Chapter 6 The Texas Legislature

Question 1

Privatizing

Answer 1

Turning over public programs to the private sector to implement. Examples: municipalities have often contracted with private waste management companies to dispose of solid waste and the state has contracted with a private firm to operate some Texas prisons

Question 2

Biennial

Answer 2

Two years. Thus, a biennial legislative session occurs every other year, and a biennial budget is one that directs spending for two years.

Question 3

Reapportionment

Answer 3

To reallocate legislative seats by adding seats to areas with heavy population growth and taking away seats from areas without growth

Question 4

Redistricting

Answer 4

The designation of geographic areas that are nearly equal in population for the purpose of electing legislators national, state, and local

Question 5

Legislative Oversight

Answer 5

The legislature’s supervision of the activities of state administrative agencies. Increasingly, the emphasis of oversight in on increasing efficiency and cutting back management doing more with less

Question 6

Casework

Answer 6

A legislator’s doing favors for constituents, such as troubleshooting or solving a problem

Question 7

Bicameral

Answer 7

For a legislative body, divided into two chambers or houses

Question 8

Single-member districts

Answer 8

A designated geographic area from which only one representative is elected

Question 9

Gerrymandering

Answer 9

The practice of drawing electoral districts in such a way as to advantage one party or one faction

Question 10

Seniority

Answer 10

In a legislative body,the amount of time spent in continuous service in one house or committee

Question 11

Turnover

Answer 11

The proportion of the legislature that consists of first-term members because previous members retired, died, or were defeated at the polls

Question 12

Tag

Answer 12

A means by which an individual senator can delay a committee hearing on a bill for at least forty-eight hours

Question 13

Filibuster

Answer 13

An effort to kill s bill in a legislature by unlimited debate; it is possible in the Texas and U.S. Senates, but not in the House of representatives

Question 14

Conference Committee

Answer 14

A temporary joint committee of both houses of a legislature in which representatives attempt to reconcile the differences in two versions of a bill

Question 15

Item Veto

Answer 15

The governor’s constitutional power to strike out individual items in an appropriations bill