Texas Constitution:Article III, Section 16

Adopted February 15, 1876:

The sessions of each House shall be open, except the Senate when in executive session.

Editor Comments

Note that the Texas Attorney General, in Tex. Att'y Gen. Op. KP-347 (2021), opined that: "[W]hen the Legislature meets for session in the Capitol, it must be open and accessible to the public."

—Attorney Steve Smith

Recent Decisions

None.

Historic Decisions

None.

Library Resources

• Vernon's Annotated Constitution of the State of Texas (this multi-volume and up-to-date resource is available at all law libraries and many municipal libraries)

• The Texas State Constitution: A Reference Guide (this one-volume resource is available at most law libraries and some municipal libraries)

• The Constitution of the State of Texas: An Annotated and Comparative Analysis (this two-volume resource is available at most law libraries and some municipal libraries)

Online Resources

• Constitution of the State of Texas (1876) (this resource is published and maintained by the University of Texas School of Law)

• Amendments to the Texas Constitution Since 1876 (this resource is published and regularly updated by the Legislative Council)

• Reports Analyzing Proposed Amendments (this resource is published and regularly updated by the Legislative Reference Library)