Texas Legislature - Chapter 3

State senators and representatives earn an annual salary of

$7,200

The Texas Legislature meets every two years in regular session for

140 days.

The Texas Senate has ____ members, while the Texas House of Representatives is made up of____ members.

31;150

Which racial group is overrepresented in the Texas Legislature? A. Native Americans B. Hispanics C. Asian Americans D. White, Euro-Americans

D

A representative who votes against legalizing same-sex marriage, despite his own convictions, because the majority of voters do not want an equality of marriage law is following the trustee model. True/False?

False

Among the typologies of state legislatures, the type that describes what the framers of the Texas Constitution intended for Texas is a "professional" legislature. True/False?

False

Redistricting in Texas in the twenty-first century has been a bipartisan affair, where the drawing of competitive districts is the priority. True/False?

False

Single-member districts only exist in counties with less than 10,000 people. True/False?

False

Texas conducts redistricting using an independent commission appointed by state judges and the governor. True/False?

False

Texas legislative pay has been cited as a key reason why any Texan runs for office. True/False?

False

The Texas Legislature meets more often and for a longer time period than most other state legislatures. True/False?

False

The principle of "one-person, one-vote" establishes that representative legislative districts must be roughly the same geographical size, regardless of population. True/False?

False

Women outnumber men two to one in the 2013 Texas House. True/False?

False

Which of the following groups comprises a higher proportion of the Texas Legislature than it does of the Texas population as a whole? A. African Americans B. Women C. Hispanics D. None of the above

None of the above

Which of the following is a legitimate difference between the Texas House and Texas Senate? A. The length of term served in the Senate is shorter than in the House. B. The age requirement for serving in the House is lower than for the Senate. C. The two chambers have the same number of members. D. The Texas Constitution requires that only a senator be a resident of the district in which he is elected.

The age requirement for serving in the House is lower than for the Senate. H.O.R - 21 age 2 year resident 1 year district 2 year service Senate- 26 age 5 year resident 1 year district 4 staggered years service

A delegate theory of representation tends to go along with geographic representation. True/False?

True

A major criticism of imposing term limits on state legislators is they do not allow citizens to reelect their member of the legislature and this denies the legislature the benefit of experienced legislators. True/False?

True

Members of the Texas Legislature are considerably better educated than the population. True False?

True

Texas consistently places in the top third for pensions and staff size. True/False?

True

Whereas the 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives are elected by voters in districts, the Speaker of the House is elected by the members of the Texas House. True/False?

True

The presiding officer of the Texas Senate is

the lieutenant governor

The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is chosen by

the members of the House of Representatives

A member of the legislature who sees his or her role as acting in the constituents' best interests rather than their strongest wishes, substituting his or her judgment for theirs, is best described as a _______.

trustee