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