of the article has not yet been specified.
Copyright at Common Law, West El Paso Information Network, 1998
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