Texas Separation Of Power

The Systems of Separation of Power

The state of Texas was founded on the backs and sweat of men who believed in independence through the people. Texans had a strong belief in how the government could assist the people while leaving the rights to be governed to the people. The Federal Constitution is no exception. Inherently, similarities between these two constitutions were created for democracy, and for citizens and their protections. Both share a House of Representatives, which is the initial line of political hierarchy often called the lower house who consider constitutional amendments and state spending. There is also the Senate, which is called the upper house and is responsible for recommending new laws and managing the state budget.

Roles of the branches are similar in structure and administration. The legislative branches are made up of 2 houses of congress consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Executive branch for the U.S. government is led by the President while Texas is led by the Governor. Both leaders are elected for 4-year terms with limited connections to all 3 branches. There must be a balance of power between the 3 branches of state and federal governments. Historically when this was not the case, governments struggled to be consistent. According to Sam Ervin (1970), “Even in the republic of Rome, there was a somewhat similar system consisting of public assemblies, the senate and public officials all operating on a principle of checks and balances.” (p. 108) Today this holds true as both the state and federal government branches must be on one accord to maintain the balance needed to ensure the people are well

The state has four spending limits in place from the constitution to control and regulate where state funds can be used. The four spending limits are; Debt limit, Welfare spending limit, Pay-as-you go limit and the Limit on the growth of certain appropriations. Texas has no state income tax so revenue must be generated by other forms of tax collection. And when the other forms of revenue are collected, it must be spent under the guidelines of the limits. This practice prevents overspending and limits the amount of assistance or debt that can be accumulated. The state’s form of control over collecting taxes and regulating spending is uniquely different that the practices of the federal government. The government does not have a traditional federal spending limit which is the main reason for the country being exposed to an insurmountable national debt. Spending can be allocated to wherever the funds are deemed necessary as long as it is voted upon by congress. The debt ceiling can also be raised with majority agreement. National debts have been raised 78 times since 1963. The federal government sets the debt ceiling and controls the spending of revenue. There is no tangible control over spending and over the budget because there is too much flexibility in the hands of congress and the