review chapter 6,7,8
The efforts of interest group representatives to influence policy-makers face-to-face are called
"campaigning"
Which legal principle was established by the United States Supreme Court for the drawing of political boundaries?
"one man, one vote"
Since 1975, how much have legislative salaries in Texas have been per year?
$7,200
Minimum age for a representative
21
Minimum age for a senator
26
Members of the Texas Senate must be at least ____ years of age while members of the Texas House must be at least ____ years of age.
26/21
Maximum length of a special session
30
Special sessions of the Texas legislature called by the governor are limited to a maximum of how many days?
30
The Texas Constitution stipulates that to be governor of Texas, a candidate must have reached a minimum age of
30
Number of senators
31
The number of members in the Texas Senate is
31
Length of a senate term
4
The average age of state legislators in Texas is approximately
50.
Number of representatives
600
Monthly pay of legislators for Texas legislators
600 dollars
Laws go into effect after this number of days
90
Which committees in the Texas legislature most closely resemble select committees in the U.S. Congress?
Ad hoc committees
I will appreciate your assistance in helping me become a better teacher. Would you please tell me what your overall evaluation of the course is:
All of the above
In which of the following arenas do interest groups attempt to affect public policy?
All of the above
The Texas Good Roads and Transportation Association is made up of
All of the above
Would you recommend your political science teacher to your friends?
All of the above
Whose opinions have the force of law unless they are successfully challenged in court?
Attorney general
The existence of lobbying is protected by the:
First Amendment.
Which of the following is not a penalty for conviction on an impeachment charge in Texas?
Disqualification from holding any federal office
In regard to standing committees in the Texas Legislature
they are found in both houses.
How many years was the term of office for governor prior to the adoption of a constitutional amendment in 1972?
two
Before Texas' constitution was amended, the governor was elected for:
two year terms with no limit on the number of terms.
The selection of the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is:
usually completed unofficially before the first meeting of the legislature.
In practice, a veto by the governor of Texas is:
usually final.
Debate in the Texas House of Representatives is:
usually for a short period of minutes.
The president of the Senate
votes on a bill only when necessary to break a tie
Which of the following types of legislation may not originate in the Texas Senate?
Revenue bills
Which of the following officials is appointed by the governor in Texas?
Secretary of state
Gubernatorial appointments in Texas must be confirmed by the state's
Senate.
The presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives is the
Speaker.
The legislative agency which reviews state agencies and recommend whether they will be continued or abolished is the
Sunset Advisory Commission.
Your interest group favors lower taxes, deregulation, and minimum safety standards. Which of the following groups are you likely to be a member of?
Texas Association of Businesses
In 1932, representatives of industries interested in expanding highway construction in Texas formed the
Texas Good Roads Association
Which of the following statements is NOT accurate with regard to the general rules of interest group formation?
Those in the working class are more likely to join groups than those in the upper class.
How many readings does the Texas Constitution require that proposed legislation be given before being enacted into law?
Three
Which of these districts are not determined by the Legislature?
U.S. Senate
The first Republican governor of Texas since Reconstruction was
William Clements.
The Texas legislature includes
a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives
The current salary for legislators in Texas was established by
a constitutional amendment.
Which of the following would be most likely to be hired as a lobbyist for a major economic concern?
a former member of the legislature
Efforts to organize teachers in Texas are handicapped by
a legal prohibition against bargaining collectively with school districts.
The speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is elected by
a majority of House members
The governor does not have the power to exercise:
a pocket veto.
Relative to gubernatorial succession, which of the following statements is true?
If the governor is in Oklahoma on a dove hunt, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor.
Who was the only Texas governor to be removed from office by impeachment?
James E. "Pa" Ferguson
Which of the following forms of legislative action is used by the Texas legislature to propose constitutional amendments?
Joint resolution
Which of the following groups could not be classified as a special interest group in Texas?
La Raza Unida Party.
The legislative agency that helps draft the state budget is the
Legislative Budget Board
If the legislature fails to redistrict at the proper time, it will be done by the
Legislative Redistricting Board
If the Texas legislature fails to redistrict, responsibility for redistricting is assumed by the
Legislative Redistricting Board.
The salary of the Texas governor is determined by the
Legislature.
If the office of governor is vacated by absence of the governor, it is filled by
Lieutenant Governor
When the governor of Texas dies, resigns, or is removed from office by impeachment and conviction, who becomes governor?
Lieutenant governor
The Texas Legislature has all of the following characteristics except:
a unicameral structure
In reality, the passage or defeat of a bill depends on:
all of the above
Labor unions are handicapped in Texas by state laws prohibiting
all of the above
The existence of standing committees in the House and Senate promotes
all of the above
The typical Texas legislator is
all of the above
Critics of the existing system believe that initiative and referendum would
all of the above.
Governor Clements had difficulties in his first term in office because
all of the above.
Legislators in Texas are handicapped by
all of the above.
Public policy that has the force of law is made by
all of the above.
Supporters of the existing system believe that initiative and referendum would
all of the above.
The term, "plural executive," refers to
an executive branch of government in which the governor shares the power with some officeholders
Who may draft a bill for introduction in the House?
any member of the House.
The most significant power of a presiding officer of the Texas legislature is the right to
appoint members to standing committees.
Committee chairpersons of standing committees are
appointed by the lieutenant governor.
Members of conference committees are
appointed by the presiding officers of each house.
The governor's item veto applies only to
appropriations bills.
Which of the following is not an informal qualification for the typical Texas governor?
at least thirty years of age
The occupation that is listed most frequently by Texas Legislature is
attorney.
According to the rules of the Texas Senate, debate is:
basically unlimited.
Before enactment, a proposed law or statute is known as a
bill
Biennial sessions have the effect of
both A and C.
Parliamentary procedures enable
both B and C.
Articles of impeachment against a governor are
brought by the House and tried in the Senate
Three of the most influential types of interest groups in the United States are:
business, agriculture, and labor.
Which is not a characteristic of a special legislative session?
can be held only in odd-numbered years
Exercising the message power and the session power are among the Texas governor's responsibilities in his or her role as
chief legislator.
Participation in parades, ribbon-cuttings, or other ceremonial occasions may be required of the governor in his or her role as
chief of state.
Public-interest groups:
claim to represent the general good rather than special interests.
The power to declare martial law in the state is one of the Texas governor's powers as
commander in chief/top cop.
The backbone of the legislative process is the
committee system
Negotiating a compromise on bills which differ on passage in each House is the function of
conference committee.
The salary of the lieutenant governor is determined by the
constitution
The salaries of the Texas legislators can be changed only by
constitutional amendment
One factor that severely limits the number of people seeking legislative positions in Texas is:
cost of waging an effective campaign
Cloture is a
device to halt a filibuster.
The political party and politically-oriented interest group
differ because political parties try to win elections while interest groups' main goals are to influence government decisions.
The most formidable power(s) that the governor has with regard to the state budget is his ability to:
do all of the above
The Texas Constitution calls for legislative redistricting
during the first regular session after the federal decennial census.
The Speaker of the House in Texas is
elected by the members of the House of Representatives at the beginning of each session.
The chief function of legislature in the United States is to:
enact public policy.
Legislators in Texas come from districts that are:
equal in population size in both the House and Senate.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1960 that all districts within a state must have:
equal number of people
The Texas Legislature meets in regular session:
every other year for 140 days.
Regular sessions of the Texas Legislature occur
every two years for a four-month period.
An effort to force the withdrawal of a controversial bill through the use of the unlimited privileges of debate in the Senate is called a
filibuster.
Members of the Texas Senate serve ____-year terms while members of the Texas House of Representatives serve ____-year terms.
four/two
The process of drawing boundaries of electoral districts in such a way that one party or faction has an advantage over another is called
gerrymandering.
When the Texas governor calls for a special session of the legislature, the agenda for the session is set by the
governor.
In recent years, the legislature in Texas
has become more urban and more Republican.
Since the constitutional amendment extending the governor's term of office from two years to four years went into effect, gubernatorial elections in Texas
have always been held in the off-year from presidential elections.
The governor of Texas can be removed from office by:
impeachment by the House and conviction by two-thirds of the Senate.
After the end of the legislative session, the governor's veto is:
in practice absolute.
The ultimate goal of any political interest group is to
influence public policy for the benefit of its members.
In attempting to influence the legislature, one of the most important resources lobbyists have available is
information.
The process by which voters can place an issue on the ballot and if approved, have it become law is called
initiative
A legislative committee which meets when the legislature is not in session to consider proposed legislation is:
interim committee.
The lieutenant governor is considered one of the most powerful officeholders in state government for all but one of the following reasons because he or she
is a member of the governor's cabinet
The Calendars Committee
is selective and determines which bills will go to the floor for a vote.
Arguments for a four-year term of office for the governor include all of the following except:
it guarantees Democratic control.
The power of the governor in Texas to delete individual items from an appropriations bill without having to veto it in its entirety is known as the
item veto.
The dominant occupation among Texas legislators in 1991 was
law
Using the media for public appearances to gain support for programs and visiting disaster victims are aspects of the governor's role as
leader of the people.
If a governor dies or is incapacitated in office, he or she is replaced until the next general election by the
lieutenant governor
The presiding officer of the Texas Senate is the
lieutenant governor
The executive branch of Texas is divided into:
many elective and appointive offices.
Which of these is not a legislative power of the governor?
may exercise the pocket veto.
The lower house of the Texas legislature is:
members elected from districts of roughly equal population.
The speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is chosen by the
members of the House.
An individual is limited to how many terms in the Texas legislature?
no limit
Which of the following is not a type of legislative committee?
nominal committee.
Special sessions of the Texas legislature are:
none of the above.
Appropriations bills passed by the Texas legislature always take effect
on September 1.
The presiding officers of the Legislature do not have the power to
permanently expel a member of his house
The term used to describe the situation in which a committee refuses to release a bill which effectively kills the bill, is
pigeonhole.
Powers of the presiding officers of the Legislature do not include
power to control legislative salaries.
The assistant presiding officer of the Senate is the
president pro tempore
A bill that must originate in the House is
private bill
Which of these powers does the Legislature not have?
recurrent.
The process of citizens circulating a petition to have the right to vote to remove a law is called a
referendum.
"Address" and "quo warranto proceedings" are both methods of
removing an official from office.
Which is the only major statewide officeholder appointed by the governor?
secretary of state
The speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is:
selected by a majority vote of his fellow representatives.
In comparison with other state legislatures, the upper chamber in Texas is ____ than average and the lower chamber is ____ than
smaller/larger
Bills introduced in the House are referred to a committee by the
speaker
In the Texas House of Representatives, bills are referred to the proper committees by the
speaker.
The budget powers of the governor include
submitting a budget to the Legislature.
In order to win support for their causes, lobbyists must
supply powerful arguments and good information.
Unless the legislature adjourns, the governor has ___ days (excluding Sundays) to dispose of enacted legislation.
ten
The best known and probably the largest of the organizations that currently comprise the "Christian Right" is
the Christian Coalition
In terms of the number of committees in the Texas Legislature, which statement is true?
the House has more committees than the Senate
Which of the following is not one of the personal characteristics shared by most Texas governors?
Mark White
The oldest of the Hispanic organizations in Texas, formed to combat discrimination against Mexican Americans, is
the League of United Latin American Citizen
Which is not a professional interest group?
the Moral Majority
Agricultural interest groups include all but:
the Sunbelt Buyers.
The largest organization representing teachers in Texas is
the Texas State Teachers Association.
The governor may exercise the item veto on which of the following
the appropriations bill
Senatorial courtesy refers to
the custom that allows an individual senator to block the governor's appointment of a person who lives in that senator's district
The main reason Texas' executive branch power is fragmented is because:
the governor has extensive important appointive power
The line item veto is
the governor's removal of specific spending items from general appropriations bills only
The Texas governor's veto power is absolute when
the legislature adjourns prior to the exercise of the veto.
Chairpersons of committees in the Texas legislature are selected by
the presiding officers
Members of conference committees in Texas are selected by
the presiding officers
Maximum length of a regular legislative session
140
The number of members in the Texas House of Representatives is
150
Length of a representative term
2
Which committee controls the flow of legislation from other committees to the floor of the House of Representatives?
Calendars
In the Texas House, the placement of a bill on the appropriate calendar is the responsibility of the
Calendars Committee and the Local and Consent Calendars Committee.
The candidates who lost in the last three Texas gubernatorial elections (1990, 1986, 1982) have been, respectively,
Clayton Williams, Mark white, and Bill Clements.
Differences between bills passed by the House and Senate are resolved by what type of committee?
Conference
Which of the following is not a calendar used by the Texas House?
Municipal.
The only state with a unicameral legislature is
Nebraska
The primary responsibility for preparing the executive budget lies with the
Office of Budget and Planning.
Which interest groups have had little influence on public policy in Texas?
Organized labor
Two politically important groups organized by Spanish-speaking Texans are:
PASO and LULAC
What is formed by an organization, industry, or individual for the purpose of collecting money and contributing to selected political candidates or causes?
Political action committees
Some critics claim that interest groups are especially powerful in Texas because
Texas has no restrictions on campaign contributions.
Which of the following bodies acts as a trial court when the governor has been impeached?
The Senate
Which of the following bodies was created in 1949 to provide research and technical services to Texas legislators?
The Texas Legislative Council
Which of the following is not a member of the Legislative Redistricting Board?
The governor
Regarding the removal power of the governor of Texas:
The governor may unilaterally remove any member of his or her staff.
