Article III, Section 29 of the Texas Constitution ("Enacting Clause of Laws")

Adopted February 15, 1876:

The enacting clause of all laws shall be: "Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas."

Editor Comments

Note that the Texas Legislative Council Drafting Manual provides authoritative guidance regarding the drafting of bills and other legislative documents.

—Attorney Steve Smith

Recent Decisions

None.

Historic Decisions

• Caples v. Cole, 102 S.W.2d 173, 176-77 (Tex. 1937) ("[T]he resolution not only undertakes to interpret or construe what the original act contained, but also to read into said law words and intentions not expressed in the original act. Statutes cannot be amended in that manner. . . . The Constitution has clearly prescribed the method to be pursued in the enactment of laws and their amendments. This resolution does not meet the requirements prescribed by the Constitution, and therefore cannot be considered as amending the 1931 Act. We must interpret the original act as written. Article 3, sections 29, 30, and 36, of the Constitution of Texas.")

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)