Deck 7: The Legislature

Question 1

Texas senators serve ________-year terms and House members serve ________-year terms.

A) two; four
B) four; six
C) four; two
D) six; four

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Why does it matter who is Speaker of the Texas House?

A) The Speaker is as powerful or more powerful than the governor.
B) The Speaker must be able to appoint key Democrats as chairs of committees that support the Republican agenda.
C) The Speaker sets the legislative agenda.
D) The Speaker must be able to work with the Tea Party on issues.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Special sessions last ________,but there is no limit to the number of special sessions a governor can call.

A) 30 days
B) 60 days
C) 90 days
D) 120 days

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In the Texas legislature,the House has ________ members and the Senate has ________ members.

A) 435; 100
B) 100; 25
C) 150; 31
D) 31; 150

Question 5

The agenda for special sessions in the Texas legislature is set by the

A) lieutenant governor and the Texas Speaker of the House.
B) governor.
C) Texas Supreme Court.
D) chair of the joint committee on special sessions.

Question 6

What is the function of the "local and consent" calendar?

A) It marks the date by which legislators must vote on specific bills.
B) It is the calendar for all private bills sponsored by members of the legislature.
C) It is reserved for uncontroversial bills or bills limited to a localized problem.
D) It describes the voting schedule for those bills that require approval by both the legislature and local communities.

Question 7

A bill in the Texas legislature that would allow a county to establish a new community college would be classified as a

A) general bill.
B) special bill.
C) local bill.
D) concurrent resolution.

Question 8

The Texas legislature takes office in January

A) biennially.
B) in even-numbered years.
C) every year.
D) in odd-numbered years.

Question 9

All Texas legislators are elected using

A) multiple-member districts.
B) floating districts.
C) single-member districts.
D) regional districts.

Question 10

In 2004 and 2005,three special sessions were called in the Texas legislature to deal with

A) tax codes.
B) deregulation of the pharmaceutical industry.
C) school finance.
D) criminal law reform.

Question 11

________ must begin in the House of Representatives.

A) Transportation bills
B) School finance bills
C) Revenue bills
D) All bills

Question 12

For how long does the Texas legislature meet?

A) The legislature meets all year, with breaks for holidays and campaigning.
B) The regular session is nine months every year.
C) The legislature meets for nine months biennially.
D) The regular legislative session lasts 140 days in odd-numbered years.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about simple resolutions is correct?

A) They do not require the signature of the governor.
B) They can only concern the internal rules of the Texas legislature.
C) They are limited to matters of concern for no more than two House districts.
D) They can only be initiated by the governor.

Question 14

In even numbered years,Texas representatives receive a salary of only ________ per year not including a per diem.

A) nothing
B) $28,200
C) $7,200
D) $12,000

Question 15

For a law to pass in the Texas legislature it must be voted on by

A) two deliberative bodies representing different constituencies.
B) both Democrats and Republicans.
C) Tea Party members.
D) just one chamber.

Question 16

One of the most notable effects of bicameralism in the Texas legislature is that it

A) speeds up the process of legislation by dividing the labors between two separate institutions.
B) works to the benefit of the more densely populated urban areas.
C) allows for sparsely populated rural counties to receive more of a voice in the legislature.
D) permits more opportunities to kill or significantly modify a bill.

Question 17

Which of the following statements about special sessions of the Texas legislature is true?

A) Special sessions are a rare occurrence, called on average once a decade.
B) Special sessions were common in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries but have been rare over the past 50 years.
C) Special sessions are common, held an average of once a year since 1876.
D) Special sessions occur often, on average four times a year.

Question 18

Which is the most important bill that applies to all people and property throughout the state?

A) general bill
B) local bill
C) simple resolution
D) special bill

Question 19

Each member of the Texas House represents approximately ________ constituents,and each senator represents over ________constituents.

A) 100,581; 811,000
B) 168,000; 150,000
C) 168,000; 811,000
D) 175,000; 150,000

Question 20

If the legislature grants a particular corporation an exception from a state law,it is called

A) logrolling.
B) a special bill.
C) a private resolution.
D) a filibuster.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a nonlegislative power of the Texas legislature?

A) the power of impeachment
B) the power to investigate problems facing the state.
C) the power to formally count the election returns in the governor's race
D) the power to overturn state supreme court decisions with a two-thirds majority

Question 22

In addition to the legislators and the governor,there are others involved in the lawmaking process during both regular and special sessions.Which one official has direct involvement in the legislative process,while other players are involved indirectly?

A) the comptroller of public accounts
B) the media
C) the court
D) the lobbyist

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a rule that applies to a filibuster in the Texas Senate?

A) There is no eating or drinking during a filibuster.
B) Senators must stand at their desks and may not lean, sit, or use their desks or chairs in any way.
C) Remarks must be confined to the issue under consideration.
D) There is one seven-minute bathroom break.

Question 24

As in the U.S.Congress,the purpose of a conference committee in the Texas legislature is to do what?

A) It is a committee in which members of both houses meet informally with the governor's representatives to set the agenda for an upcoming session.
B) It is a committee designed to make differing House and Senate versions of the same bill identical.
C) It is the committee that establishes the rules for floor debate in the House.
D) It is another name for a standing committee.

Question 25

In the Texas legislature,when a committee chair "pigeonholes" a bill,what happens?

A) The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee.
B) The bill is referred to a special session.
C) The chair vetoes a bill after it has already received an affirmative committee vote.
D) The chair refers a bill to only one subcommittee rather than two or more.

Question 26

Constituency services provided by Texas representatives may include all of the following EXCEPT

A) giving a speech to a local civic group.
B) providing legal services in court.
C) attempting to influence decisions of government agencies.
D) writing a letter of recommendation for a constituent.

Question 27

What types of resolutions are acted on without debate and without requiring members to read the resolution?

A) concurrent resolutions
B) joint resolutions
C) resolutions of honor or recognition
D) simple resolution

Question 28

For a bill that starts in the House the steps are

A) introduction, referral, consideration by standing committee, floor action, action by a conference committee and approval by both houses, and action by the governor.
B) introduction, floor action, referral, consideration by standing committee, action by a conference committee and approval by both houses, and action by the governor.
C) introduction, action by full committee, referral, consideration by standing committee, floor action, and action by governor.
D) introduction, referral, action by conference committee and approval by both houses, and action by the governor.

Question 29

In the Texas legislature,the referral of a bill to a standing committee in the House and the Senate is the job of the

A) governor.
B) secretary of state.
C) Speaker of the House and lieutenant governor.
D) sergeant of the House and Senate.

Question 30

Which committee acts as a screening mechanism to filter out bad bills or bills that have little or no political support?

A) Standing
B) Conference
C) Joint
D) Select

Question 31

Unlike other states,Texas allows ________ to introduce a bill in the Texas legislature.

A) anyone
B) only a member of the legislature
C) any governmental official
D) only the lieutenant governor and Speaker of the House

Question 32

________ is a kind of talking that is used to stall legislation.

A) Veto
B) Chubbing
C) Pigeonholing
D) Referral

Question 33

When the governor strikes out specific spending provisions in large appropriations bills it is called

A) pigeonholing.
B) the pocket veto.
C) the line-item veto.
D) the post-adjournment veto.

Question 34

In Texas,who can write a bill?

A) only a member of the legislature
B) the legislature or someone officially authorized by the legislature
C) any government official
D) anyone at all

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a legislative power of the Texas governor?

A) calling special sessions
B) signing or vetoing bills
C) setting an agenda in the State of the State address
D) removing, for suitable cause, the Speaker or lieutenant governor

Question 36

Rules of the legislature require that the bill be read

A) on two separate occasions.
B) on three separate occasions.
C) by the bill writer, the legislative member, and the lieutenant governor or Speaker of the House.
D) by the bill writer, the legislative member, and the committee chairman.

Question 37

In Texas,the governor's State of the State address is an example of the ________ power.

A) special session
B) veto
C) message
D) impeachment

Question 38

In Texas,why is a governor's post-adjournment veto so powerful?

A) It cannot be overturned by the legislature.
B) It can be overturned only by a two-thirds majority of both houses.
C) It allows the governor to veto parts of a bill but not all of it.
D) It allows the governor to get maximum media coverage.

Question 39

Why is the comptroller of public accounts so important to the legislature?

A) The comptroller is responsible for setting the salary and compensation packages for legislators.
B) The comptroller informs the legislature how much money it has to spend on the budget.
C) The comptroller investigates suspected illegal campaign contributions.
D) Whoever is comptroller is also the Speaker of the House.

Question 40

As a matter of legislative duties,________ convicts an individual of impeachment charges.

A) the Senate
B) the House
C) the judiciary
D) the attorney general

Question 41

How is the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives chosen?

A) The Speaker is elected in a statewide election.
B) The Speaker is the most senior representative in the House.
C) The Speaker is the most senior representative from the majority party.
D) The Speaker is elected by members of the House.

Question 42

Like the U.S.president,the governor of Texas can kill a bill by refusing to sign it.

Question 43

Which of the following statements about partisanship in the Texas legislature is correct?

A) Partisan rivalries have been high throughout the history of the Texas legislature.
B) Historically, partisanship has been rather low, but in recent years the legislature has moved into a more partisan era.
C) The legislature was divided by partisan bickering before the 1980s, but the conflict has decreased steadily since then.
D) The Texas Constitution was amended in 1986 to forbid partisanship from interfering with the legislative process.

Question 44

What is the importance of the Supreme Court case Reynolds v.Sims and Baker v.Carr?

A) It declared the Voting Rights Act of 1965 constitutional.
B) It declared poll taxes unconstitutional.
C) It declared the constitutional principle of "one person, one vote."
D) It declared that preclearance was an unconstitutional abridgement of state power.

Question 45

The Texas Constitution permits the election to the Texas legislature of persons who are not U.S.citizens but who have been legal residents of Texas for at least 10 years.

Question 46

What unconventional action did the Texas legislature take in 2003?

A) It redistricted a second time in a single decade.
B) It extended its regular session by two months.
C) It operated without electing a House Speaker.
D) It did not overturn a single gubernatorial veto.

Question 47

Revenue bills must begin in the House of Representatives.

Question 48

Anyone can write a bill,but only members of the legislature can introduce a bill.

Question 49

Bicameralism creates an interesting dynamic in a legislature because it means that before a law is passed,it will be voted on by two deliberative bodies representing different constituencies.

Question 50

Conference committees are designed to make Texas House and Senate bills identical to each other.

Question 51

The Texas legislature meets in regular session once every two years.

Question 52

Who has responsibility for redistricting the Texas delegation to the U.S.Congress?

A) the Texas legislature
B) the governor
C) the governor, along with the Texas Senate
D) the U.S. Congress

Question 53

Legislative districts in the Texas House and Senate are

A) based on proportional representation.
B) single-member districts.
C) multiple-member districts.
D) redistricted every four years.

Question 54

For a bill to be passed into law by the Texas legislature,only one house must pass the bill by
50 plus one.

Question 55

The Legislative Redistricting Board has the authority to draw new districts if

A) appointed to do so by the governor after a special redistricting session.
B) the legislature fails to redistrict at the first regular session after the census.
C) ordered to do so by the state supreme court or a federal district court.
D) a majority in both the House and the Senate vote to allow it.

Question 56

Resolutions of honor or recognition are acted on without debate.

Question 57

Special sessions last 30 days and there is a limit to the number of special sessions a governor can call.

Question 58

Which of the following political leaders in Texas are two of the most powerful figures in the state?

A) the governor and the lieutenant governor
B) the governor and the comptroller of public accounts
C) the comptroller of public accounts and the lieutenant governor
D) the lieutenant governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives

Question 59

The Texas House of Representatives is responsible for both impeaching government officials and holding the trials after impeachment.

Question 60

Like the state of Nebraska,Texas has a bicameral legislature.

Question 61

Does the increase in partisanship put the minority party at a bigger disadvantage when it comes to influencing legislation? Do the Texas legislature's presiding officers have too much power?

Question 62

Similar to the U.S.president,the governor has the power of the pocket veto.

Question 63

Describe the structure and organization of the Texas legislature.Consider the following questions: What are some of the effects of bicameralism? What are committees,and what are their roles? When is the Texas legislature in regular session?

Question 64

The governor of Texas has the authority to exercise a line-item veto.

Question 65

Media can determine issues of importance by the selection of stories they cover.

Question 66

In Texas,both the lieutenant governor and the Speaker of the House are elected in statewide elections.

Question 67

Contrast the leadership and committee structure of the Texas House with that of the Texas Senate.

Question 68

The lieutenant governor is also a member of the Texas House of Representatives.

Question 69

The Texas Constitution forbids the legislature to borrow money to conduct the daily operations of government.

Question 70

Describe how a bill becomes a state law.Consider the following questions: Who writes bills? What are the rules for debate on the floor? What are some of the powers of the governor throughout this process?

Question 71

Members of the Texas House of Representatives are permitted to speak on the House floor for as long as they wish.

Question 72

In the Senate,the Speaker controls legislative debate by selecting who speaks and how long the debate will last.