GOVT 2306 CH 7
If the governor does not like specific provisions of an appropriations bill passed by the legislature, he or she can
use the line-item veto to remove those portions from the rest of the bill.
What is the annual salary for those elected to legislative office in Texas?
$7,200 per year
Each member of the Texas Senate represents about ___________ people, while each member of the Texas House represents about_________ people.
811,000; 168,000
What is the difference between a bill and a resolution?
A bill is a proposed law and a resolution is an expression of opinion.
constituent
A person who is represented by an elected official
The legislature does not usually override a veto for what reason?
Bills are passed late in session so the legislature is usually out of session when a bill is vetoed.
In Texas, why is a governor's post-adjournment veto so powerful?
It cannot be overturned by the legislature.
The ___ are currently the majority party in the Texas House, and the ___ are majority party in the Texas Senate.
Republicans; Republicans.
In the Texas legislature, when a committee chair "pigeonholes" a bill, what happens?
The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee.
If the governor decides that he or she does not want a bill passed by the legislature to become law, he or she must do what?
The governor must veto the bill.
Which of the following statements about simple resolutions is correct?
They do not require the signature of the governor.
filibuster
a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches a tactic used by members of the Senate to try to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down
post-adjournment veto
a veto of a bill that occurs after the legislature adjourns, thus preventing the legislature from overriding it
Impeachment
according to the Texas Constitution, the formal charge by the House of Representatives that leads to a trial in the Senate and possibly to the removal of a state official
resolution
an expression of opinion on an issue by a legislative body
While bills must be introduced by a member of the legislature, ______________ can write a bill.
anyone
The Texas legislature is responsible for formally counting the returns for the election of governor and lieutenant governor. This is an example of which one of the legislature's powers?
electoral power
biennial
every two years
What is the purpose of the Legislative Redistricting Board (LBR)?
to create a redistricting plan if the legislature fails to do so during the first regular legislative session after a census.
There are ___ members of the Texas House of Representatives and ___ members of the Texas Senate.
150;31
Which committee is a permanent committee that covers one particular subject area?
standing
regular session
the 140-day period, occurring only in odd-numbered years, during which the Texas legislature meets to consider and pass bills
Redistricting usually happens every ___ years.
10
Regular legislative sessions are limited to
140 days.
In the Texas legislature, the House has ________ members and the Senate has ________ members.
150; 31
Which of the following is true about bicameralism in the Texas legislature?
Since bills must be passed by both chambers, the process requires compromise, but also allows individual members of the legislature the ability to block passage of bills.
The two most powerful political figures in the Texas legislature are the
Speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor.
redistricting
The redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives in the Texas House, Texas Senate, and U.S. House; this usually happens every 10 years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges in existing districts
What is the importance of the Supreme Court's decisions in Reynolds v. Sims and Baker v. Carr?
They declared the constitutional principle of "one person, one vote."
local bill
a bill affecting only units of local government, such as a city, county, or special district
general bill
a bill that applies to all people and/or property in the state
special bill
a bill that gives an individual or a corporation a special exemption from state law
single-member district
a district in which ONE official is elected rather than multiple officials
conference committee
a joint committee created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation
special session
a legislative session called by the governor that addresses an agenda set by him or her and that lasts no longer than 30 days
standing committee
a permanent committee with the power to propose and write legislation that covers a particular subject, such as finance or agriculture
bill
a proposed law presented to a legislative body for consideration *sponsored by a member of the legislature and submitted to the clerk of the House or Senate
simple resolution
a resolution that concerns only the Texas House or Senate, such as the adoption of a rule or the appointment of an employee, and that does not require the governor's signature
concurrent resolution
a resolution that is of interest to both chambers of the legislature and must pass both the House and Senate and generally be signed by the governor
joint resolution
a resolution, commonly a proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution or ratification of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that must pass both the House and Senate but that does not require the governor's signature
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
a statewide elected official who is the presiding officer of the Senate; the lieutenant governor is one of the most important officials in state government and has significant control over legislation in the state Senate; the second-highest elected official in the state and president of the state Senate Dan Patrick
pigeonholing
a step in the legislative process during which a bill is killed by the chair of the standing committee to which it was referred, as a result of his or her setting the bill aside and not bringing it before the committee
In recent years, the Texas legislature had
been more partisan.
per diem
daily allowance daily payment to a public official engaged in state business
The power of recognition allows the Speaker of the House to
determine who will get to speak and how long a legislative debate will last.
The lieutenant governor is
elected in a statewide election for a four-year term.
Members of the Texas Senate serve ___ terms.
four-years
Special bills are used to
give an individual or corporation an exemption from state law.
The agenda for special sessions in the Texas legislature is set by the
governor.
bicameral
having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses
Pigeonholing happens
in a standing committee.
The Texas legislature meets
in biennial sessions, 140 days every other year.
The first four steps in the process for a bill to become a law are:
introduction, referral, consideration by standing committee, and floor action.
If a bill fails to pass the Texas House and Texas Senate in exactly the same form, the bill
is sent to a conference committee.
The president of the Texas Senate is also the
lieutenant governor of Texas.
A bill in the Texas legislature that would allow a county to establish a new community college would be classified as a
local bill.
constituent service
non-legislative activities legislators perform to assist people living in their districts, including writing letters of recommendation, giving speeches to civic groups, or working to solve a problem for someone in their community
Powers that are not directly related to the writing and passing of legislation are called
non-legislative powers.
Texas House members differ from Texas Senate members because House members
represent small districts and are subject to more frequent elections.
The Texas Senate has some specific rules governing the filibuster, including
requiring that remarks must be directly related to the issue under consideration.
_____________ must begin in the House of Representatives.
revenue bills
The legislature has "directive and supervisory powers" that include the ability to
review each state agency every twelve years.
Speaker of the House
the chief presiding officer of the House of Representatives; the Speaker is the most important party and House leader, and can influence the legislative agenda, the fate of individual pieces of legislation, and members' positions within the House
Introduction
the first step in the legislative process, during which a member of the legislature drafts a bill and files a copy of it with the clerk of the House or secretary of the Senate
floor action
the fourth step in the legislative process, during which a bill referred by a standing committee is scheduled for floor debate by the Calendars Committee
veto
the governor's power to turn down legislation; can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate
In a representative democracy, such as the one established by the Texas Constitution, members of the legislature are elected to represent
the interests of those who voted for them.
electoral power
the legislature's mandated role in counting returns in the elections for governor and lieutenant governor
directive and supervisory power
the legislature's power over the executive branch; for example, the legislature determines the size of appropriations for state agencies
When the governor strikes out specific spending provisions in large appropriations bills it is called
the line-item veto.
judicial power
the power of the House to impeach and of the Senate to convict members of the executive and judicial branches of state government
line-item veto
the power of the executive to veto specific provisions (lines) of an appropriations bill passed by the legislature
recognition
the power to control floor debate by recognizing who can speak before the House and the Senate
Investigative power
the power, exercised by the House, the Senate, or both chambers jointly, to investigate problems facing the state
one-person, one-vote principle
the principle that all districts should have roughly equal populations
referral
the second step in the legislative process, during which a bill is assigned to the appropriate standing committee by the Speaker (for House bills) or the lieutenant governor (for Senate bills)
consideration by standing committee
the third step in the legislative process, during which a bill is killed, amended, or heard by a standing committee