As of 2022, approximately how often has the texas constitution been amended?

1. Amendments to the Texas Constitution come in the form of joint resolutions instead of bills. These joint resolutions originate in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. 

1. Amendments may be proposed in regular sessions of the Texas Legislature or in special sessions. 

1. The amendments require a vote of two-thirds of the entire membership in each house for adoption. 

1. Joint resolutions are not sent to the governor for approval, but are filed directly with the secretary of state. 

1. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Texas Constitution does not become effective until it is approved by Texas voters in a general election. 

1. The Legislature may call an election for consideration of proposed constitutional amendments on any date, as long as election authorities have enough time to provide notice to the voters and print the ballots. Most proposals have been submitted at the November general election held in odd-numbered years.  

1. The secretary of state conducts a random drawing to assign each proposition a ballot number if more than one proposition is being considered.  

1. Article 17, Sec. 1 of the Texas Constitution requires that a brief explanatory statement of the nature of each proposed amendment, along with the ballot wording for each, be published twice in each newspaper in the state that prints official notices. The first notice must be published 50 to 60 days before the election. The second notice must be published on the same day of the following week. Also, the secretary of state must send a complete copy of each amendment to each county clerk, who must post it in the courthouse at least 30 days before the election.  

The secretary of state prepares the explanatory statement, which must be approved by the attorney general, and arranges for the required newspaper publication.  

1. If voters reject an amendment proposal, the Legislature may resubmit the amendment proposal. 

1. Some constitutional amendments enact themselves and do not require additional legislation. Other amendments grant discretionary authority to the Legislature to enact legislation in a particular area or within certain guidelines. These amendments require “enabling” legislation to fill in the details of how the amendment would operate. The Legislature often adopts enabling legislation in advance, making the effective date of the legislation contingent on voter approval of a particular amendment. If voters reject the amendment, the legislation dependent on the constitutional change does not take effect. 

1. Constitutional amendments take effect when the official vote canvass confirms statewide majority approval unless a later date is specified. Statewide election results are tabulated by the secretary of state and must be canvassed by the governor 15 to 30 days following the election.

   AUSTIN — Texas Deputy Secretary of State Joe Esparza today drew the ballot order for the two proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution that will appear on the ballot for the May 7, 2022 Election. In order to appear on the ballot, the proposed amendments must be approved by at least two-thirds of the members of both the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives.

   Texans will have the opportunity to approve the following amendments with a majority vote:

   “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead.”

   “The constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000.”

   The explanatory statements for each proposed amendment are below:

   Proposition Number 1

   SJR 2 (87th Legislature, 2nd Special Session) proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of property taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled in order to reflect any statutory reduction in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the person’s homestead from the preceding tax year.

   Proposition Number 2

   SJR 2 (87th Legislature, 3rd Special Session) proposes a constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from property taxes for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000.

   How many times has the Constitution been amended Texas?

   Since 1876, the legislature has proposed 700 constitutional amendments. Of those amendments, 517 have been approved by the electorate, 180 have been defeated, and three amendments never made it to the ballot.

   How many amendments does the Constitution have 2022?

   All 27 ratified and 6 unratified amendments are listed and detailed in the tables below. Article Five of the United States Constitution details the two-step process for amending the nation's frame of government.

   When was the Texas Constitution last amended?

   The current constitution has been amended 517 times. The most recent amendments to the Texas Constitution, of which there were two, were approved by voters in 2022. Texas does not feature a process for initiated constitutional amendments.

   How is the current Texas Constitution amended?

   The Texas Constitution provides that the legislature, by a two-thirds vote of all members of each house, may propose amendments revising the constitution and that proposed amendments must then be submitted for approval to the qualified voters of the state.