Deck 6: State Legislatures

Question 1

State legislative terms for senators are

A)six years, as in the U.S.Senate.
B)four years in all but one state.
C)six years in most states, but four years in some.
D)four years for most states, but two years in about one-quarter of the states.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A legislator who relies on her or his own judgment and conscience rather than following the "will of the district" that she or he represents is called a(n)

A)instructed delegate.
B)trustee.
C)politico.
D)journeyman.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Gerrymandering is

A)the science of drawing voting district lines to meet the demands of the court ruling in Baker v.Carr (1962).
B)a salamander that was humorously elected to the Massachusetts state legislature in 1812.
C)a new term created by Chief Justice Earl Warren in Reynolds v.Sims (1964).
D)the practice of drawing voting district lines creatively to serve partisan purposes.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Of the 7,382 state legislators in this country, about _______ of them are women.

A)two-thirds
B)one-quarter
C)half
D)three-quarters

Question 5

As of 2010, the highest salary (excluding per diem)for state legislators was

A)$95,290 in California.
B)$98,500 in New Jersey.
C)$100,315 in Florida.
D)$105,000 in New York.

Question 6

Legislative bodies have both formal and informal leaders who exist to

A)make the legislature run smoothly and accomplish its work.
B)block the legislative initiatives of the bureaucracy.
C)write all new legislation.
D)perform only the housekeeping tasks of the legislatures, leaving substantive matters to the committee chairs.

Question 7

A legislator is engaging in what type of constituency service when he or she provides legislative assistance on behalf of a constituent, usually with the bureaucracy?

A)oversight
B)casework
C)representation
D)arbitration

Question 8

The real work of state legislatures in policymaking usually takes place in

A)the home districts of the legislators.
B)party caucuses.
C)the full chamber of the legislature.
D)committees.

Question 9

Most state legislatures meet annually, but ______ state legislatures meet only once every two years.

A)ten
B)two
C)five
D)twelve

Question 10

Modernization of state legislatures led to changes in the compensation of legislators, and

A)the rate is now established in the state constitutions.
B)federal courts now set standards mandating comparable pay for comparable work.
C)the rate may be set by the state constitution, by legislators themselves, or by the work of advisory committees.
D)the rate is now established by governors in most states.

Question 11

The result of Baker v.Carr (1962)and Reynolds v.Sims (1964)was the idea

A)that legislatures were to be more responsive to state problems and therefore to meet for a minimum of four months a year.
B)of placing controls on lobbyists who otherwise disrupted the business of the legislatures.
C)of "one person, one vote," which led to the redistricting of legislative seats based on equity.
D)of "one person, one vote," which prevented redistricting for political purposes.

Question 12

Committee action on pending legislation is

A)crucial, because the committee schedules the bill to be heard by the full chamber.
B)not crucial, because failure in one house may be overridden by favorable action in the second chamber.
C)crucial, because it must be favorably reported out of committee to have a chance of passage by the full chamber.
D)not crucial, because the speaker may overrule the committee in all states.

Question 13

In Vieth v.Jubelirer (2004)the U.S.Supreme Court ruled that

A)states must include minority districts to ensure minority representation.
B)race cannot be considered in drawing districts maps.
C)reliance on partisan considerations is an appropriate redistricting option.
D)North Carolina had failed to include enough minority districts to pass court scrutiny.

Question 14

Which is the only state to have a unicameral legislature?

A)Nebraska
B)Oklahoma
C)Rhode Island
D)Utah

Question 15

Skewed allocation of legislative districts that violate the "one person, one vote" ideal is referred to as

A)gerrymandering.
B)malapportionment.
C)segmentation.
D)reapportionment.

Question 16

Most state legislatures are made up largely of

A)small business owners.
B)teachers and professional educators.
C)professional, full-time legislators.
D)lawyers.

Question 17

Redistricting takes place

A)every four years after presidential elections.
B)every twenty years and is based purely on political considerations.
C)every seven years unless the state constitution provides otherwise.
D)every ten years and must be based on the U.S.Census.

Question 18

Legislatures engage in three principal functions, namely

A)policymaking, auditing, and control of regulatory activities.
B)representation, constituent service, and policymaking.
C)enacting laws, allocating funds, and oversight.
D)policymaking, oversight, and representation.

Question 19

The state that technically does not pay its legislators a salary (only a per diem allowance for expenses)is

A)New Hampshire.
B)Idaho.
C)Nebraska.
D)New Mexico.

Question 20

The drawing of legislative districts is accomplished by a process that

A)is guided solely by the numbers of voters.
B)is very political but pays close attention to equal numbers of inhabitants.
C)is totally political in all states and pays little attention to equal numbers of inhabitants and minority voting strength.
D)is rapidly becoming a scientific endeavor accomplished by technicians in twenty-nine states.

Question 21

Legislatures engage in three principal functions: policymaking, representation, and oversight.

Question 22

A legislator who functions as a conduit for constituency opinion is acting as a

A)delegate.
B)trustee.
C)politico.
D)Caseworker.

Question 23

Which of the following is not an argument against term limits as cited in your text?

A)Term limits rob voters of their fundament right to choose their representatives.
B)Term limits unfairly disqualify legislators from seeking office.
C)Term limits are unnecessary because sufficient legislative turnover occurs without them.
D)Term limits will decrease the proportion of first-term legislators.

Question 24

The acronym FAIIR indicates characteristics

A)such as accountability and independence that the Citizens' Conference on State Legislatures considers critical to the improvement of state legislatures.
B)ranging from "freedom from influence" by narrow interest groups to the "risk taking" needed to solve the states' problems.
C)considered by the Governors' Conference on State Legislatures to be critical to legislatures' improvement.
D)ranging from "informed by an effective staff" to "integrated with the governor's office."

Question 25

When the legislature conducts reviews of administrative rules and regulations,

A)it selects auditors to keep an eye on state agencies and departments.
B)it strives to keep agency rules in line with legislative preferences.
C)it sets automatic expiration dates for specified agencies.
D)it measures goal achievement and other indicators of progress.

Question 26

There are more than 7,000 state legislators in the country.

Question 27

African Americans make up about 20 percent of the membership of state legislatures.

Question 28

According to your text, what is the "backbone" of the legislative process?

A)competition
B)compromise
C)formal structure and rules
D)precedence

Question 29

All state legislatures are bicameral except that of Iowa, which uses a unicameral arrangement.

Question 30

New Hampshire pays its legislators only $200 per year and also has the largest House of Representatives among the states, with 400 members.

Question 31

State legislatures are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse.

Question 32

The legislative veto

A)is a powerful oversight power but has been threatened by court rulings in many states because it violates the separation-of-powers doctrine.
B)is the legislature's only influence over agency implementation of a policy.
C)is rapidly gaining popularity in all of the states.
D)is a powerful oversight power by which legislatures control budgetary allocations to state agencies.

Question 33

Legislative oversight involves

A)policy and program evaluation, review of administrative rules and regulations, use of sunset legislation, and control of federal funds received by the state.
B)only one real measure, the use of the legislative veto.
C)policy and program evaluation, review of administrative rules and regulations, use of the gubernatorial veto, and control of state funds.
D)only one real measure, the exercise of power over agency budgets during the budget process.

Question 34

In some states, the failure of the governor to sign a bill before the legislature adjourns results in a pocket veto, but in most states,

A)the bill would be returned to the legislature at the beginning of the next session for an override vote.
B)the governor has no choice and must either sign or veto it.
C)the bill would die and have to begin anew in the next legislative session.
D)the bill would automatically become law without a signature.

Question 35

It is difficult for a bill to make it through the legislative process; however, your text notes that all of the following will increase a bill's chances of passage except

A)if the bill has a large number of cosponsors.
B)if the bill is assigned to a favorable committee.
C)if the bill has strong support from key interest groups.
D)if the bill is part of the majority party's platform.

Question 36

In 1990, states began instituting term limits after voters in _______ overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure limiting the tenure of state legislators and statewide officers.

A)Oregon
B)California
C)Oklahoma
D)Colorado

Question 37

The average size of a state house of representatives is about one hundred members, whereas the average size of a state senate is forty members.

Question 38

In any struggle with the legislature, the governor has

A)a disadvantage, in that the legislators have a greater ability to get electronic media attention.
B)a disadvantage, carrying the image of a deal-making, pork barrel politician.
C)only the veto as a weapon.
D)an advantage in getting media attention and in being a visible symbol of the state government.

Question 39

Divided government in a state

A)creates few problems, because the governor and the legislative leaders are from the same party.
B)rarely creates problems, because the governor and the legislative leaders agree on the need for harmony in most states.
C)creates problems, but the legislature usually wins the battles.
D)almost always ensures tensions and blame shifting between the governor and the legislative leaders.

Question 40

Sunset legislation

A)exists only in western states and in Florida.
B)exists in only a few states and overturns a state agency's rules or regulations.
C)exists in all fifty states and sets automatic expiration dates for specified agencies.
D)exists in half the states and sets automatic expiration dates for specified agencies unless favorable reviews extend their lives.

Question 41

The term divided government means that one party is in control of the governor's office and another party is in control of the legislature.

Question 42

Discuss the pros and cons of term limits.Are term limits a good idea?

Question 43

Attorneys remain the single largest occupational category for state legislators.

Question 44

During the 1970s, fundamental reforms occurred throughout the country as state legislatures sought to increase their capacity and become more professional.

Question 45

The institution of term limits has produced a greater representation of women and minorities in the legislature.

Question 46

Gerrymandering is the process of creatively designing a legislative district to enhance the electoral fortunes of the party in power.

Question 47

Sunset laws set automatic expiration dates for specified agencies and other organizations.

Question 48

The text includes a position held by Richard Nathan, who argues that the key to increased productivity of state government is empowerment of the governor.Therefore, the legislature must be contained.Nathan advocates term limits, unicameral legislative bodies, rotation of committee memberships, and reduction of legislative staff and sessions as a means of reining in the legislature vis-à-vis the governor.If adopted, Nathan's recommendations would undo many years of legislative reform, and the governor's political power would be significantly strengthened.What do you think about Nathan's idea? Would this be good for democracy? What would the role of state legislatures be if Nathan's ideas were adopted?

Question 49

Most bills introduced in state legislatures ultimately become laws.

Question 50

Each legislative chamber in the state has only two formal leadership positions.

Question 51

Limiting legislative terms has captured the fancy of a public angry with entrenched politicians.

Question 52

The U.S.Supreme Court has ruled that race cannot be the sole criterion when drawing legislative district lines.

Question 53

California and Colorado were the first states to implement term limits.

Question 54

Describe the typical process by which a bill becomes a law and the roles played by party leaders in this process.

Question 55

Committees do most of the work in state legislatures.

Question 56

The U.S.Supreme Court decisions in Baker v.Carr and Reynolds v.Sims mandated reapportionment.

Question 57

Ideally, legislatures should be functional, accountable, informed, independent, and representative (the acronym is FAIIR).

Question 58

Compromises, which are sometimes principled but more often political, are the backbone of the legislative process.