Changes

==Process==

==Process==

Texas procedure on impeachment and removal differs from Federal procedure, in that a state officer who is impeached by the Texas House is immediately suspended (without pay and benefits) from office, pending a trial on removal by the Texas Senate (under Federal procedure an officer remains in office until and unless removed).  Removal from office makes the officer permanently ineligible for any state or local office in the future, regardless of whether the officer resigns beforehand.

Like the Federal procedure, only a majority of the House is required to impeach an officer, while 2/3 of the Senate must vote to remove the officer.

 

The action of impeachment and removal also differs from the action of expulsion, which involves a member of one of the Legislative chambers; expulsion is taken only by the member's peers in his/her chamber while the other chamber has no part in the action.

Like the Federal procedure, only a majority of the House is required to impeach an officer, while 2/3 of the Senate must vote to remove the officer.

Where Texas procedure on impeachment and removal differs from Federal procedure is that a state officer who is impeached by the Texas House is immediately suspended (without pay and benefits) from office, pending a trial on removal by the Texas Senate, and removal from office makes the officer permanently ineligible for any state or local office in the future, regardless of whether the officer resigns beforehand.  Under Federal procedure removal only removes the officer from his/her position but doesn't make them ineligible for another Federal one (such as with impeached and removed Federal judge [[Alcee Hastings]], who simply ran for and became a United States Representative).

Only twice previously has a Texas state officer been impeached: Governor [[Pa Ferguson]] in 1917, and Duval County District Court Judge O.P. Carillo in 1975.  Both Ferguson and Carillo were Democrats, both were impeached by a Democrat-controlled House, and both were subsequently removed from their respective offices by a Democrat-controlled Senate.  Paxton is the first Republican to face impeachment and removal.  At the time of Paxton's impeachment there were 149 members in the House (one vacancy due to [[Bryan Slaton]]'s expulsion in early May 2023) of which 85 were Republicans and 64 were Democrats; only 75 votes were needed to impeach, and 121 members voted to do so.  In the Senate there are 31 members (no vacancies), of which 19 are Republicans and 12 are Democrats; 21 votes are needed to remove Paxton from office.

The action of impeachment and removal differs from the action of expulsion, which involves a member of one of the Legislative chambers; expulsion is taken only by the member's peers in his/her chamber while the other chamber has no part in the action.

Any action to impeach and remove a state officer originates first in the House General Investigating Committee, comprised of five members all chosen by the House Speaker.  The Committee has the power to hire outside counsel and investigators, to issue subpoenas and compel testimony, and can use pseudonyms to protect the identities of people and other entities involved during an investigation.

Any action to impeach and remove a state officer originates first in the House General Investigating Committee, comprised of five members all chosen by the House Speaker.  The Committee has the power to hire outside counsel and investigators, to issue subpoenas and compel testimony, and can use pseudonyms to protect the identities of people and other entities involved during an investigation.

==House Action==

==House Action==