Cecily Zamora
In Texas, a bill becomes a law without the governor's signature if the governor does not sign it and Congress is in session. In this case, the bill becomes law within 10 days without the governor's signature. If Congress is not in session, the bill becomes law within 20 days.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time to become law without signature | 10 days if Congress is in session, 20 days if not |
| Veto override | Requires a two-thirds majority vote from each chamber |
What You'll Learn
The Texas Governor has four options when a bill reaches them
The Texas Governor has four options when a bill reaches their desk:
- Sign it into law.
- Not sign it, and if Congress is in session, the bill becomes law within 10 days without their signature, or within 20 days if Congress is not in session.
- Veto the bill, which means it is denied. The veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote from the Legislature.
- Line-item veto, which means the Governor eliminates certain parts of the bill without killing the entire document. This type of veto can only be used on state budget bills.
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A bill can become law without the Governor's signature
- Sign it into law.
- Not sign it, and if Congress is in session, the bill becomes law within 10 days without their signature, or within 20 days if Congress is not in session.
- Veto the bill, which means it is denied. However, the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote from the Legislature.
- Line-item veto, which means the Governor eliminates certain parts of the bill without killing the entire document. This type of veto can only be used on state budget bills.
If the Governor does not sign a bill within 10 days of receiving it, or within 20 days after the last day of the legislative session, the bill will become law without their signature.
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The Governor can veto the bill
The Governor's desk is the final step in the process of a bill becoming a law in Texas. When a bill reaches the Governor's desk, they have four options:
- Sign it into law.
- Not sign it, in which case it becomes law within 10 days if Congress is in session, or within 20 days if Congress is not in session.
- Veto the bill, which means it is denied. A veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote from the Legislature.
- Line-item veto, which means the Governor eliminates certain parts of the bill without killing the entire document. This type of veto can only be used on state budget bills.
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The Governor can use a line-item veto
The Texas Governor has four options when a bill reaches their desk:
- Sign it into law
- Not sign it, and if Congress is in session, the bill becomes law within 10 days without their signature, or within 20 days if Congress is not in session
- Veto the bill, which means it is denied, and the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote from the Legislature
- Use a line-item veto
The Texas Constitution grants the Governor the power of a line-item veto, which the President of the United States does not have. This power allows the Governor to veto specific spending items from an appropriations bill without vetoing the entire bill. Some Governors have used this power aggressively to remove spending items they considered wasteful or unnecessary.
Following the 2019 session, Governor Abbott signed the state budget into law with no line-item vetoes, becoming the first Governor since 1955 to sign a budget into law without making any changes.
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The Governor can allow a bill to pass into law
The Governor of Texas has four options when a bill reaches their desk. One of these options is to allow the bill to pass into law without a signature. If the Governor takes no action, and Congress is in session, the bill will become law within 10 days without their signature. If Congress is not in session, the bill will become law within 20 days.
The Governor's ability to pass a bill into law without a signature is particularly powerful during the last 10 days of the legislative session. This is because any veto during this period can be extremely difficult to override, as Congress must still be in session to do so.
It is worth noting that the Governor also has the power to veto a bill, which means it is denied. However, this veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote from the Legislature.
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Frequently asked questions
The Texas Governor has four options: they can sign it into law, not sign it (in which case it becomes law within 10 days if Congress is in session, or 20 days if not), veto it (which can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote from the Legislature), or use a line-item veto to eliminate certain parts of the bill.
If the Governor does not sign a bill, it will automatically become law after 10 days if Congress is in session, or 20 days if not.
Yes, if a bill is sent to the Governor within 10 days of Congress ending, they have until 20 days after Congress ends to sign it, veto it, or allow it to become law without their signature.
If Congress has ended, it is very difficult to override a veto as a two-thirds majority vote from the Legislature is still required.
