Ch7 - The TX Legislature

Question 1

Texas Legislature Structure

Answer 1

Bicameral: House and Senate

Question 2

Regular session

Answer 2

the constitutionally scheduled, biennial session of the legislature limited to 140 days.

Question 3

Texas House

Answer 3

150 members/ 2 year terms

Question 4

Texas Senate

Answer 4

31 members/ 4 year terms

Question 5

Special session

Answer 5

a legislative session, called by the governor, outside of the regular session
- 30 days
- governor sets the topics

Question 6

Qualifications to become a representative

Answer 6

1. US citizen
2. Registered voter
3. Resident of Texas for 2 years and live within district lines for a year
4. 21 yo

Question 7

Qualifications to become a senator

Answer 7

1. US citizen
2. Registered voter
3. Resident of Texas for 5 years and of their district for a year
4. 26 yo

Question 8

Low salary for legislators

Answer 8

Texas Grange/ 1876 Constitution
Intent: more common folk
Reality: less common folk

Question 9

How often do states redraw their district lines?

Answer 9

Every 10 years with US census

Question 10

One person, one vote

Answer 10

expresses the principle of equal representation in voting.
Within electoral districts within a state must have roughly the same population.

Question 11

Apportionment

Answer 11

dividing the population into districts for purposes of election and representation

Question 12

Redistricting

Answer 12

The process of redrawing district lines to maintain the concept “one person, one vote”

Question 13

Who conducts redistricting in Texas?

Answer 13

House draws the lines for the house. The senate draws lines for the senate, and they sign off each other’s plans.

Question 14

Gerrymandering

Answer 14

the act of drawing representative districts in order to help or hinder a person, a political party from winning an election

EXTREMELY PARTISAN in Texas

Question 15

Lieutenant Governor

Answer 15

1. The most powerful office in the state
2. Chosen in state-wide election
3. Unlimited 4 year terms
4. Appoints every committee member in the senate
5. Assigns bills to committees
6. Co-chair of the Legislative Budget Board
7. Co-chair of the Legislative Council
8. Must become governor if the governor doesn’t finish his term

Question 16

Speaker of the House

Answer 16

1. Chosen by fellow house members
2. Unlimited 2 year terms
3. Joint chair of the Legislative Budget Board and Legislative Council
4. Names chairs and vice chair at his/her chamber
5. Directs debate
6. Does NOT have absolute power to appoint every committee position

Question 17

Legislative Budget Board

Answer 17

A body made up of members of the house and senate, including the two presiding officers, which oversees staff responsible for preparing the basic working budget for the legislature’s consideration

Question 18

Limited seniority system

Answer 18

a method of committee selection used in the house that limits the speaker to appointing half the members of most standing committees (including chairs); the other members gain seats by seniority.

Question 19

The Committee System

Answer 19

The key to the legislative process
Decide the merit of the bills before they are sent to the house floor.

Question 20

Standing Committees

Answer 20

Deliberate bodies formed each time a legislature meets that deal with topics of recurring interest

Question 21

Special Committee

Answer 21

a temporary committee formed by the legislature for limited or non-routine purposes

Question 22

Conference Committee

Answer 22

joint committee of house and senate members whose purpose is to iron out the differences between the house and senate versions of the bill

Question 23

Interim Committee

Answer 23

A special committee formed to study a topic or problem between sessions of legislature

Question 24

Two Types of Regular Committees

Answer 24

1. Substantive: shape legislation
2. Procedural: determine the process by which legislation reaches the floor

Question 25

How Bill Becomes a Law

Answer 25

First Reading in the House
House Committee
Second Reading in the House
Third Reading in the House

First Reading in the Senate
Senate Committee
Second Reading in the Senate
Third Reading in the Senate

Conference Committee (if needed)
Governor

Question 26

First Reading in the House and the Senate

Answer 26

The bills are assigned to committees by either speaker or lieuntenant governor

Question 27

House Committee

Answer 27

Most bills die here
1. The chair has the sole discretion as to what the committee considers (pigeonhole)
2. Majority of the committee kills the bill
3. Committee votes to put aside the bill

Question 28

Second Reading in the House

Answer 28

The bill must be scheduled for debate by the house’s calendar committee
Debate is directed by the speaker
Amendments - majority
Final vote - majority

Question 29

Third Reading in the House

Answer 29

Final opportunity to amend - 2/3 majority
Passage - simple majority

Question 30

Pigeonhole

Answer 30

the act of setting aside a bill in committee and refusing to consider it, thereby “killing it”

Question 31

Senate Committee

Answer 31

1. Majority kills the bill
2. Majority decides to put aside
3. Chair pigeonholes
4. Tagging

Question 32

Tagging

Answer 32

A Senate rule that allows a senator to postpone committee consideration of a bill for 48 hours in hopes of killing it

Question 33

Second Reading in the Senate

Answer 33

2/3 majority to bring a bill to the floor
unlimited debate
bills flow in numerical order
filibustering

Question 34

Filibustering

Answer 34

the practice of delaying or killing a bill by taking a great length; grows out of the senate rule allowing unlimited debate.

Question 35

Third Reading in the Senate

Answer 35

2/3 to amend
simple majority to pass

Question 36

Conference Committee

Answer 36

5 members from each chamber
Work out a compromise between the house and senate versions of the bill

Question 37

How can legislature override governor’s veto

Answer 37

2/3 majority vote in each chamber, only when in session

Question 38

Texas Legislative Council

Answer 38

the legislature’s research and bill-drafting service