Politics Exam 1 ch. 7 – Flashcards
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In the Texas legislature, the House has ___members and the senate has ____members
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150; 31
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One of the most notable effects of bicameralism in the Texas legislature is that it____?
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permits more opportunities to kill or significantly modify a bill.
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What is the function of the "local and consent" calendar?
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It is reserved for uncontroversial bills that are not expected to have major opposition.
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Does the Texas governor have legislative powers? If so, identify them.
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break ties in the senate
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Identify the duties and power of the lieutenant governor in Texas.
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1) The Lieutenant Governor has the power to "set up standing or special committees and appoint committee chairpersons and individual members. 2) Further, the Lieutenant Governor determines the order in which bills are considered by the Senate. 3) As the President of Senate, the Lieutenant Governor casts the deciding vote in the case of a tie, and also signs all bills and resolutions.
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A bill in the Texas legislature that would allow a country to establish a new community college would be classified as a what?
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Local Bill
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In Texas, who can write a bill?
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Anyone at all
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In the Texas legislature, all bills dealing with state revenue must ____?
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Start in The House of Representatives
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In the Texas legislature, the referral of a bill to a standing committee in the House and the senate is the job of the ____?
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Speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor
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In the Texas legislature, when a committee chair "pigeonholes" a bill, what happens?
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The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee
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As in the U.S. Congress, what is the purpose of a conference committee in the Texas legislature?
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It is a committee designed to make differing House and Senate versions of the same bill identical
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When the governor strikes out specific spending provisions in large appropriations bills, it is called___?
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The line-item veto
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Why is the comptroller of public accounts so important to the legislature?
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Directs taxes and revenue issues estimate of state revenues before each legislative session
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How is the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives chosen?
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Elected by majority
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Who has responsibility for redistricting the Texas delegation to the U.S. Congress?
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Texas Legislature
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The Legislative Redistricting Board has the authority to draw new districts if___?
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the legislature fails to redistrict in the first regular session.
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Who are the "Killer Bees", "Killer WASPs", and the "Killer Ds"?
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1) "Killer Bees"- 1979; 12 senators hiding out to deny the senate a quorum to pass a split primary bill 2) "Killer Ds"- house Democrats fled to Oklahoma escape the reach of Texas law enforcement during the 2003 gerrymandering battle 3) "Killer WASPs"- 1990s; Republican one day walk out to deny senate the quorum to protest a resolution calling for the settlement in a lawsuit to elect urban state district judges by single-member districts rather than by the present county at-large system.
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In Texas, how does a bill become a law?
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1) Introduction 2) Referrral 3) Consideration by Standing Committee 4) Floor Action 5) Conference Committee by both houses 6) Action by Governor
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In the Texas legislature, how is a bill killed?
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1) the governor of Texas can kill a bill by refusing to sign it. 2) Flibuster 3) Chubbing - Slowing down passage of a bill 4
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Identify the different types of resolutions and committees. Which are the two most important committees in the legislature?
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1) resolutions: Concurrent- must pass house and senate require govs signature Joint - must pass house and senate but no signature Simple- one signature house or senate n signature 2) Committees: Standing Commitee- 3rd step inlegislative process where bill can be amended or killed Conference Commitee- created to work out a compromise between House and Senate verison of legislation
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What are the two basic requirements for redistricting? They are based on what guarantees?
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1) This prohibits the dilution of minority voting strength, requires pre clearance of redistricting plan by the Depart of Justice. 2) US Supreme Court required legislators to redistrict their states in a way that maximized minority representation in the federal and state legislatures
