Texas Govt Book & InQuizitive Ch.7

InQuizitive What best explains why the filibuster in the Texas Senate is such a useful tool?

It creates greater pressure on the legislature to compromise because of time.

Suppose the legislature begins proceedings examining potential misconduct of the state attorney general. Which nonlegislative power is most relevant? You selected:

judicial power The Texas Constitution gives the legislature the power to impeach and convict state officials accused of misconduct.

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

party polarization Dan Patrick unseated the incumbent Republican lieutenant governor by promising to stop appointing Democrats as committee chairs and to promote a much more aggressive conservative social agenda in the legislature.

Lieutenant Governor

recognizes members on the Senate floor. The Lieutenant Governor is the most powerful office in the Senate in part because this office determines who may speak on the Senate floor.

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

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

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

- republican - bicameral - November of even numbered years - 140 calendar days

InQuizitive 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 The Texas legislature was compelled to draw new districts of roughly equal population.

InQuizitive 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.

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

InQuizitive The _ members of the Texas legislature meet in regular session for _ each odd-numbered year. In the 2021 legislative session, they successfully passed _ of all proposed legislation.

- 181 - 140 calander days - less that 20 percent In the 2021 legislative session, the legislature passed 1,073 bills out of 6,927 bills, or about 15 percent.

InQuizitive During a - of the Texas legislature, a governor has limited influence, but during a - legislators may only work on issues identified as important by the governor.

- Regular session - special session

InQuizitive Study the following data on the racial demographics of both Texas and the Texas legislature to complete the following statement. - Texans are overrepresented in both the Texas House and the Texas Senate. -Press Space to openWhiteLatinoBlack Texans are somewhat underrepresented in the Texas Senate but more proportionately represented in the Texas House. -Press Space to openWhiteLatinoBlack Texans are deeply underrepresented in both the Texas House and the Texas Senate

- White - Black - Latino

InQuizitive Why would a veto threat from the governor be a very effective tool in getting the Texas legislature to compromise on a bill with the executive branch?

An actual veto from the govenor is nearly impossible to overcome by the legislature. It has been more than seventy years since the Texas legislature has overridden a governor's veto. The governor has very little real influence in the legislative process, but the threat of a veto may cause legislators to compromise because of the inability of the legislature to override a veto during the legislative session.

InQuizitive 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?

Claiming credit NOTE Legislators may add their names as sponsors to many different bills during a legislative session in order to show their constituents they were very busy during the session working for them.

InQuizitive Study the following infographic on the educational levels and common occupations of members of the Texas legislature to determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct Answer(s) - The majority of lawmakers have at least a college education. - The majority of lawmakers are either lawyers or people with a business background. Incorrect Answer(s) - The educational levels of lawmakers are pretty similar to the general education level of Texans.

InQuizitive During the redistricting process, gerrymandering is used to protect which groups?

Correct Answers - incumbants - majority party Incorrect Answers -voters -rural districts

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

Correct Answers - objecting to a local and consent bill - filibuster - chubbing Incorrect Answers - vetoing legislation - amending legislation

InQuizitive Use the following chart on the change in population in Texas between 2000 and 2010 to answer the question below. 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 the 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

InQuizitive How does an increase in education level relate to political participation?

Increases in education correlate significantly with more political participation.

InQuizitive When it comes to drafting legislation, responding to emails and letters, and providing constituent services, legislators are dependent on which of the following?

Legislative staff Legislative staff are experts that may carry out many functions for legislators and legislative committees.

InQuizitive The number of people in each legislative district must be roughly equal based on the total number of what?

Residents All people in a legislative district are considered constituents, and each district must have roughly the same population regardless of citizenship status.

InQuizitive Which of the following is the best way to understand the way Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has run the Texas Senate since his election in 2015?

Strict partisanship

InQuizitive How long is the regular session of the Texas legislative?

The Texas legislature is in session for 140 calendar days every other year.

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

True

InQuizitive 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 Note Republicanism is a form of government in which voters choose people in elections to make decisions about public policy in government. Many Americans confuse the term republican with the institution of the Republican Party, but it refers to the guarantee of a republican form of government that gives voters the power to directly choose which representatives will make decisions on their behalf.

The one-person, one-vote principle means

all districts should have roughly equal populations. Because each district only has one representative, districts must be of roughly equal size. If the one-person, one-vote principle was not in place, one district could have 1,000 residents, and another 100,000, but each would have only one representative.

A major difference between the Texas House and the U.S. House is?

committee chairs come from both parties in the Texas House but not the U.S. House. In the U.S. House, the party in power controls all committee chairs. In the Texas House, different norms apply. In the 2021 legislative session, for example, one-third of committee chairs were Democrats.

InQuizitive Which method to delay and perhaps kill a legislative measure can be used only in the Senate?

filibuster

Which of the following is an example of constituent service?

giving a speech at a town hall meeting. Constituent service typically refers to activities that public officials undertake to assist and address the concerns of their constituents (the people they represent).

InQuizitive 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

InQuizitive 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

When the governor vetoes specific provisions of a spending bill passed by the legislature, this is known as a(n)

line-item veto. The line-item veto empowers the governor to strike specific provisions from spending bills; it only applies to the omnibus appropriations bill and can't be used to delete words or phrases to change the meaning of laws passed by the legislature.

How often does the Texas legislature meet in regular session?

once every two years for 140 days

Which type of resolution in the legislature can only pass in one chamber?

simple resolutions Simple resolutions are used to adopt rules, to request opinions from the attorney general, to appoint employees to office in the House or Senate, or to honor outstanding achievements by Texas residents. They only need to pass in one chamber.

Which of the following is responsible for drawing districts in the legislature if they fail to do so at the first regular session of a new decade?

the Legislative Redistricting Board The legislature is responsible for drawing districts, but if they fail to do so, the Legislative Redistricting Board steps in. This board consists of five members, all of whom hold elective office: the lieutenant governor, the Speaker of the House, the attorney general, the commissioner of the General Land Office, and the comptroller of public accounts.

When a bill is introduced in the state Senate, who refers the bill to committee?

the lieutenant governor The role of lieutenant governor is very powerful because of this power of assignment.