Republicans Filed 62% Of Proposed Constitutional Amendments In Texas

Of the 297 constitutional amendments filed during the 2023 regular session, 184 amendments (62%) were filed by Republican senators or representatives, and 113 (38%) by Democratic legislators. Compared to the 2021 regular legislative session, Republicans filed 58 more amendments in 2023, and Democrats filed an additional 21.

Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-22) filed the most Republican-sponsored amendments with nine. Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-16) also filed nine amendments—the most Democratic-sponsored amendments.

The House filed 204 amendments (69%), and the Senate filed 93 (31%). Compared to the 2021 regular legislative session, the House filed 44 more amendments in 2023, and the Senate filed 35 more amendments.

Between 2009 and 2021, an average of 196 constitutional amendments were filed during regular legislative sessions. The state legislature approved an average of nine constitutional amendments during regular legislative sessions. Therefore, the average rate of certification during regular legislative sessions was 4.7%.

Of the 297 proposed amendments, 13 amendments were certified for the November ballot during the regular legislative session. This is a 4.4% certification rate of filed amendments.

In November, Texans will decide on amendments governing a wealth tax preemption, a constitutional right to farm, judicial retirement ages, and tax exemptions and government funds.

Produced in association with Ballotpedia

Edited by Jessi Rexroad Shull and Kyana Jeanin Rubinfeld