Chapter 7: The Legislature

Starting in the [blank] legislative session, committee chair appointment decisions became [blank] partisan. Lieutenant Governor [blank] ended his predecessor's practice of awarding committee chairs to Democrats in [blank] proportion to their numbers in the Senate.

2015 more Patrick equal

The [blank] must recommend any changes to the salary or retirement benefits of the members of the state legislature, which must then be approved by the [blank].

Texas Ethics Commission voters

Which of the following are actions of standing committees in the Texas legislature?

They review, hold hearings on, and amend bills to make them more acceptable to the entire legislature. In the Senate, they accept bills referred to them by the lieutenant governor. In the House, they accept bills referred to them by the Speaker.

If a review of a legislator's record shows that they sponsor over 400 bills during any given legislative session, it may be a sign that the legislator is engaged in what activity to help their chances for re-election?

credit claiming

What is the first step a person can take if they want to begin to have an impact on what state legislators do?

identify who represents them and what they believe

While the [blank] is normally a way to save time by fast-tracking noncontroversial bills, legislators may also use it to retaliate for perceived or real slights from other legislators by challenging bills that have been fast-tracked.

local and consent calendar

In what ways can a member of the public act as a lobbyist?

making phone calls writing letters or emails scheduling a meeting

The judicial power of the legislature is an example of which kind of institutional power?

nonlegislative power

In what way has Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick most significantly differed from his predecessors in the office of lieutenant governor?

party polarization

The House and Senate can override a governor's veto with a ___ vote.

two-thirds

The [blank] was eliminated by [blank] in 2015 when Republicans could not collect enough votes to overcome Democratic objections to bills in the Texas Senate.

two-thirds rule Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick

The lieutenant governor is not formally a senator and cannot vote except in cases of a tie, yet he or she has great powers over the Senate. Why?

senate rules powers similar to those of the Speaker of the House

The appointment of legislators to committee chairmanships is most heavily influenced by which factor?

personal loyalty to the leader of the chamber

After the 2010 Census, Texas received four additional seats in Congress. After legislative redistricting, three of these seats were won by Republicans and one was won by a Democrat. Using your knowledge of Texas government and the information in the chart, which statement offers an accurate observation about redistricting in Texas in 2011?

Gerrymandering created different political outcomes than the population change would have suggested

How are grounds for impeachment different in the U.S. Constitution than in the Texas Constitution?

The U.S. Constitution is more specific in what constitutes impeachable offenses, while the Texas Constitution largely leaves it up to the Texas House of Representatives.

Study the following data on the racial demographics of both Texas and the Texas legislature to complete the following statement.

[White] Texans are overrepresented in both the House and the Senate. [African American] Texans are somewhat underrepresented in the Senate but proportionately represented in the House. [Latino] Texans are underrepresented in both the House and the Senate.

Match each characteristic of the Texas legislature with its best definition.

a 30-day legislative session focused on governor's agendas Correct label: special session composed of two chambers or houses Correct label: bicameral a 140-day period occurring only in odd-numbered years Correct label: regular session occurs every two years Correct label: biennial

Analyze the passage to answer the question below it. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.—Article IV, Section 4, U.S. Constitution In this passage, the term Republican most likely has which of the following meanings?

a system in which individuals are elected to make decisions on behalf of constituents

The Texas Constitution creates a republican form of government with a [-] legislature made up of officials elected in [-] to serve during regular legislative sessions that last for [-].

bicameral November of even-numbered years 140 calendar days

Select all of the following ways in which legislators can attempt to force negotiation on a bill by slowing down the legislative process.

chubbing filibuster objecting to a local and consent bill

Because saving time during the legislative session is critical, it is common practice to file what kind of bill, which allows for simultaneous consideration of legislation in both chambers of the legislature?

companion bill

Read the excerpt, and answer the question below. The [Texas House of Representatives] immediately turned its attention to the numerous charges against [Governor James Ferguson] and, after a lengthy investigation, prepared twenty-one articles of impeachment. The Senate, sitting as a High Court of Impeachment, spent three weeks considering the charges and finally convicted the governor on ten of them....The Court of Impeachment, by a vote of twenty-five to three, removed Ferguson from office and made him ineligible to hold any office of honor, trust, or profit under the state of Texas.Source: Ralph W. Stern, "Ferguson, James Edward (1871-1944)," Texas State Historical Association, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ferguson-james-edward This excerpt details the exercise of which powers of the Texas legislature?

judicial powers

Why are members of the Texas legislature hesitant to exercise their power to remove a member of the legislature even if that member is overwhelmingly controversial or associated with scandal?

legislators do not want to be seen as overriding the will of the voters

Leaders of the two chambers of the legislature are selected in different ways. The [blank] is elected statewide, while the [blank] is selected by members of their chamber.

lieutenant governor Speaker of the House

Read the excerpt, and answer the question below. Every man and every woman in this state should have greater opportunity for economic advancement. To promote that goal, we need to further diversify our economy by attracting jobs to Texas from outside the energy sector. The Enterprise Fund has been doing just that. In the past two years, the Fund has attracted more than a half a billion dollars in capital investment and added thousands of new jobs....We need a deal closing fund that has the ability to fight for [bringing employers with new jobs].If you are truly committed to adding jobs and growing our economy, you need to fully fund the Enterprise Fund.—Governor Greg Abbott, 2017 State of the State Speech In his exhortation of legislators to provide more funding for the Enterprise Fund, Governor Abbott is exercising which method of influencing the legislative process?

message power

Texas legislators have powers beyond passing laws. Match each power to its best definition.

the power of the legislature to impeach and convict members of the executive and judicial branches of state governmentjudicial powersCorrect label:judicial powersthe ability of the Texas House, Senate, or both working together, to examine problems facing the stateinvestigative powersCorrect label:investigative powersthe legislature's mandated role in counting returns in the election for governor and lieutenant governorelectoral powersCorrect label:electoral powersthe legislature's power over the executive branch, most commonly through appropriationsdirective and supervisory powersCorrect label:directive and supervisory powerswork on behalf of specific problems citizens face in a representative's districtconstituent serviceCorrect label:constituent service

Why are delay tactics like chubbing and the filibuster effective tools for forcing compromise or killing a bill?

they use up critical limited time in the legislative session

By creating a bicameral legislature, what outcome did the framers of the Texas Constitution hope to achieve?

to force compromise between competing ideas

Committee chairs will pigeonhole a bill by never putting it on the committee agenda to be considered.

true

The governor of Texas can use the veto in various ways to reject acts by the legislature, and different types of vetoes have specific features. Label each description with the type of veto that it best and most closely describes.

veto: rejection of legislation that can be overridden by a two thirds vote of the legislature line-item veto: used on select portions of omnibus spending bills post-adjournment veto: cannot be overridden by the legislature

Which of the following is the best description of what it means for a public official to have been impeached?

when a majority in the Texas House of Representatives brings charges against an elected official