Texas § CN.30 - DURATION OF PUBLIC OFFICES

§ CN.30. DURATION OF PUBLIC OFFICES

DURATION OF PUBLIC OFFICES; RAILROAD COMMISSION. (a) The duration of all offices not fixed by this Constitution shall never exceed two years. (b) When a Railroad Commission is created by law it shall be composed of three Commissioners who shall be elected by the people at a general election for State officers, and their terms of office shall be six years. And one Railroad Commissioner shall be elected every two years. In case of vacancy in said office the Governor of the State shall fill said vacancy by appointment until the next general election. (c) The Legislature may provide that members of the governing board of a district or authority created by authority of Article III, Section 48-e , Article III, Section 52 (b)(1) or (2), or Article XVI, Section 59 , of this Constitution serve terms not to exceed four years. (d) The Legislature by general or special law may provide that members of the governing board of a hospital district serve terms not to exceed four years. (e) The Legislature by general law may provide that members of the governing body of an appraisal entity established in a county with a population of 75,000 or more serve terms not to exceed four years. (Feb. 15, 1876. Amended Nov. 6, 1894, and Nov. 2, 1982; Subsec. (d) added Nov. 7, 1989; Subsec. (b) amended Nov. 2, 1999; Subsec. (c) amended Nov. 3, 2009; Subsec. (e) added Nov. 7, 2023.) (TEMPORARY TRANSITION PROVISIONS for Sec. 30: See Appendix, Note 1.) Sec. 30a. MEMBERS OF STATE BOARDS; TERMS OF OFFICE. The Legislature may provide by law that the Board of Regents of the State University and boards of trustees or managers of the educational, eleemosynary, and penal institutions of the State, and such boards as have been, or may hereafter be established by law, may be composed of an odd number of three or more members who serve for a term of six (6) years, with one-third, or as near as one-third as possible, of the members of such boards to be elected or appointed every two (2) years in such manner as the Legislature may determine; vacancies in such offices to be filled as may be provided by law, and the Legislature shall enact suitable laws to give effect to this section. The Legislature may provide by law that a board required by this constitution be composed of members of any number divisible by three (3) who serve for a term of six (6) years, with one-third of the members elected or appointed every two (2) years. (Added Nov. 5, 1912; amended Nov. 2, 1999.) Sec. 30b. DURATION OF MUNICIPAL CIVIL SERVICE OFFICES. Wherever by virtue of Statute or charter provisions appointive offices of any municipality are placed under the terms and provisions of Civil Service and rules are set up governing appointment to and removal from such offices, the provisions of Article 16, Section 30 , of the Texas Constitution limiting the duration of all offices not fixed by the Constitution to two (2) years shall not apply, but the duration of such offices shall be governed by the provisions of the Civil Service law or charter provisions applicable thereto. (Added Nov. 5, 1940.)