SJR 37 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Proposing a constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.

SJR 37 proposes a constitutional amendment to explicitly state that non-U.S. citizens cannot vote in Texas. It amends Article VI, Section 1(a) of the Texas Constitution by adding "persons who are not citizens of the United States" as a prohibited voting class. This would clarify existing voting eligibility rules by making citizenship a constitutional requirement, directly affecting non-citizen residents. The amendment must be approved by Texas voters in the November 4, 2025, election to take effect.
Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2025 Last action May 15, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed Enrolled · 3 edits · May 15, 2025
MINOR
This document shows the final enrolled version of a Senate Joint Resolution (SJR 37) that proposes a constitutional amendment to clarify voter eligibility requirements in Texas. The primary substantive change is the addition of a header and certification sections that were not present in the earlier draft version, while the core constitutional text remains unchanged.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the core constitutional amendment text is identical between versions.
TECHNICAL

Added header information including bill number (89(R) SJR 37), version designation (Enrolled), and digital content accessibility updates.

Added certification sections with signatures for the Senate President, House Speaker, Secretary of the Senate, Chief Clerk of the House, and Secretary of State to confirm adoption and passage.

Removed draft author names (Birdwell, Middleton) and line number formatting that was present in the earlier version.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 1, 2025 · House May 12, 2025

How they voted

273
Passed
Total votes 30
Apr 1, 2025
D Democratic10
7 Yea 3 Nay
70% Yea
R Republican20
20 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
49
Key actions
13
Committee
10
May 15, 2025
Introduced
Filed with the Secretary of State
executive
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage reported
upper
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Adopted
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Elections
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Mar 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
6 primary · 35 co-sponsors

Sponsors