Deck 4: The Texas Legislature

Question 1

Texans declared independence in 1836 as Coahuila y Tejas erupted in civil war. One source of Texian disenchantment was

A) U.S. politics.
B) slavery laws.
C) representation in the Coahuila y Tejas legislature.
D) French support for the Mexican government.
E) Spanish support for the U.S.

Answer 1

representation in the Coahuila y Tejas legislature.

Question 2

The Texas Senate consists of ___________senators.

A) 25
B) 31
C) 50
D) 100
E) 315

Answer 2

31

Question 3

The Texas legislature typically meets

A) once a year.
B) twice a year.
C) once every 2 years.
D) once every 3 years.
E) continuously.

Answer 3

once every 2 years.

Question 4

Members of the Texas Senate serve___________terms.

A) 2-year
B) 3-year
C) 4-year
D) 6-year
E) 8-year

Question 5

Regular legislative sessions are limited to

A) 60 days.
B) 100 days.
C) 175 days.
D) 140 days.
E) 210 days.

Question 6

The constitutional goal of redistricting is to

A) create districts with equal-sized populations.
B) ensure that the number of districts is greater than the number of seats in the legislature.
C) draw district lines that favor the dominant political party in Texas.
D) draw district lines that favor the dominant ethnic group in Texas.
E) eliminate racial inequities in the legislature.

Question 7

Historically, the___________has dominated the Texas legislature.

A) Socialist Party
B) Democratic Party
C) Republican Party
D) Conservative Party
E) Libertarian Party

Question 8

The president of the Texas Senate is also

A) the speaker of the Texas House.
B) the president pro-tempore of Texas.
C) the lieutenant governor of Texas.
D) the secretary of state.
E) a member of the same political party as the governor.

Question 9

___________do most of the work during the legislative sessions.

A) Joint committees
B) Conference committees
C) Standing committees
D) Interim committees
E) Bonding committees

Question 10

Which of the following committees is a temporary creation of one chamber of the Texas legislature that addresses a specific problem?

A) standing committee
B) joint committee
C) substantive committee
D) distributive committee
E) special, or ad hoc, committee

Question 11

The speaker of the Texas House is

A) appointed by the governor.
B) appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate.
C) elected by members of the House of Representatives.
D) elected by members of the minority party in the House of Representatives.
E) elected directly by the voters of Texas.

Question 12

A number of high-profile cases challenging state redistricting plans have led some to advocate

A) eliminating redistricting.
B) letting the federal government control redistricting.
C) letting governors handle redistricting.
D) letting party officials control redistricting.
E) stripping redistricting away from state legislatures.

Question 13

Which of the following is true regarding the controversy surrounding Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick's legislative staff?

A) Craddick was accused of sexual harassment.
B) Craddick was accused of hiring undocumented workers.
C) Craddick was accused of providing health care and benefits to part time workers.
D) Craddick is accused of created phony "ghost workers" and pocketing their wages.
E) Craddick was accused of providing insufficient health care and benefits to his employees.

Question 14

The Senate two-thirds rule

A) offers protection to minority factions in the Senate.
B) denies protection to minority factions in the Senate.
C) offers protection to majorities in the Senate.
D) is rarely enforced because it has little impact on policy outcomes.
E) was eliminated by referendum in 2001.

Question 15

A committee appointed by the House and the Senate to resolve differences between the version of a bill passed by the House and that passed by the Senate is called a

A) standing committee.
B) procedural committee.
C) special committee.
D) interim committee.
E) conference committee.

Question 16

In Texas, the purpose of a filibuster is to

A) suspend the regular order of business, so that a bill may be voted on.
B) activate the regular order of business, so that a bill may be voted on.
C) pass a bill by requiring that a quorum vote on it.
D) kill a bill by refusing to allow a vote on it.
E) get a bill out of committee.

Question 17

Within the Texas legislature, the substantive floor debate on a bill occurs on its___________reading.

A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth
E) terminal

Question 18

The Texas Constitution grants the ___________veto power.

A) lieutenant governor
B) governor
C) president pro tempore of the Senate
D) speaker of the House
E) Senate minority leader

Question 19

The 1876 constitution placed a cap on the number of senators and representatives.

Question 20

There are no term limits on Texas representatives and senators.

Question 21

Texas is the only large, urban state that uses biennial sessions.

Question 22

Each special legislative session may last up to 30 days.

Question 23

Legislators are chosen in multimember districts.

Question 24

The turnover rates for the Texas Senate and House of Representatives are very high, especially when compared to other states' turnover rates.

Question 25

The number of women and minorities in the Texas legislature has increased in recent decades and now approximates their proportions in the general population.

Question 26

The speaker of the House is appointed by the governor.

Question 27

All standing committees are also procedural committees.

Question 28

A legislative party caucus is an organization of legislators who belong to the same political party.

Question 29

The Dirty Thirty were a group of legislators who opposed the House leadership.

Question 30

A special session can only be called by the lieutenant governor.

Question 31

In both 2005 and 2007, Republican Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst refused to appoint a single Democrats to chair a standing committee or subcommittee.

Question 32

A germane is a legislative document intended to create or amend a law.

Question 33

A concurrent resolution possesses the authority of law.

Question 34

A simple resolution expresses the will of both chambers.

Question 35

House members are allowed to cast votes for absent fellow members with the absent member's permission .

Question 36

A quorum is the minimum number of legislators who must be present in order to conduct business.

Question 37

Deficit spending occurs when government spending in a budget cycle exceeds government revenue.

Question 38

Briefly discuss how the personal and political characteristics of members of the Texas legislature have changed during the last thirty years.

Question 39

What is the Legislative Council and what services does the Council provide members of the legislature

Question 40

List the differences between a bill and a resolution. Discuss the three different types of resolutions.

Question 41

Discuss the causes of the redistricting crisis in Texas in 2003.

Question 42

What are the powers of the speaker of the House?

Question 43

How is the Texas legislature organized?

Question 44

Discuss the steps by which a bill becomes a law.

Question 45

What is the speaker's race, and who are the key players in it?

Question 46

What are the powers of the lieutenant governor? How does the lieutenant governor use these powers in coalition building?

Question 47

How does the Texas legislature differ from most other states' legislatures? Be sure to consider size, rules, qualifications for members, and other important dimensions of a legislature.