Gov exam Flashcards
(21 cards)
What happens to a bill at the end of the regular sessions if it has NOT been passed or denied?
It dies
What are special sessions
Special Sessions are LEGISLATIVE sessions that the governor can call for after the regular session is over. They can call for as many as they want and the governor dictates the content of the session.
T or F: Texas legislatures are elected in single-member districts and districts are redrawn every 10 years
True
Who is given the position of president of the senate
The lieutenant governor is given this position by the texas constitution. the lt gov is elected via a statewide election
T or F: The texas house has always has single member districts
FALSE. up until a supreme count decision in 1972, house reps were elected in multi-member districts
T or F: the texas legislative branch is the least weak of the 3 branches
true
how many senators are in the texas senate
31
how many representatives are in the texas house of representatives
150
Proposed two chambers for legislative branch: one with the number of representatives based on state population and the other with fixed number of senators per state.
Different for Texas legislature: senate represents larger districts and more broad concerns for state (have longer terms than house of rep reps). Representatives in the house have shorter terms and represent smaller districts. they are more in tune with the ever changing needs of the people
Connecticut Compromise
How often does the texas legislature hold its regular session
for 140 days every other year
how long are the terms for the legislative positions
- house of representatives: elections every 2 years, all seats up for grabs
- senate: elections every 2 years, only HALF of members are up for re-election (which half is actually up is rotated), each term is 4 years long = staggering
Requirements to run for the texas house of reps
- must be at least 21
- legal texas resident for past 2 years
- resident of district for 1 year
- US citizen
Requirements to run for the texas senate
- must be 26
- legal resident of state for past 5 years
- resident of district for 1 year
- US citizen
Private interest group
groups that seek to influence public policy for the specific and often exclusive benefit of their members or people with similar interests
public interest group
group that seeks to influence PUBLIC policy for the benefit of the general population
in-house lobbyist
employed directly by the interest groups themselves (ex: VP of legislative affairs)
contract lobbyist
independent professionals who are hired to represent an interest group for a fixed period of time - often represent multiple interest groups at the same time
public advocacy firm lobbyist
hybrid of in-house and contract lobbyist- work for law firms or public advocacy firms that businesses and interest groups can hire
political actions committee (PAC)
an entity other than a political party that raises and sends money to elect or defeat candidates. PACs are regulated under BOTH federal and state law
interest group scorecards
interest groups create scorecards ranking how well candidates align with their interests
