Inquizitive Ch. 7 Texas Govt

While a veto threat is not a formal power of the governor, it is an important negotiating tool between the governor and the legislature for which of the following reasons?

Vetoes are notoriously difficult for the legislature to overcome when in session and impossible to overcome when out of session.

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

2015 more Patrick equal

Study the following chart and click on the year in which ideological polarization in the Texas House of Representatives was widest. Figure 7.2 Ideological differences in the Texas House of Representatives

click year 2016

Which of the following are the most significant effects that bicameralism has on the legislative process?

creates more access for interest groups increases compromise lessens the chances of bad laws getting passed

Which of the powers of the Texas legislature are being invoked by the lieutenant governor?

directive and supervisory power

Which of the following scenarios are good examples of constituent services?

introducing a special resolution to honor the service of a citizen in the district delivering the keynote address for the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet writing a letter of recommendation for entry into a state university intervening with the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife to get an appointment for a constituent

Which of the following are arguments that being a member of the legislature is a full-time job even if it is technically considered part-time?

special sessions constituent service interim committee meetings

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

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

Match the type of bill to its best definition.

Bill:- a proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of the legislature and submitted to the clerk of the House or Senate Local bill:- affects only units of local government, such as a city, county, or special district General bill:- applies to all people and/or property in the state Special bill:- gives an individual or corporation a special exemption from state law

In which of the following ways can the media influence the legislature?

Social media let legislators communicate directly with their constituents. The media help constituents learn more about actions by the legislature. The media help set the legislative agenda by focusing on certain stories.

The - must recommend any changes to the compensation of the members of the state legislature, which must then be approved by the -.

Texas Ethics Commission voters

Match each formal requirement to be a member with either the Texas Senate, Texas House of Representatives, or both.

Texas Senate -at least 26 years old -resident of Texas for at least five years House of Representatives -at least 21 years old -resident of Texas for at least two years Both -U.S. citizen -resident of the district for at least one year -qualified voter

Place the steps of the redistricting process in order.

census reapportionment redistricting

Which of the following is the power of the executive to veto specific provisions of an appropriations bill passed by the legislature?

line-item veto

Fundamentally, the Supreme Court decisions in Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims were based on the principle of which of the following?

one person, one vote

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

true

The Texas legislature has become increasingly partisan in recent years.

true

What tools does the Texas governor have to influence the legislative process?

veto State of the State address public appeals executive budget proposal

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 Bill's post-adjournment veto cannot be overridden by the legislature

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

writing letters or emails making phone calls writing legislation scheduling a meeting