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44-472: As defined by the Texas Legislature , the official service area of CBC is: The school enrolled 4,105 students in academic, workforce education, and continuing education classes during the fall of 2021. The Beeville campus of CBC serves the educational needs of more than 1,248 students. The district serves a rural community of some 9,000 square miles (23,000 km). The Bee County Junior College District

88-436: A U.S. District Judge ordered both sides to submit proposed maps by July 14, respond to their opponents' maps by July 21, and be prepared to hold oral arguments on August 3. The 2003 redistricting targeted ten districts with white Democratic incumbents, avoiding the seven districts with minority Democratic incumbents. The redistricting appeared intended to protect Henry Bonilla , a Hispanic Republican of TX-23 . He had faced

132-458: A decade (a so-called "mid-decade" redistricting) and argued that it was conducted for purely political gain by the Republican Party. Public comments by some Republicans lent support to this latter claim, since many discussed their expectations of picking up several Republican seats. Some minority groups argued the plan was unconstitutional, as it would dilute their influence and possibly violate

176-611: A fighter and a competitor, and he saw an opportunity to help the Republicans stay in power in Washington." Toobin reported that DeLay left Washington and returned to Texas to oversee the project while final voting was underway in the state legislature, and that "several times during the long days of negotiating sessions, DeLay personally shuttled proposed maps among House and Senate offices in Austin." Texas Monthly editor Paul Burka, writing in

220-546: A large impact on lawmaking in the state. Only the governor may call the Legislature into special sessions, unlike other states where the legislature may call itself into session. The governor may call as many sessions as desired. For example, Governor Rick Perry called three consecutive sessions to address the 2003 Texas congressional redistricting . The Texas Constitution limits the duration of each special session to 30 days; lawmakers may consider only those issues designated by

264-601: A new map which left many of the 1991 districts intact. It yielded a 17-to-15 Democratic majority in Texas's US House delegation after the 2002 elections. For Texas House and Senate redistricting, the Texas Constitution provides that the Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB) convenes when the state legislature is unable to approve, for either body, a redistricting plan in the first legislative session following

308-423: A per diem of $ 221 for every day the Legislature is in session (also including any special sessions). That adds up to $ 38,140 a year for a regular session (140 days), with the total pay for a two-year term being $ 45,340. Legislators receive a pension after eight years of service, starting at age 60. Article III, Section 10 of the Texas Constitution requires that 2/3 of a chamber's members be present to constitute

352-484: A quorum for conducting business (this is greater than what is required for the United States Congress, which only requires a simple majority of a chamber's members). This has resulted in several instances where, in an effort to block legislation from passing, a sufficient number of members have fled the state in order to deny a quorum. The most recent of these attempts took place during a 2021 special session of

396-580: A special election was held in the new districts. All incumbents won except in District 23. There, Republican incumbent Henry Bonilla was forced into a December run-off after a jungle primary ; he lost to Democratic challenger Ciro Rodriguez . After Republicans won control of the Texas state legislature in 2002 for the first time in 130 years, they intended to work toward establishing a majority of House of Representatives seats from Texas held by their party. After

440-583: A stiff challenge from conservative Democrat Henry Cuellar in 2002. It also neutralized liberal Democrat Ciro Rodriguez . This was done by putting the two Democrats in the same district and forcing them to run against each other for the Democratic nomination (Cuellar won). In 2006, however, the Supreme Court ruling required redrawing the boundaries for TX-23. It resulted in a special election, in which Bonilla faced six Democratic candidates and an independent in

484-529: A vote from taking place during the regular session. The 52 Democrats, known as the "Killer Ds", returned to the state when time had expired for the bill. But in the summer of 2003, Governor Rick Perry called a series of special legislative sessions in order to continue the redistricting effort. With control of more than one-third of the seats in the State Senate, the Democrats invoked a two-thirds rule , preventing

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528-488: A vote on the redistricting plan during the first special session. Half an hour after ending the first special session, Governor Perry called a second special session. This time, due to the calendaring of the redistricting bill, the two-thirds rule would not come into play. Eleven of the twelve Democratic state senators left the state to prevent a quorum. The Senators assembled in Albuquerque, New Mexico and were referred to as

572-522: Is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas . It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives . The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin . It is a powerful arm of the Texas government not only because of its power of the purse to control and direct the activities of state government and the strong constitutional connections between it and

616-497: Is the start of the state's fiscal year). Bills can (and many are) pre-filed before the start of a session: for regular sessions the lower numbers are reserved for bills with high priority by Legislative leadership (with HB1 and SB1 specifically reserved for each chamber's version of the General Appropriations Act, the state's budget and spending authority). Although members are elected on partisan ballots, both houses of

660-708: The 2004 elections , this redistricting supported the Republicans taking a majority of Texas 's federal House seats for the first time since Reconstruction . Democrats in both houses of the Texas Legislature staged walkouts , unsuccessfully trying to prevent the changes. Opponents challenged the plan in three suits, combined when the case went to the United States Supreme Court in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry (2006). On June 28, 2006,

704-679: The 2024 Texas elections . The Texas Legislature meets in regular session on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. The Texas Constitution limits the regular session to 140 calendar days. The lieutenant governor , elected statewide separately from the governor , presides over the Senate, while the Speaker of the House is elected from that body by its members. Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their respective houses and have

748-670: The Lieutenant Governor of Texas , but also due to Texas's plural executive . The Legislature is the constitutional successor of the Congress of the Republic of Texas since Texas's 1845 entrance into the Union . The Legislature held its first regular session from February 16 to May 13, 1846. The Legislature has completed its 88th session , and the next session is the 89th session , scheduled to convene on January 14, 2025, at noon ( CST ) after

792-469: The " one-person-one-vote " principle of redistricting. Republicans argued that, since most voters in the state were Republicans, that they be represented by a majority-Republican congressional delegation in Washington. The 2004 elections under the new redistricting resulted in Texas Republicans gaining a majority of House seats by a 21–11 margin, nearly a 2/1 ratio in terms of seats (66% of seats). This

836-508: The 2002 election, Democrats had a 17–15 edge in House seats representing Texas or 53% of the seats to Republican's 47%, although the state voted for Republicans in congressional races 53.3%–43.8%. After a protracted partisan struggle, the legislature enacted a new congressional districting map, Plan 1374C, introduced in the Texas House by Representative Phil King of Weatherford . In the 2004 congressional elections, Republicans won 21 seats to

880-465: The 52 absent Democratic members of the House. The bill passed upon the eventual return of enough state Democrats to constitute a quorum in the legislature. The Texas Legislature has five support agencies that are within the legislative branch of state government. Those five agencies are as follows: 2003 Texas redistricting The 2003 Texas redistricting was a controversial intercensus state plan that defined new congressional districts . In

924-476: The Court said states are free to redistrict as often as desired, the justices ruled that Texas's 23rd congressional district was invalid, as it violated Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act by racial gerrymandering . This decision required lawmakers to adjust boundaries in line with the Court's ruling. A three-judge panel, under an order from the U.S. Court of Appeals, oversaw the redistricting. On June 29, 2006,

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968-527: The Democrats' 11, which suggested they had considerably surpassed their margin of preference among voters. On June 28, 2006, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion that threw out one of the districts in the plan as a violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act because of racial gerrymandering . It ordered the lower court to produce a remedial plan, which it did in Plan 1440C. The Supreme Court ruling

1012-475: The Legislature are officially organized on a nonpartisan basis, with members of both parties serving in leadership positions such as committee chairmanships. As of 2022, a majority of the members of each chamber are members of the Republican Party . The Texas Constitution sets the qualifications for election to each house as follows: State legislators in Texas make $ 600 per month, or $ 7,200 per year, plus

1056-406: The Legislature. On July 12, 2021, during a special session, at least 51 Democratic members of the House fled the state in two charter jets bound for Washington, D.C. , in an effort to block Republican-backed election legislation from passing. The lawmakers planned to spend at least three weeks in Washington, running out the clock on the special session, which began July 8. During their time away from

1100-428: The Supreme Court upheld the statewide redistricting as constitutional, with the exception of Texas's 23rd congressional district , which it held was racially gerrymandered in violation of Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act , apparently to try to protect a Hispanic Republican representative. A three-judge Federal District Court redrew District 23 and four other nearby districts: 15, 21, 25, and 28. In November 2006,

1144-619: The Texas Eleven. After a month-long stand off, Senator John Whitmire returned to the State Senate. The redistricting plan was passed in a third special legislative session. After the 2004 elections, Texas' U.S. House delegation had a Republican majority, 21-11, for the first time since Reconstruction . An article in the March 6, 2006, issue of The New Yorker magazine, written by Jeffrey Toobin , quoted Texas's junior Republican Senator John Cornyn as saying, "Everybody who knows Tom knows that he's

1188-572: The Texas Legislature in 1995. The campus also offers hundreds of academic courses in 27 concentration areas, relatable to "majors", which are transferable to most four-year institutions. Coastal Bend College has satellite campuses that operate conjunctively with the main campus, rather than independently like some other college systems. These locations offer a fraction of the programs that the main campus does, and students can move and attend classes between different campuses. Classes taken at any of

1232-458: The Texas Senate. Democrats maintained their majority in the Texas House of Representatives. In 2001, Democrats and Republicans were unable to agree on new district maps to respond to the latest census. The Republican minority recommended the issue be submitted to a panel of judges, per state law. The judges, being "hesitant to undo the work of one political party for the benefit of another", drew

1276-766: The US Department of Justice for its 2003 congressional redistricting plan. But in December 2005, The Washington Post reported, "Justice Department lawyers concluded that the landmark Texas congressional redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom DeLay violated the Voting Rights Act, according to a previously undisclosed memo," uncovered by the newspaper. The document, endorsed by six Justice Department attorneys, said [T]he redistricting plan illegally diluted black and Hispanic voting power in two congressional districts ... The State of Texas has not met its burden in showing that

1320-503: The bill. After the first special session expired on August 6, Governor Abbott called a second session the next day. State District Judge Brad Urrutia granted a restraining order on August 9 temporarily protecting the absent Democrats from arrest by the state, however this restraining order was overturned by the Texas Supreme Court . On August 10, with the chamber still lacking a quorum, Speaker Dade Phelan issued arrest warrants for

1364-801: The census. In June 2001, the task of redistricting passed to the LRB after the state legislature failed to pass a redistricting plan for either the House or Senate. The LRB consists of five statewide officials, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Attorney General, the State Comptroller, and the Commissioner of the General Land Office. Four of these five officials were Republican, and

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1408-454: The college. The board of trustees selected Grady C. Hogue as the first BCC President. BCC opened in September 1967, with 790 students, 24 full-time instructors and 11 part-time teachers. The board of trustees officially changed the college name from Bee County College to Coastal Bend College effective September 1, 1998. The name change was made because the service area was extended by an act of

1452-513: The four CBC schools appear on the same transcript. In 2006, the college reinstated a portion of its athletics program after years of absence from intramural competition. Coastal Bend College Cougars compete in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 14 in men's basketball, soccer, and baseball, and women's basketball, softball, and volleyball. Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature

1496-570: The governor in his "call," or proclamation convening the special session (though other issues may be added by the Governor during a session). Any bill passed by the Legislature takes effect 90 days after its passage unless two-thirds of each house votes to give the bill either immediate effect or earlier effect. The Legislature may provide for an effective date that is after the 90th day. Under current legislative practice, most bills are given an effective date of September 1 in odd-numbered years (September 1

1540-479: The legislature. With the urging of Governor Rick Perry and Tom Delay, who had assumed the position of US House Majority Leader in January 2003, the Republican majority introduced legislation to redraw the court-drawn districts from 2001. Lacking sufficient votes to stop the new plan, 52 Democratic members fled the state to prevent a quorum (an act known as quorum-busting ) in the Texas House, effectively preventing

1584-536: The magazine's May 2006 issue, characterized the measure as "DeLay's midcensus congressional redistricting plan" and said, "[I]n order to increase his Republican majority in Congress, he [DeLay] resorted to a midcensus redistricting plan." At the time of the 2003 redistricting, Texas was under the pre-clearance requirements of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 . The State of Texas obtained pre-clearance from

1628-524: The number of Republican federal lawmakers in the state". The article noted that senior political appointees in the Justice Department had overridden the position and findings by the Civil Rights Division's career civil service staff lawyers and analysts, and approved the redistricting. Democrats criticized the 2003 redistricting plan, citing the lack of precedent for redistricting twice in

1672-445: The proposed congressional redistricting plan does not have a discriminatory effect. In addition, according to the Post , Justice Department lawyers "found that Republican lawmakers and state officials who helped craft the proposal were aware it posed a high risk of being ruled discriminatory compared with other options". Texas legislators proceeded with the new plan "because it would maximize

1716-423: The resulting redistricting plans were seen as favorable to Republicans. In September 2001, then House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (TX-22) organized Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC), a political action committee designed to gather campaign funds for Republican candidates throughout Texas—in particular with an eye to gaining control of the state House Speakership, then held by Democrat Pete Laney . TRMPAC

1760-528: The state legislative chambers, they also advocated for federal voting legislation such as the For the People Act . Governor Abbott stated that representatives, upon return to the state, would be arrested and escorted to the state legislative chambers to fulfill their lawmaking duties. He additionally noted he would use his power to call successive special sessions until such a time as the legislature met quorum to vote on

1804-409: Was created at an election on November 2, 1965. That election resulted from several years of study and work to establish a community college for Bee County. Support was shown in an overwhelming five-to-one majority for the creation of the district. The desire for a community college was demonstrated again on December 7, 1965, when district citizens approved a tax to support BCC, and to issue bonds to build

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1848-488: Was modeled closely after DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC), a federal-level organization created to raise funds for Republicans during the 2000 national elections. Simultaneously, as has been well documented in the media, DeLay played a key role in the ongoing Texas redistricting effort. In 2002, after winning a majority of seats in the State House of Representatives, Republicans gained complete control of

1892-487: Was not considered to seriously threaten Republican gains from the 2004 elections. The Texas Legislature had last enacted a congressional redistricting plan in 1991, following the 1990 census. At the time, Democrats held both the governor's seat (with Ann Richards ) and control of both state legislative branches. By the 2000 census, Republicans had recaptured the state executive branch, having elected Governor George W. Bush and Lt. Governor Rick Perry , as well as control of

1936-500: Was significantly larger than the 61/38 voting ratio of Republicans to Democrats in the Presidential race. It was much more lopsided than the total results in the 32 House races, which resulted in 56/40/3 for Republican to Democratic voting (the two main parties did not both run candidates in four districts). The US Supreme Court issued an opinion on the case in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry on June 28, 2006. While

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