Unit 1 Flashcards
(130 cards)
1
Q
Extradition
A
the constitutional requirement that a state deliver someone suspected or convicted of a crime in another state back to the state where the crime allegedly occurred so the accused can face trial or sentencing
2
Q
Referendum
A
allows voters to cast a popular vote on statues passed by the legislature
3
Q
Conference Committee
A
an official legislative work group that meets on a limited basis to reconcile the different versions of a bill that has passed in the Texas House and Senate
4
Q
Floor Leader
A
is the process of drawing district lines to benefit one group or another, and it can result in some extremely strange shapes by the time the state politicians are through
5
Q
President Pro Tempore
A
officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president
6
Q
Resolution
A
expresses the opinion of the legislature on an issue or changes the organizational structure of the legislature
7
Q
Majority Election
A
a type of election in which a candidate must receive 50 percent of the vote plus one additional vote to be declared the winner; simply winning the most votes is not sufficient
8
Q
Empresario
A
the Spanish word for a land agent whose job it was to bring new settlers into an area
9
Q
Descriptive Representation
A
the idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it represents.This is a theory, not a reality in the United States
10
Q
Individualistic political culture
A
government should leave individuals alone
11
Q
Moralistic Political Culture
A
government should advance public good
12
Q
Political Culture
A
commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate
13
Q
Presidential Republicanism
A
The practice in the South of voting for Republicans in presidential elections but voting for conservative Democrats in other races; this practice continued until animosity over Reconstruction faded and the Republicans demonstrated their electability in the South.
14
Q
Traditionalistic Political Culture
A
government should preserve the existing social order
15
Q
Treaty of Guadalupe
A
treaty that ended the Mexican War, granting the U.S. control of Texas, New Mexico, and California in exchange for $15 million
16
Q
Apprenticeship Laws
A
laws that allowed minors to enter into a binding contract for an unpaid apprenticeship
17
Q
Block Grant
A
money given to states and local governments for broad purposes; comes with fewer restrictions on how the money is to be spent
18
Q
Checks and Balances
A
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power
19
Q
Civil Liberties
A
constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens
20
Q
Civil Rights
A
the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality.
21
Q
Concurrent Powers
A
powers shared by state and national governments
22
Q
Confederal System
A
a type of government in which the lower units of government retain decision-making authority
23
Q
Federalism
A
a type of government based on the sharing of powers between the levels of government
24
Q
Devolution
A
the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states
25
Fiscal Federalism
federal government uses financial incentives to encourage state and local governments to enact policies
26
Full Faith and Credit Clause
the constitutional requirement that court judgments or legal contracts entered into in one state will be honored by all other states
27
Home Rule City
a city permitted by the state to let local voters frame, adopt, and amend their own charter.
28
Granting of Privileges and Immunities
the constitutional requirement that states may not fundamentally treat citizens of other state differently than their own citizen
29
Implied Powers
powers implicitly granted to the federal government that are necessary and proper to execute enumerated powers of national government
30
Popular Sovereignty
a government in which the power to cover is derived from the will of the people
31
Privileges and Immunities
a clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according to citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states.
32
Supremacy Clause
federal law is supreme over state law
33
Unfunded Mandate
legislation passed by the national government imposing requirements on state and local governments that then bear the costs of meeting those requirements
34
Initiative
occurs when enough signatures on a petition are gathered to place statutes or constitutional amendments on a ballot
35
Amendment
a change in, or addition to, a constitution or law
36
Bicameral
two house legislature
37
Blocking Bill
the first bill placed on the senate calendar in each session, which usually a bill that will never be considered by the full senate
38
Calendars
a schedule that lists the order in which bills will be considered in Congress
39
Chubbing
slowing the legislative process by debating earlier bills for the maximum allotted time, asking the bill's sponsor trivial questions, and proposing so many amendments and raising so many points of order that the house does not get around to the bill to which they ultimately object.
40
Citizen Legislature
a legislature that attempts to keep the role of a state legislator to a part-time function so that many or most citizens can perform it
41
Concurrent Resolution
a legislative act that expresses and opinion of the legislature; must pass in both chambers
42
Delegate
an elected official who acts as an agent of the majority that elected her or him to office and carries out, to the extent possible, the wishes of the majority
43
Filibuster
A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.
44
Floor Debate
takes place on the floor of the chamber and all of the members can discuss the merits of the bill before the vote.
45
Ideological Caucus
a special legislative caucus in the state legislature that promotes an ideological agenda.
46
Killer Amendment
amendment to a bill proposed by its opponents for the specific purpose of decreasing the bill's chance of passage
47
Joint Resolution
a legislative act when approved by both chambers results in an amendment to the Texas Constitution, which then must be approved by voters at the next election
48
Legislative Budget Board
the group that develops a proposed state budget for legislative consideration
49
Legislative Redistricting Board
created by a 1948 amendment to the Texas Constitution, this group steps in if the state legislature is unable to pass a redistricting plan or when a state or federal court invalidates a plan submitted by the legislature; the LRB is active only with respect to redistricting of the state legislature
50
Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick (R)
51
Line-item Veto
an executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature
52
Markup
a session in which committee members offer changes to a bill before it goes to the floor
53
Minority and Women's caucuses
special legislative caucuses in the state legislature that represent the unique concerns and beliefs of women and ethnic groups across a broad range of policy issues
54
Multimember district
an election system in which the state is divided into many election districts, but each district elects more than one person to the state legislature
55
Nonpartisan/bipartisan independent commission
a system of drawing electoral district lines that attempts to remove politics from the process of redistricting.
56
One person, One vote
Districts are drawn following each census.
Districts for the same institution must be of equal population
57
Party Caucus Chair
a party leader whose main job is to organize party members to vote for the legislation on the floor
58
Party Legislative Caucus
the organization of the members of a specific legislative chamber who belong to the same political party; normally shortened to party caucus.
59
Politico
an elected official who is expected to follow the wishes of the electorate on some issues but on others is permitted more decision-making leeway (a hybrid of the trustee and delegate)
60
Professional Legislature
a legislature that meets annually, often for nine months of the year or more
61
Redistricting
process of redrawing district lines in states with more than one representative (carried out by state legislators or commission)
62
Roll Call Vote
a form of voting for which a permanent record of each member's vote is created; used for important votes
63
Select/Special Committee
a temporary legislative work group created by the lieutenant governor or speaker of the house for a special purpose
64
Simple Resolution
established rules, regulations, or practices that do not have to force of law
65
Single-member District
the idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it represents. (This is a theory, not a reality in the United States)
66
Interim Committee
a legislative work group that is created during periods when the legislature is not in session to provide oversight of the executive branch and monitor public policy
67
Special Session
meetings of a legislature that occur at times other than those required by a constitution or law; in Texas, special sessions are called by the governor and last for thirty days
68
Substantive Standing Committee
a type of standing committee that is authorized to review and revise proposed policy bills and resolutions before action by the legislature
69
Supermajority
any majority that is larger than a simple majority, such as three-fifths, two-thirds, or three-fourths
70
Term Limit
legal limitation of the number of terms an elected official may serve in office
71
Agenda Setting
the process of forming the list of issues to be addressed by the government
72
Appointment Power
~Senate approval
~Senatorial Courtesy
~Removal Power
~Recess Appointments
73
Budget Power
~Introduces a rival budget to the legislative budget board
~Line-item veto
74
Crisis Manager
coordinates responses to unforeseen events
75
Emergency Legislation
emergency bills; also used for taxation and appropriation bills
76
Informal Power
authority given to the governer that is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
77
Pardon
a declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment
78
Patronage
granting favors, giving contracts, or making appointments to office in return for political support
79
Plural Executive
an executive branch in which power is fragmented because the election of statewide officeholders is independent of the election of the governor
80
Political Ambition Ladder
the manner in which a political figure has come up through the ranks, working through various levels of state government offices and positions on the way to the top position; climbing several levels on the ladder can increase a politician's contacts, allies, and political savvy
81
Post Adjournment Veto
a veto of a bill that occurs after the legislature adjourns, thus preventing the legislature from overriding it
82
Removal Power
authority to remove an official from office. In Texas, the governor's removal power is limited to staff members, some agency heads, and his or her appointees with the consent of the Senate.
83
Senatorial Courtesy
governor's custom of submitting the names of prospective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.
84
Staggered Terms
not all offices are up for election at the same time
85
Veto Power
governer power to stop a bill from becoming law by rejecting it
86
Plurality Election
a type of election in which the candidate with the most votes wins the election
87
Voice Votes
the presiding officer asks verbally for those members in favor of the bill to call out "aye," then asks for those opposed to call out "nay"
88
Black Codes
laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; were passed by southern states following the Civil War
89
Peonage
the use of laborers bound in servitude because of debt
90
Reserved Powers
powers not granted to federal government but are reserved for the states
91
Separation of Powers
constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law
92
Emergency Clause
a provision that allows a bill or a portion of a bill to take effect immediately after the governor signs it or after the Legislature overrides the governor's veto.
93
Gerrymandering
process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
94
Party Caucus
the organization of the members of a specific legislative chamber who belong to the same political party
95
Regular Session
the 140-day period, occurring only in odd-numbered years, during which the Texas legislature meets to consider and pass bills
96
Turnover
the rate at which employees leave a workforce and are replaced
97
Popular Mandate
the claim that a newly elected official's legislative agenda is the will of the people based on a high margin of victory in a general election.
98
Categorical Grant
money given to states and local governments that must be spent for specific activities
99
Constitution
a written document that outlines the power of government and the limitations of those powers
100
Cooperative Federalism
state and federal governments cooperate across various policy areas rather than maintaining distinct policy areas
101
Dillon's Rule
states that local governments do not have any inherent sovereignty and instead must be authorized by state governments that can create or abolish them.
102
Dual Federalism
state and federal powers are separate and distinct
103
Horizontal Federalism
constitutional regulation of the relationship among states
104
Long Ballot
a system in which almost all of the positions in a state are elected rather than appointed
105
Enumerated Powers
powers expressly granted to the federal government
106
Unitary System
a type of government in which power is vested in a central government authority
107
Vertical Federalism
views national governments as supreme within their constitutional sphere, esp. in matters of defense, foreign policy, and commerce
108
Bill
a proposed law
109
Committee
a group of people appointed for a specific function, typically consisting of members of a larger group.
110
Fiscal Note
a statement prepared by the Legislative Fiscal Office
estimating the effect a bill would have on state and/or local expenditures and revenue.
111
Introduce
present something like a bill
112
Issue Caucus
a special legislative caucus in the state legislature that promotes bipartisan and cross-chamber support for policies and bills advocating positions inside a relatively narrow range of policy areas or political issues
113
Simple Resolution
a legislative act that addresses organizational issues; may be limited to a single house
114
Legislative Immunity
the protection from arrest that legislators receive to ensure that state and local officials cannot interfere with a legislator's efforts to represent their constituents
115
Majority-Minority Districts
in the context of determining representative districts, the process by which a majority of the population is from the minority.
116
Oversight
the effort by Congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies
117
Procedural Standing Committee
a type of standing committee that controls how the legislature functions
118
Quorum
the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action
119
Representation
the relationship between an elected official and the electorate
120
Rider
a provision attached to a bill - to which it may or may not be related - in order to secure its passage or defeat.
121
Speaker of the House (TX)
Dade Phelan (R)
122
Special Legislative Caucus
an organization of members of the state legislature who share a common interest or have constituencies with a common interest
123
Standing Committees
a permanent, chamber-specific formal workgroup that typically exists across sessions and across elections
124
Trustee
an elected official who is entrusted to act in the best interests of the electorate based on his or her knowledge; he or she is understood to be generally better informed than the broader electorate
125
Ceremonial Duties
duties that come with the high visibility of the office
126
Executive Order
a rule or order issued by the governor to the executive branch of the government and having the force of law.
127
Impeachment
formal procedure to remove an elected official from office for misdeeds
128
Recess Appointment
a governor appointment made when Congress is not in session that usually lacks enough votes in the Senate for confirmation. The position must be confirmed by the Senate by the end of the next session of Congress, or the position becomes vacant.
129
State of the State Address
the constitutional requirement that the governor address the state legislature about the condition of the state; the state of the state address occurs at the beginning of each legislative session and at the end of the governor's term.
130
Succession of Governor
In the case of succession, the Texas constitution provides for the lieutenant governor, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House to take hold of that position, in that order.
