Chapter 7 - The Texas Legislature

Question 1

Apportionment

Answer 1

Process by which congress determines how many congressmen will represent each state

Question 2

Bicameral

Answer 2

Legislative system with two chambers

Senate and House of Representatives

Question 3

Biennial

Answer 3

Occurs every other year

Texas legislature meets only in odd numbered years beginning on 2nd Tuesday in January, no more than 140 days

Question 4

Bill

Answer 4

Draft of a proposed change to state law presented to the legislature

Question 5

Chair appointments

Answer 5

The selection of committee chairs by the speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor

Question 6

Citizen legislature

Answer 6

Legislative chamber composed primarily of citizens who have full-time occupations other than serving as a legislator

Question 7

Concurrent resolution

Answer 7

Resolutions that reflect the will of both House and Senate
Cannot be used to propose a change to the state constitution.
Often used to express the official opinion of the legislature on a federal issue before congress

Question 8

Conference comittee

Answer 8

Five (5) representatives
Five (5) senators
Appointed by presiding officer of the House and Senate
To resolve differences between House and Senate versions of the same bill

Question 9

Constituent services

Answer 9

Non-legislative functions such as answering inquiries about policies, listening to the concerns of constituents, helping constituents obtain government services

Question 10

Constituents

Answer 10

Residents in the district of an elected official

Question 11

Committee of the whole

Answer 11

Temporary committee made up of all the members of the House/Senate

Question 12

Filibuster

Answer 12

Strictly a procedural exercise a senate purposely continues speaking for an extended period of time in order to delay action and force and compromise

Question 13

Floor recognition

Answer 13

The granting of permission to a member to offer a motion or to speak on any matter by the presiding officer

Question 14

Gerrymandering

Answer 14

Any attempt to draw oddly shaped districts to favor a specific person/group

Question 15

Impeachment

Answer 15

Process by which an elected official can be officially accused of misconduct, removed from office, and prohibited from future elected service

Question 16

Interim committee

Answer 16

A group of House or Senate members appointed to study a specific issue between the legislature’s regular sessions

Question 17

Joint committee

Answer 17

Committee made up of both senators and representatives appointed to study a specific policy issue

Question 18

Joint resolution

Answer 18

Proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution
Required a vote of 2/3 of the entire membership in each house for adoption
Not sent to the governor for approval but are filed directly with secretary of state
A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Texas Constitution does not become effective until approved by a majority of Texas voters in a general election

Question 19

Lieutenant governor

Answer 19

Second highest elected official in the state
President of state senate
Wields power through chair appointments for committees and floor recognition of members

Question 20

Line-item veto

Answer 20

Enables the governor to veto individual components (or lines) of an appropriation bill

Question 21

One-person, one-vote

Answer 21

Reynolds v. Sims (1964)

Districts must be roughly equivalent in population

Question 22

Pigeonholing

Answer 22

Killing a legislative proposal at the committee level by declining to take action

Question 23

Redistricting

Answer 23

The redrawing of boundaries of congressional districts by state legislatures in accordance with state and federal law

Question 24

Regular session

Answer 24

Texas holds a regular session only in odd numbered years beginning on the 2nd Tuesday in January, no more tha 140 days

Question 25

Simple resolution

Answer 25

Resolutions adopted by either House or Senate without participation by the other chamber and have no force of law
Used to recognize birthdays and anniversaries and victories by local high school sport teams, and as memorial resolutions to commemorate a deceased official or important constituent

Question 26

Single-member district

Answer 26

Every state representative and senator represents one specific geographic area of the state

Question 27

Speaker of the House

Answer 27

Elected state representative who House representatives elect to preside over the House of Representatives
Wields power through chair appointment and floor recognition of members

Question 28

Special session

Answer 28

Legislative meeting called by the governor
Limited to thirty (30) days
Dealing with subjects specified in the governor’s proclamation to convene the special session or items the governor adds to this list during the session

Question 29

Standing committee

Answer 29

Permanent committee in the House/Senate with jurisdiction over legislation on a particular subject area

Question 30

Subcommittee

Answer 30

Subset of a regular committee appointed to work on a specific bill/issue within that committee’s jurisdiction

Question 31

Supermajority

Answer 31

Fixed number greater than half, sometimes required to force greater consensus than a simple majority

Question 32

Veto

Answer 32

Governor’s power to turn down legislation

Can be overridden by 2/3 vote of both House and Senate

Question 33

Minimum age required to serve in the Texas Senate

Answer 33

26

Question 34

Maximum number of terms that may be served by a state representative

Answer 34

No maximum

Question 35

To bring a bill to the floor for debate in the Texas Senate, ____ is required

Answer 35

A supermajority

Question 36

Each House of Representatives district has a population of approximately how many people

Answer 36

168,000

Question 37

The Speaker of the House is elected by

Answer 37

The members of the House of Representatives

Question 38

The presiding officer of the Senate is the

Answer 38

Lieutenant Governor

Question 39

The Fiscal Note tells legislators and the public

Answer 39

How much the bill would cost (or raise in revenue) if passed

Question 40

If a bill is passed by the House and Senate, but in different forms, the differences may be resolved by

Answer 40

A conference committe

Question 41

Proposed amendments to the state constitution are proposed in the form of

Answer 41

A joint resolution

Question 42

Special sessions of the legislature may be called by

Answer 42

The governor