Govt 2306 Chp 7
Redistricting usually happens every __________ years so that it aligns with the new __________ results.
10; census
The Texas legislature meets in regular session
140 days each odd-numbered year.
The Texas legislature consists of a
150-member House of Representatives and a 31-member Senate.
There are __________ members of the Texas House of Representatives and __________ members of the Texas Senate.
150; 31
Members of the Texas House of Representatives serve ________ terms.
2-year
How old does someone have to be to serve in the Texas House?
21 years old
What is the outcome for the vast majority of bills that are assigned to committees in the Texas Legislature?
They are pigeonholed by the committee chair.
Message power gives the Governor what ability in the legislative process?
To put forth a vision for Texas and what legislation will accomplish that vision
"Pigeonholing" is a practice in which
a committee chair sets aside a bill.
Local bills
affect only units of local government, such as a city, county, or special district.
The lieutenant governor is
an official who is elected in a statewide election for a four-year term.
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 role do Republican and Democratic Party caucuses play in determining the chairs of legislative committees?
None, the presiding officers have sole power to choose the committee chairs
The Lieutenant Governor gets his or her powers from the __________. You Answered
Senate
The two most powerful political figures in the Texas legislature are the:
Speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor.
Special bills are used to
Special bills are used to
What is required to convene a special session of the state legislature?
The governor must call for a special session outside a general session.
The Texas Constitution grants the __________ veto power.
Governor
Texas House members differ from Texas Senate members because
House members represent small districts and are subject to more frequent elections.
Which chamber not only is larger but also is subjected to more frequent elections?
House of Representatives
A regular session in the Texas legislature starts __________ and lasts for __________ many days.
January of odd numbered years; 140 days
The president of the Texas Senate is also the
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The ability of the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House to control the final outcome of legislation comes from their power to
appoint members of conference committees.
Conference committees
are joint committees created to work out a compromised on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation.
The Texas legislature is a
bicameral body consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Republicans are a majority in
both the Texas House and Senate.
Under the Senate Rules, the lieutenant governor has the power to
break a tie on any vote.
The constitutional goal of redistricting is to
create districts with equal-sized populations.
The Speaker of the Texas House is
elected by members of the House of Representatives.
In recent years, the level of partisanship in the Texas houses has
increased substantially.
The level of partisanship in the Texas legislature
is less than the level demonstrated in the U.S. Congress.
If a bill passes the House and the Senate, but in different forms, the bill
is sent to a conference committee.
