TX POLITICS LEGISLATIVE PROCESS/GOVERNOR Flashcards
What is the size of each house of the Texas Legislature?
150 house, 31 in senate
Who can formally introduce a bill for consideration in the legislature?
Only members of legislature
What is the practice informally referred to as “voting the district”?
Legislators, knowing what issues matter to their constituents, cast votes in line with those preferences
What factors might leave legislators more open to the influence of other legislators, interest groups, and lobbyists?
a combination of an unengaged public and a vast array of subjects faced by legislators
Interest groups often organize legislative days. What are these days?
days when interest group leaders organize visits by members of their group to the capitol offices of their representatives
What comprises the bulk of the lobby in Texas?
business interests
What is the ultimate effect of having a “citizen legislature” with low salaries that require legislators to have other full-time occupations?
Lobbyists are typically better equipped than legislators to develop policy expertise and devote their full attention to legislative issues.
Which of the following is a common way for interest groups to interact with other actors in the legislative process?
Interest groups provide information and support to legislators and their staff.
What is meant when it is said that legislative staffers possess “institutional memory”?
They have knowledge about things that have happened in the past that is useful in navigating the process in the present.
How does the capitol press corps impact the legislative session?
The stories that press corps reporters write may affect outcomes and alter the legislative process.
What is the person who introduces a bill for consideration known as?
sponsor
The shortness of the legislative session has led to what practice?
members of the legislature pre-filing bills before the legislative session even begins
What occurs when a committee pigeonholes a bill?
The committee moves that bill to the bottom of the committee’s agenda, effectively killing it.
After all debate and amendments on the house floor, a bill must be read a third time. At this point, which of the following is true regarding amendments?
The bill may be amended, but any added amendment requires a two-thirds majority approval.
What is involved in a filibuster?
trying to kill a bill by “talking it to death”
Whose primary responsibility is it to schedule when bills or resolutions will be taken up for consideration by the members of the house?
Calendars
The process of making substantive changes and editorial corrections to a bill is called what?
bill markup
What is the purpose of a conference committee?
to resolve the often significant differences in the two versions of a bill passed by the house and senate
Which of the following BEST describes the governor’s line-item veto powers?
The governor may use the line-item veto within appropriations bills only.
Which of the following sentences most accurately describes the authorship of legislation?
While only legislators may introduce bills in either of the chambers, lobbyists, interest groups, and other organizations may help with the inspiration and language of legislation.
While interest groups often influence the drafting of new legislation, which of the following acts as a check on that influence?
the legislator who sponsors the bill
When does most of the political maneuvering around significant legislation generally occur?
during substantive committee deliberations
Which of the following statements most accurately compares committees in the house to committees in the senate?
There is more variation in the power and influence of senior members within the house than within the senate.
WHAT IS A POINT OF ORDER?
an objection that claims an error in the format, content, or procedural path of a bill
Under which of the following circumstances can a point of order be raised on an amendment?
The amendment changes the bill’s original purpose slightly.
What is the purpose of the waiting period before the legislature can act on pending legislation?
to prevent bills from being pushed through the legislative process too quickly without adequate deliberation
How many days must pass at the beginning of a legislative session before the legislature may act on pending legislation?
60
What is the practical effect of the “constitutional order of business”?
There is a frantic scramble to deal with large numbers of bills during the final few weeks of the session.
What is likely to happen to a bill that is found to be in violation of the rules?
It goes to a committee to fix its mistakes and is then sent to the floor, where there may not be enough time to address it.
What is an example of a serious consequence of the rivalry between the senate and the house?
The rivalry between the house and the senate has prevented them from passing important bills.
How does the house differ from the senate?
The house’s members are elected from smaller and more diverse districts than those of the senate.
Which of the following individuals could serve as governor of Texas?
a 40-year-old Latina U.S. citizen who’s spent her whole life in Texas To serve as governor of Texas, you must be at least 30 years old, a United States citizen, and a resident of Texas for at least five years preceding your election.
Why does it seem certain that prominent Latino candidates will soon emerge and find success in statewide elections for governor?
Texas’s Latino (mainly Mexican American) population is rapidly growing.
What is the lieutenant governor’s responsibility when the governor is out of state?
serving as acting governor
The process of accusing an official of misconduct while in office is known as what?
impeachment
The senate president pro tempore becomes acting governor for the day during which of the following?
“governor for a day” ritual
Historically speaking, why did the Texas Constitution of 1876 limit the powers of the governor?
It was a reaction to the previous constitution, which gave the governor strong executive powers.
What effect does the plural executive have on the governor, and why?
It weakens the governor by allowing the electorate to choose his executive officers for him.
How many appointees does a governor choose over the course of a single term?
several hundred
Governors make appointments for which of the following political purposes?
set a political tone
How is the governor’s appointment power limited?
Senatorial courtesy allows the senator from the district of a nominee to effectively veto the governor’s appointment.
What happens to someone who is appointed to office by a governor while the legislature is not in session?
The appointee’s tenure is still subject to senate confirmation once the legislature reconvenes.
What happens when a governor vetoes a bill?
It is returned to the legislature, where the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each chamber.
How did Governor Rick Perry overcome the criticism he received for vetoing so many bills in 2001?
He effectively characterized the vetoes as curbing government growth.
What authority does the governor have over the state budget?
The governor can transfer money between programs or agencies in an emergency.
Who has the power to issue a pardon?
the Board of Pardons and Paroles
What opportunity do governors in Texas have to influence the state judiciary?
Governors can fill judicial vacancies and appoint judges to state appeals courts.
What are the governor’s military and police powers?
The governor is commander in chief of the Texas National Guard and has limited police powers as selector of the Public Safety Commission.
What does the “power to persuade” mean when used in reference to the Texas governor?
It refers to the governor’s use of personal influence to manage relationships with the legislature and the bureaucracy during the session.
Why is the informal side of the message power more important than the formal side?
The governor’s formal messages can be ignored whereas his speeches and statements receive extensive media coverage.
Which of the following is an example of the power to persuade?
the governor taking advantage of good relationships with legislators in order to pass an important agenda
Which of the following is a limitation of using approval ratings to measure the current standing of the governor?
Polls rarely contain information regarding the intensity of people’s opinions.
Which of the following problems can reduce the governor’s ability to leverage his or her status as a figurehead?
bland personality
What is the bully pulpit?
a figurative soapbox the governor can stand on to loudly build support for his priorities
Which of the following BEST explains why Rick Perry had unprecedented control over the plural executive branch?
His long tenure in office allowed him to appoint numerous officials, boards, and commissions.
What was the most important external factor that influenced Perry’s time in office?
the constitutional extension of the term of office from two to four years
Which of the following features of Rick Perry’s tenure was criticized as costly to taxpayers?
his frequent use of special sessions
