Name
Tutor
Course
Texas Legislature Sessions
In my opinion, the annual full-time session should be adopted and biennial part time sessions disbanded completely. Annual full-time sessions are important since it gives members enough time to deliberate and make sensible policies regarding legislation for the two years they are elected. The rising societal issues can easily be addressed by these members when they are fully available. Legislators being members of public service are directly held responsible by the citizens; therefore, their full-time service is required for the implementation of legislative matters (NCSL, 1). Therefore, full-time sessions must be adopted for the legislators to have enough time to expound on many pressing matters within the society in completion. Biennial sessions are a form of destruction; hence should be avoided to give legislators time to concentrate.
Annual full-time legislation, elected Members can concentrate fully on legislative issues instead of their private jobs and professions. Since the public members elect these legislators to serve their interests and not any other, they must concentrate fully on their duty. It further covers the need to have special sessions, which come at a cost since they are ever reachable and ready for any kind of solution. In the 1960s, annual sessions were recorded as 19, and the rest 31 sessions were biennial. In the 1970s, annual sessions increased from 19 to 41 sessions, which was an improvement. Today the annual sessions are at 46, with the remaining being biennial (NCSL, 1). The biennial sessions being costly, ought to be eradicated for a smooth running of the house.
In annual full-time legislative sessions, members have suitable opportunities to deal with the complex and continuing problems that confront today’s legislature. Currently, in Texas, these members’ responsibilities in legislation have become burdensome by needing a long and sustainable period to discharge their duty effectively as opposed to an alternate year basis (NCSL, 1). By adopting the full-time sessions, such cumbersome duties with therefore have enough time for debate. Therefore, the legislators are obliged to have their full attention on matters pertaining the public attention, therefore limiting their endeavor on private jobs. Additionally, with increased pay in annual sessions, they are fully motivated to work on pending policies in giving their best to the electorate (NCSL, 1). On the other hand, biennial sessions have little pay a condition that can contribute to less attention on these important legislative matters. Therefore, adopting a full-time idea will be a good solution.
Annual legislative sessions give the elected legislators humble opportunities to oversee the administration and hold the executive accountable on legislative policies. Their continuous involvement has been commendable in the sense that they have been able to uncover a hidden agenda within the executive branch (NCSL, 1). Since the executive branch plays an important role in policy implementation, the legislature ought to be on their toes to correct or support their opinions. Annual sessions are important for giving close attention to all activities happening within the executive branch. The involvement with the other branches of the government is important in providing the best outcomes for the nation’s citizens. Additionally, their oversight role has been more effective with the enabled feasibility, hence fulfilling their legislative duties. Bennie sessions fail to provide the right attention to what is happening to the other governmental branches, resulting in negligence of important governmental matters.
Works Cited
NCSL. Full- and Part-Time Legislatures. 2014. Retrieved from: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/full-and-part-time-legislatures.aspx
NCSL. Annual vs. Biennial Legislative Sessions. 2011. Retrieved from: https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/annual-vs-biennial-legislative-sessions.aspx
