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Texas Government > Ch7 - The TX Legislature > Flashcards

Ch7 - The TX Legislature Flashcards

1
Q

Texas Legislature Structure

A

Bicameral: House and Senate

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2
Q

Regular session

A

the constitutionally scheduled, biennial session of the legislature limited to 140 days.

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3
Q

Texas House

A

150 members/ 2 year terms

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4
Q

Texas Senate

A

31 members/ 4 year terms

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5
Q

Special session

A

a legislative session, called by the governor, outside of the regular session
- 30 days
- governor sets the topics

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6
Q

Qualifications to become a representative

A
  1. US citizen
  2. Registered voter
  3. Resident of Texas for 2 years and live within district lines for a year
  4. 21 yo
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7
Q

Qualifications to become a senator

A
  1. US citizen
  2. Registered voter
  3. Resident of Texas for 5 years and of their district for a year
  4. 26 yo
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8
Q

Low salary for legislators

A

Texas Grange/ 1876 Constitution
Intent: more common folk
Reality: less common folk

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9
Q

How often do states redraw their district lines?

A

Every 10 years with US census

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10
Q

One person, one vote

A

expresses the principle of equal representation in voting.
Within electoral districts within a state must have roughly the same population.

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11
Q

Apportionment

A

dividing the population into districts for purposes of election and representation

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12
Q

Redistricting

A

The process of redrawing district lines to maintain the concept “one person, one vote”

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13
Q

Who conducts redistricting in Texas?

A

House draws the lines for the house. The senate draws lines for the senate, and they sign off each other’s plans.

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14
Q

Gerrymandering

A

the act of drawing representative districts in order to help or hinder a person, a political party from winning an election

EXTREMELY PARTISAN in Texas

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15
Q

Lieutenant Governor

A
  1. The most powerful office in the state
  2. Chosen in state-wide election
  3. Unlimited 4 year terms
  4. Appoints every committee member in the senate
  5. Assigns bills to committees
  6. Co-chair of the Legislative Budget Board
  7. Co-chair of the Legislative Council
  8. Must become governor if the governor doesn’t finish his term
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16
Q

Speaker of the House

A
  1. Chosen by fellow house members
  2. Unlimited 2 year terms
  3. Joint chair of the Legislative Budget Board and Legislative Council
  4. Names chairs and vice chair at his/her chamber
  5. Directs debate
  6. Does NOT have absolute power to appoint every committee position
17
Q

Legislative Budget Board

A

A body made up of members of the house and senate, including the two presiding officers, which oversees staff responsible for preparing the basic working budget for the legislature’s consideration

18
Q

Limited seniority system

A

a method of committee selection used in the house that limits the speaker to appointing half the members of most standing committees (including chairs); the other members gain seats by seniority.

19
Q

The Committee System

A

The key to the legislative process
Decide the merit of the bills before they are sent to the house floor.

20
Q

Standing Committees

A

Deliberate bodies formed each time a legislature meets that deal with topics of recurring interest

21
Q

Special Committee

A

a temporary committee formed by the legislature for limited or non-routine purposes

22
Q

Conference Committee

A

joint committee of house and senate members whose purpose is to iron out the differences between the house and senate versions of the bill

23
Q

Interim Committee

A

A special committee formed to study a topic or problem between sessions of legislature

24
Q

Two Types of Regular Committees

A
  1. Substantive: shape legislation
  2. Procedural: determine the process by which legislation reaches the floor
25
Q

How Bill Becomes a Law

A

First Reading in the House
House Committee
Second Reading in the House
Third Reading in the House

First Reading in the Senate
Senate Committee
Second Reading in the Senate
Third Reading in the Senate

Conference Committee (if needed)
Governor

26
Q

First Reading in the House and the Senate

A

The bills are assigned to committees by either speaker or lieuntenant governor

27
Q

House Committee

A

Most bills die here
1. The chair has the sole discretion as to what the committee considers (pigeonhole)
2. Majority of the committee kills the bill
3. Committee votes to put aside the bill

28
Q

Second Reading in the House

A

The bill must be scheduled for debate by the house’s calendar committee
Debate is directed by the speaker
Amendments - majority
Final vote - majority

29
Q

Third Reading in the House

A

Final opportunity to amend - 2/3 majority
Passage - simple majority

30
Q

Pigeonhole

A

the act of setting aside a bill in committee and refusing to consider it, thereby “killing it”

31
Q

Senate Committee

A
  1. Majority kills the bill
  2. Majority decides to put aside
  3. Chair pigeonholes
  4. Tagging
32
Q

Tagging

A

A Senate rule that allows a senator to postpone committee consideration of a bill for 48 hours in hopes of killing it

33
Q

Second Reading in the Senate

A

2/3 majority to bring a bill to the floor
unlimited debate
bills flow in numerical order
filibustering

34
Q

Filibustering

A

the practice of delaying or killing a bill by taking a great length; grows out of the senate rule allowing unlimited debate.

35
Q

Third Reading in the Senate

A

2/3 to amend
simple majority to pass

36
Q

Conference Committee

A

5 members from each chamber
Work out a compromise between the house and senate versions of the bill

37
Q

How can legislature override governor’s veto

A

2/3 majority vote in each chamber, only when in session

38
Q

Texas Legislative Council

A

the legislature’s research and bill-drafting service

Texas Government (12 decks)

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