Western Texas College ( WTC ) is a public community college in Snyder, Texas . It was established in 1969 and has two downtown Snyder locations in addition to the main campus. With an enrollment around 2,300, Western Texas College has an extensive distance learning department, provides dual-credit courses to 43 area high schools, and provides college-level coursework to inmates in three prisons in the West Texas area.
25-638: As defined by the Texas Legislature , the official Western Texas College service area encompasses Borden , Dickens , Fisher , Jones , Kent , Mitchell , Nolan , Runnels , Scurry , and Stonewall Counties. Western Texas College offers the Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree, the Associate of Science (A.S.) degree, the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree, and the Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) degree. Western Texas College
50-551: 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
75-494: 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
100-411: A term of four years. They take office on the third Tuesday of January following an election, which is also the date of expiry of the previous gubernatorial term. The state's first constitution in 1845 established the office of governor, to serve for two years, but no more than four years out of every six (essentially a limit of no more than two consecutive terms). The 1861 secessionist constitution set
125-686: Is host to many annual events, including the West Texas Western Swing Festival held every year in June. Home of the Lady Westerners softball team, United Field is also host to tournaments for high schools and colleges. Westerner Field is home to the Westerner baseball squad and local and regional baseball tournaments, including the annual Snyder High School tournament. The Westerners had their first winning season in
150-765: Is part of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference and the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 5. Competing athletic teams include: Western Texas College assumed ownership and operations of the Scurry County Coliseum in 2008. Renamed "The Coliseum", the 3,400-seat arena received a facelift thanks to a $ 500,000 donation from wind energy company, Invenergy . In addition to all college basketball home games played on Invenergy Court, The Coliseum
175-548: Is the highest elected official in the state. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branches of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military . The current governor is Greg Abbott , who took office in 2015. Anyone seeking to become the governor of Texas must meet the following qualifications: Governors of Texas are directly elected by registered voters in Texas and serve for
200-508: 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
225-776: 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 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
250-532: 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 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
275-415: The presidential elections . All gubernatorial elections have been a part of the midterm elections since the 1974 election , invalidating the latter. The governor is sworn in on the third Tuesday of January every four years along with the lieutenant governor , so Abbott and current lieutenant governor Dan Patrick both took office on January 20, 2015. Despite the lack of term limits, no Texas governor in
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#1732773360755300-588: The '10-'11 year, posting a 37–17 record. Weaver Field, the WTC Soccer Complex, includes a full-sized regulation soccer pitch and three practice fields. Plans include adding a 400-meter track to the complex. In addition to home games for the WTC men's and women's soccer teams, the field hosts many local soccer events for Snyder schools. The WTC campus expanded by nearly 100 acres after Texas clothing and boot magnate James Cavender donated property adjacent to
325-482: The 19th or 20th century ever served more than seven and a half consecutive years in office ( Allan Shivers ) or eight years total service ( Bill Clements , in two non-consecutive four-year terms). Former governor Rick Perry , who served from 2000 to 2015, surpassed both these records, becoming the first Texas governor to serve three consecutive four-year terms. When Perry won the general election on November 2, 2010 , he joined Shivers, Price Daniel , and John Connally as
350-466: 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: Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of the state government of Texas and
375-483: 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
400-465: 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
425-512: 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
450-441: The campus. This property currently houses the WTC Soccer Complex, Cavender Energy field lab, and a rugged outdoor cross country track used for local and regional cross country track events. Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature 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
475-410: 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 the governor in his "call," or proclamation convening
500-619: The limit on terms, Texas remains one of 16 states, territory or jurisdiction (including the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia ) with no gubernatorial term limits. The present constitution of 1876 shortened terms back to two years, but a 1972 amendment increased it to four years again. The gubernatorial election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November that does not coincide with
525-402: The only Texas governors elected to three terms (the terms served by governors Shivers, Daniel, and Connally were two-year terms). On November 8, 2022, current governor Greg Abbott was re-elected and became the fifth Texas governor to serve three terms following Shivers, Daniel, Connally and Perry. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. This rule
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#1732773360755550-555: 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 a large impact on lawmaking in the state. Only the governor may call the Legislature into special sessions, unlike other states where
575-521: 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
600-537: 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
625-471: The term start date at the first Monday in the November following the election. The 1866 constitution, adopted just after the American Civil War , increased terms to 4 years, but no more than 8 years out of every 12, and moved the start date to the first Thursday after the organization of the legislature, or "as soon thereafter as practicable". The Reconstruction -era constitution of 1869 removed
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