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summer govt > TX POLITICS LEGISLATIVE PROCESS/GOVERNOR > Flashcards

TX POLITICS LEGISLATIVE PROCESS/GOVERNOR Flashcards

1
Q

What is the size of each house of the Texas Legislature?

A

150 house, 31 in senate

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2
Q

Who can formally introduce a bill for consideration in the legislature?

A

Only members of legislature

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3
Q

What is the practice informally referred to as “voting the district”?

A

Legislators, knowing what issues matter to their constituents, cast votes in line with those preferences

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4
Q

What factors might leave legislators more open to the influence of other legislators, interest groups, and lobbyists?

A

a combination of an unengaged public and a vast array of subjects faced by legislators

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5
Q

Interest groups often organize legislative days. What are these days?

A

days when interest group leaders organize visits by members of their group to the capitol offices of their representatives

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6
Q

What comprises the bulk of the lobby in Texas?

A

business interests

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7
Q

What is the ultimate effect of having a “citizen legislature” with low salaries that require legislators to have other full-time occupations?

A

Lobbyists are typically better equipped than legislators to develop policy expertise and devote their full attention to legislative issues.

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8
Q

Which of the following is a common way for interest groups to interact with other actors in the legislative process?

A

Interest groups provide information and support to legislators and their staff.

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9
Q

What is meant when it is said that legislative staffers possess “institutional memory”?

A

They have knowledge about things that have happened in the past that is useful in navigating the process in the present.

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10
Q

How does the capitol press corps impact the legislative session?

A

The stories that press corps reporters write may affect outcomes and alter the legislative process.

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11
Q

What is the person who introduces a bill for consideration known as?

A

sponsor

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12
Q

The shortness of the legislative session has led to what practice?

A

members of the legislature pre-filing bills before the legislative session even begins

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13
Q

What occurs when a committee pigeonholes a bill?

A

The committee moves that bill to the bottom of the committee’s agenda, effectively killing it.

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14
Q

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?

A

The bill may be amended, but any added amendment requires a two-thirds majority approval.

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15
Q

What is involved in a filibuster?

A

trying to kill a bill by “talking it to death”

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16
Q

Whose primary responsibility is it to schedule when bills or resolutions will be taken up for consideration by the members of the house?

A

Calendars

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17
Q

The process of making substantive changes and editorial corrections to a bill is called what?

A

bill markup

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18
Q

What is the purpose of a conference committee?

A

to resolve the often significant differences in the two versions of a bill passed by the house and senate

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19
Q

Which of the following BEST describes the governor’s line-item veto powers?

A

The governor may use the line-item veto within appropriations bills only.

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20
Q

Which of the following sentences most accurately describes the authorship of legislation?

A

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.

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21
Q

While interest groups often influence the drafting of new legislation, which of the following acts as a check on that influence?

A

the legislator who sponsors the bill

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22
Q

When does most of the political maneuvering around significant legislation generally occur?

A

during substantive committee deliberations

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23
Q

Which of the following statements most accurately compares committees in the house to committees in the senate?

A

There is more variation in the power and influence of senior members within the house than within the senate.

24
Q

WHAT IS A POINT OF ORDER?

A

an objection that claims an error in the format, content, or procedural path of a bill

25
Q

Under which of the following circumstances can a point of order be raised on an amendment?

A

The amendment changes the bill’s original purpose slightly.

26
Q

What is the purpose of the waiting period before the legislature can act on pending legislation?

A

to prevent bills from being pushed through the legislative process too quickly without adequate deliberation

27
Q

How many days must pass at the beginning of a legislative session before the legislature may act on pending legislation?

A

60

28
Q

What is the practical effect of the “constitutional order of business”?

A

There is a frantic scramble to deal with large numbers of bills during the final few weeks of the session.

29
Q

What is likely to happen to a bill that is found to be in violation of the rules?

A

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.

30
Q

What is an example of a serious consequence of the rivalry between the senate and the house?

A

The rivalry between the house and the senate has prevented them from passing important bills.

31
Q

How does the house differ from the senate?

A

The house’s members are elected from smaller and more diverse districts than those of the senate.

32
Q

Which of the following individuals could serve as governor of Texas?

A

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.

33
Q

Why does it seem certain that prominent Latino candidates will soon emerge and find success in statewide elections for governor?

A

Texas’s Latino (mainly Mexican American) population is rapidly growing.

34
Q

What is the lieutenant governor’s responsibility when the governor is out of state?

A

serving as acting governor

35
Q

The process of accusing an official of misconduct while in office is known as what?

A

impeachment

36
Q

The senate president pro tempore becomes acting governor for the day during which of the following?

A

“governor for a day” ritual

37
Q

Historically speaking, why did the Texas Constitution of 1876 limit the powers of the governor?

A

It was a reaction to the previous constitution, which gave the governor strong executive powers.

38
Q

What effect does the plural executive have on the governor, and why?

A

It weakens the governor by allowing the electorate to choose his executive officers for him.

39
Q

How many appointees does a governor choose over the course of a single term?

A

several hundred

40
Q

Governors make appointments for which of the following political purposes?

A

set a political tone

41
Q

How is the governor’s appointment power limited?

A

Senatorial courtesy allows the senator from the district of a nominee to effectively veto the governor’s appointment.

42
Q

What happens to someone who is appointed to office by a governor while the legislature is not in session?

A

The appointee’s tenure is still subject to senate confirmation once the legislature reconvenes.

43
Q

What happens when a governor vetoes a bill?

A

It is returned to the legislature, where the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each chamber.

44
Q

How did Governor Rick Perry overcome the criticism he received for vetoing so many bills in 2001?

A

He effectively characterized the vetoes as curbing government growth.

45
Q

What authority does the governor have over the state budget?

A

The governor can transfer money between programs or agencies in an emergency.

46
Q

Who has the power to issue a pardon?

A

the Board of Pardons and Paroles

47
Q

What opportunity do governors in Texas have to influence the state judiciary?

A

Governors can fill judicial vacancies and appoint judges to state appeals courts.

48
Q

What are the governor’s military and police powers?

A

The governor is commander in chief of the Texas National Guard and has limited police powers as selector of the Public Safety Commission.

49
Q

What does the “power to persuade” mean when used in reference to the Texas governor?

A

It refers to the governor’s use of personal influence to manage relationships with the legislature and the bureaucracy during the session.

50
Q

Why is the informal side of the message power more important than the formal side?

A

The governor’s formal messages can be ignored whereas his speeches and statements receive extensive media coverage.

51
Q

Which of the following is an example of the power to persuade?

A

the governor taking advantage of good relationships with legislators in order to pass an important agenda

52
Q

Which of the following is a limitation of using approval ratings to measure the current standing of the governor?

A

Polls rarely contain information regarding the intensity of people’s opinions.

53
Q

Which of the following problems can reduce the governor’s ability to leverage his or her status as a figurehead?

A

bland personality

54
Q

What is the bully pulpit?

A

a figurative soapbox the governor can stand on to loudly build support for his priorities

55
Q

Which of the following BEST explains why Rick Perry had unprecedented control over the plural executive branch?

A

His long tenure in office allowed him to appoint numerous officials, boards, and commissions.

56
Q

What was the most important external factor that influenced Perry’s time in office?

A

the constitutional extension of the term of office from two to four years

57
Q

Which of the following features of Rick Perry’s tenure was criticized as costly to taxpayers?

A

his frequent use of special sessions

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