Exam 2 Ch 7

Question 1

Congressional system was designed to be difficult enough to…

Answer 1

prevent new laws that haven’t been properly thought through and debated from bothering everybody

Question 2

Committee

Answer 2

Group of legislators who consider and write bills in particular issue area.

Question 3

Veto

Answer 3

Governor’s rejection of legislation passed by the legislature

Question 4

Override

Answer 4

Legislative chambers vote to challenge gubernatorial veto; requires 2/3 supermajority

Last veto overridden in Texas was 1979

Question 5

Coalition building

Answer 5

Assembly of alliance groups to pursue common goal or interest

Question 6

Logrolling

Answer 6

Legislator gives colleague vote on a particular bill in return for that colleague’s vote on another bill

Question 7

Districts

Answer 7

Geographical areas represented by members of legislature

Question 8

Filibuster

Answer 8

Debate under U.S. Senate rules can drag on indefinity, blocking final actional on the bill under consideration and preventing other bills from being debated

Question 9

Riders

Answer 9

Amendments to bill not central to bill’s intent

Question 10

At the state level, most bills are still passed with…

Answer 10

broad, bipartisan support

Question 11

Job of Legislatures

Answer 11

Every election cycle, about 40-45% of legislative seats not contested at all by one of the major parties

In 2020 only the New Hampshire house an senate changed hands (least amount of turnover in legislative control in nearly a century)

Question 12

Three Basic Functions of State Legislatures

Answer 12

Lawmaking - pass laws

Representative - provide means for various groups and individuals to be represented

Constituent Service - offer personalized service to help residents sort out problems with state government.

Question 13

Oversight

Answer 13

Legislature’s role in making sure governor and executive branch agencies are properly implementing laws

Question 14

For nearly 1/2 a century, conservative legislators have drawn ideas formulated by a group called…

Answer 14

ALEC/American Legislative Exchange Council

The left have been less successful at this b/c they focus on national level level of politics and Unions have lost power

Question 15

Every state but __ is bicameral

Answer 15

Nebraska

Question 16

Generally, state senators serve __ year terms whereas house members serve __ year terms

Answer 16

4,2

Question 17

At the beginning of a session each house votes in its speaker, who is picked before by a caucus.

What is a caucus?

Answer 17

All members of a party, Democrat or Republican within a legislative chamber

Top leader in senate know as president, president pro tempore, president pro tem, or majority leader

Question 18

Organization of legislatures

Answer 18

Speaker will preside over daily sessions of house or assembly, refer bills to appropriate committees, and sign legislation as it makes it way over to senate or governor’s desk

Texas Senate, leadership powers invested in office of lieutenant gov

Question 19

New Hampshire is the state with the __ largest number of state legislators with __ while Nebraska has the __ with __.

Answer 19

largest, 244

smallest, 49

Question 20

Following the 2020 elections, Republicans controlled __ states while Democrats controlled __.

Answer 20

23

15

Question 21

Regardless of party control,

Answer 21

committees are where most legislative work gets done

Question 22

Most prestigious committees are __ committees

Answer 22

budget, set tax and spending levels

Include finance or Appropriations

Question 23

Legislators balance between trying to serve…

Answer 23

on the committees that give them the most power as well as the committees that impact their constituents the most

Question 24

Rank-and-file members

Answer 24

Legislators who do not hold leadership positions or senior committee posts

Question 25

What are the two models of legislators?

Answer 25

Delegates - act for the people

Trustees - act with their own judgement

Question 26

Appointment

Answer 26

Alloting of districts according to population shifts

Question 27

Gerrymandering

Answer 27

Districts drawn with biases

Question 28

Malappointment

Answer 28

When principle of equal representation is violated

Question 29

Majority-minority district

Answer 29

Minorities make up majority

Question 30

State Legislators Backgrounds

Answer 30

Most are from business backgrounds

900,000 legislative floor and committee votes, legislators abstained from voting due to conflict of interest only 3 times

Question 31

State Legislator Demographics

Answer 31

2019, Nevada first legislature with majority women

2020 election, New Mexico house 4th chamber to have female majority

Question 32

State Legislator Demographics

Answer 32

2019, Nevada first legislature with majority women

2020 election, New Mexico house 4th chamber to have female majority

Black legislators at 675, tripled, but < 10%

6 states more than 20% black legislators

Hispanics 4% compared to total 18%

14 states don’t have a single hispanic legislator

Question 33

Professionalized legislatures

Answer 33

Process of providing legislators with resources needed to make politics their main career like providing them with staff

Question 34

What are the 4 states that don’t meet in regular annual sessions?

Answer 34

Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas

it’s very cheap, 0.5% of budget, to run legislature

Question 35

Legislators and Public Opinion

Answer 35

“Less than a third of all newspapers and less than 15 percent of local
television stations employed any state house reports, with no full-
time state-house reporters from TV stations in 18 states” (213).
* “There are 15 states with term limits, ranging from a low of 6 years
of service per legislative chamber in Michigan to 12 years of service
in states such as Nevada, Oklahoma, and Louisiana”