Chapter 7

Question 1

The Speaker of the Texas House is

Answer 1

elected by members of the House of Representatives.

Question 2

A(n) _______ is the minimum number required to conduct legislative business.

Answer 2

quorum

Question 3

The Texas legislature consists of a

Answer 3

150-member House of Representatives and a 31-member Senate.

Question 4

Historically, most legislators have been

Answer 4

Anglo males.

Question 5

Members of the Texas House of Representatives serve ________ terms.

Answer 5

2-year

Question 6

Members of the Texas Senate serve ________ terms.

Answer 6

4-year

Question 7

Which of the following is true concerning term limits for Texas legislators?

Answer 7

No legislator is subject to term limits.

Question 8

Regular legislative sessions are limited to

Answer 8

140 days.

Question 9

A regular session in the Texas legislature starts when and lasts for how many days?

Answer 9

January of odd-numbered years; 140 days

Question 10

How many special sessions can the governor call the legislature to?

Answer 10

unlimited

Question 11

The Texas legislature serves all of the following functions

Answer 11

to represent the people of Texas in government and to consider constitutional amendments for the Texas and U.S. constitutions.

Question 12

Which kind of resolution is used to either propose an amendment to the Texas Constitution or ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

Answer 12

joint

Question 13

What is a joint legislative committee that provides legal advice, bill drafting, program evaluation, and other services to the members of the Texas legislature?

Answer 13

Legislative Council

Question 14

The lieutenant governor gets his/her powers from

Answer 14

the Senate.

Question 15

What kind of bill is an approved measure sent to the governor for signing?

Answer 15

enrolled

Question 16

What committee is a temporary creation of one chamber of the Texas legislature that addresses a specific problem?

Answer 16

special committee

Question 17

________ do most of the work during the legislative sessions.

Answer 17

Standing committees

Question 18

In Texas, the purpose of a filibuster is to

Answer 18

kill a bill by refusing to allow a vote on it.

Question 19

The president of the Texas Senate is also the

Answer 19

lieutenant governor of Texas.

Question 20

The Texas Constitution grants the ________ veto power.

Answer 20

governor

Question 21

Before it is sent to the governor, all but which of the following must happen to a bill?

Answer 21

It must be read on three separate days in the House and it must be read on three separate days in the Senate.

Question 22

The legislature does not usually override a veto for what reason?

Answer 22

Bills are passed late in the session, so the legislature is usually out of session when a bill is vetoed.

Question 23

The constitutional goal of redistricting is to

Answer 23

create districts with equal-sized populations.

Question 24

To assure citizens equal representation, regardless of where they live, how often must the Texas district lines be redrawn?

Answer 24

once every 10 years

Question 25

Which presiding officer is elected by the members of the House of Representatives?

Answer 25

Speaker of the House

Question 26

There are ____ members of the Texas House of Representatives and _____ members of the Texas Senate.

Answer 26

150; 31

Question 27

Members of the Texas Senate serve ________ terms

Answer 27

4 year

Question 28

Regular legislative sessions are limited to

Answer 28

140 days

Question 29

The president of the Texas Senate is also the

Answer 29

Lieutenant Governor of Texas.

Question 30

The legislature does not usually override a veto for what reason?

Answer 30

Bills are passed late in session, so the legislature is usually out of session when a bill is vetoed.

Question 31

During __________, the state legislature assures equal representation by drawing new districts of equal size population.

Answer 31

redistricting

Question 32

The Texas legislature meets

Answer 32

in biennial sessions, 140 days every other year.

Question 33

Texas House members differ from Texas Senate members because House members

Answer 33

represent small districts and are subject to more frequent elections.

Question 34

The strongest power of the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of House allows them to control the final outcome of legislation. It is their power to

Answer 34

appoint members of conference committees.

Question 35

If a bill fails to pass the Texas House and Texas Senate in exactly the same form, the bill

Answer 35

is sent to a conference committee.

Question 36

The two most powerful political figures in the Texas legislature are the

Answer 36

Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor.

Question 37

In recent years, the Texas Legislature has

Answer 37

become more partisan.

Question 38

The chairs of the Texas House committees are

Answer 38

both Democrats and Republicans.

Question 39

The _________ are currently the majority party in the Texas House, and the __________ are majority party in the Senate

Answer 39

Republicans; Republicans

Question 40

Which types of bills affect only units of local government, such as a city, county, or special district?

Answer 40

Local bills

Question 41

In committee, the vast majority of bills __________.

Answer 41

pass as written by the author

Question 42

The ability of the Governor to influence the legislative process by putting forth a vision for Texas and what legislation will accomplish that vision is called

Answer 42

the veto.

Question 43

Compared to the U.S. Congress, the level of partisanship in the Texas Legislature is

Answer 43

greater than in the U.S. House, but less than that of the U.S. Senate.

Question 44

The Supreme Court in their rulings in Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims, influenced Texas redistricting by calling for the

Answer 44

one-person, one-vote principle, in which each district must contain an equal number of people in order to ensure equal representation.