POSI 2310 Exam 4
How long is the Texas legislative session?
140 days
How many Texas House districts are there in Texas? (members)
150 (one member per district)
How long is the Texas budget, and when does it begin and end?
2 years, September 1st and then August 31st two years after
In 2017 the percentage of women in the Texas legislature was about
20%
How many Texas Senate districts are there in Texas?
31 (one member per distirct)
Resulting in part from efforts to increase minority representation in Texas, how many Hispanic legislators served in the Texas legislature in 2015?
41
After the _________-day deadline, the introduction of any bill other than a local bill or a bill relating to a matter declared by the governor to be an emergency requires the consent of at least ______ of those members present and voting.
60, 4/5ths
Companion Bill
A bill filed in one chamber that is identical or very similar to a bill filed in the opposite chamber. Companion bills are used to expedite passage as they provide a means for committee consideration of a measure to occur in both houses simultaneously.
constitutional amendments calendar
A legislative calendar established in the house rules that lists scheduled joint resolutions proposing amendments to the Texas Constitution
Appropriation
An authorization by the legislature for the expenditure of money for a public purpose. In most instances, mon
Which of the following is NOT an accurate argument in favor of annual sessions?
Annual sessions afford legislators more time to study proposed legislation.
Amendment
Any proposed alteration to a bill or resolution as it moves through the legislative process. Amendments to a measure may be proposed by members in their assigned committees or by any member of a chamber during that chamber's second reading or third reading consideration of the measure.
Emergency calender
Calendar to which bills needing immediate action and all taxing and spending bills are assigned by the Calendars Committee.
Major State Calendar
Calendar to which nonemergency bills changing policy in a major field of government activity and having a major statewide impact are assigned by the Calendars Committee.
General State Calendar
Calendar to which nonemergency bills having statewide application but limited legal effect and policy impact are assigned by the Calendars Committee.
What is the first formal act of the Texas House at the beginning of a legislative session?
Electing a speaker of the house
The practice of redrawing electoral boundaries for political advantage is known as
Gerrymandering
To be eligible to run for the Texas Senate you must
He or She must be at least 26 years old, a U.S citizens qualified voter, and a resident of the state for 5 years and the district for 1 year
To be eligible to run for the Texas House you must
He or she must be a qualified voter, at least 21 years old, and must resided in the district for at least 1 year.
Why are there usually lopsided votes in favor of the winning speaker candidate each session?
If you support the speaker you will likely have more success
About one-third of the Texas legislature is composed of
Lawyers
Who is the presiding officer of the Texas Senate?
Lieutenant Governor: • Elected in a statewide, partisan election • 4 year term
Biennial
Occurring every two years; a term applied to the scheduled regular session of the legislature.
In an average legislative session in the Texas legislature, only about ________ of all bills make it out of committee to be considered in full session.
One Third
Who is the presiding officer of the Texas House?
Speaker of the House, Elected by the majority of House members
Most campaign contributions for Texas legislature races come from
Super PACs.
High turnover rates in the Texas legislature are due primarily to
Term Limits
Which of the following is true of the current status of redistricting in Texas?
Texas doesn't have to get preclearance from the Justice Department for its redistricting maps.
How does Texas compare to other states in terms of the number of permanent and session-only staff members supporting legislators?
Texas has more staff members than most states.
When does the Texas Legislature meet?
The 2nd Tuesday in January, every odd numbered year
Who draws the districts after the census data and U.S Congress confirmation of that data is released?
The Texas State Legislature. If they cannot come to an agreement, then the task of legislative redistricting goes to the Legislative Redistricting Boardmade up of the Speaker, lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller and the General Land Commissioner.
Who is the only person who can call a special session and what is the maximum length of a special session?
The governor 30 days
Quorum
The number of members required to conduct business. Two-thirds of the elected members constitute a quorum in each house. A majority of the appointed members of a committee forms a quorum.
Reading
The presentation of a bill before either house by the recital of the caption of the bill.
Redistricting is
The process of redrawing district boundaries
Apportionment
The proportionate distribution of elected representatives, either among the states in the case of U.S. Congress or within the state in the case of the state legislature. The division of the state into congressional and state senate and house districts of equal population for purposes of representation.
enrolled bill
The stage in a bill's legislative progress when it has been passed by both chambers of the legislature in identical form and is prepared for signature by the presiding officers of both houses.
engrossed bill
The stage in a bill's legislative progress when it has been passed by the chamber in which it was filed and all amendments to the bill have been incorporated into the text of the bill, which is then forwarded to the second house for consideration
Conference Committee Report
The text of a bill and its required attachments that is issued when a conference committee has completed its work in resolving the differences between the house and senate versions of a measure.
The Texas Legislature is not organized along partisan lines as much as the U.S. Congress.
True
What is Governors action?
Upon receiving a bill, the governor has 10 days in which to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature.
The Corporate Representative
a corporate employee hired specifically to engage in lobbying activities.
Which of the following is NOT among the powers of the speaker of the house in the Texas House of Representatives?
appoints all members of standing committees
Most bills that are passed in the Texas legislature
are passed in the last two weeks of a session.
Paid Lobbyist
as part of the interest group's hired staff; a person hired by an interest group for the specific purpose of engaging in lobbying activities on behalf of the goals of the employing interest group only.
Why did the state of Texas draw new district lines in 2003?
because the Republicans won control of the legislature
The lieutenant governor
does not have to be from the same party that controls the Texas Senate.
As a result of Hunt v. Cromartie (1999),
drawing "safe" districts for both political parties was deemed permissible.
How often does reapportionment and redistricting of seats occur in the House of Representatives?
every 10 years
Assume both the Texas House and Senate have passed omnibus transportation bills. The bills are almost identical, with slight differences. How will these differences be reconciled prior to the bill being sent to the governor for consideration?
in conference committee
Because of high levels of controversy surrounding redistricting, some states have put redistricting under the control of
independant commisions
The hired-gun Lobbyist
lobbyists, often affiliated with prestigious washington, d.c. or state capitol law firms, who are retained by a particular corporation, interest group, coalition of interest groups, etc., for the specific purpose of maximizing the chances for successfully achieving a specific goal or limited number of goals of the relevant organization.
In any given legislative session, most bills
make only minor changes to existing law.
Fundamentally, the Supreme Court decisions in Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims were based on the principle of
one person, one vote
The main function of the Sunset Advisory Commission is to
oversee state agencies
After the sixtieth day, before a bill can be considered on the floor of the house (other than local and emergency bills), a four-fifths vote is required. Why?
quorum requirements of the Texas Constitution
When drawing legislative districts,
race can be used as long as it is not the predominate factor.
What is a conference committees charge limited to?
reconciling differences between the two houses, and the committee, unless so directed, may not alter, amend, or omit text that is not in disagreement.
From the early through the mid-twentieth century, ________ areas were generally overrepresented in many state legislatures.
rural
Who submits a recommended budget to the Texas legislature?
the Legislative Budget Board
Who appoints subcommittees?
the committee chair
