Deck 7: The Legislature

Question 1

A legislative body with two chambers or houses is known as a

A) unicameral legislature.
B) bicameral legislature.
C) unimodal legislature.
D) bimodal legislature.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A law where the bill potentially affects all Texans is a

A) general law.
B) local law.
C) special law.
D) resolution.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A law that only affect units of government at the local level is a

A) general law.
B) local law.
C) special law.
D) resolution.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A law that exempts businesses or individuals from state laws is a

A) general law.
B) local law.
C) special law.
D) resolution.

Question 5

Legislation that conveys the will of the chamber is a

A) general law.
B) local law.
C) special law.
D) resolution.

Question 6

The primary role of the legislature is to

A) create and pass legislation.
B) confirm judges.
C) hold special sessions.
D) promote ideological consensus.

Question 7

Suppose the legislature would like to act on a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It would use a

A) joint resolution.
B) concurrent resolution.
C) simple resolution.
D) revenue bill.

Question 8

The house and the senate pass separate resolutions at the same time concerning legislative adjournment. This is an example of a

A) joint resolution.
B) concurrent resolution.
C) simple resolution.
D) revenue bill.

Question 9

Resolutions that are passed by a single chamber and are used for adopting or changing rules of procedure or expressing congratulations are called

A) joint resolutions.
B) concurrent resolutions.
C) simple resolutions.
D) revenue bills.

Question 10

The house of representatives has _______ compared to the senate.

A) more members
B) fewer members
C) more authority over gubernatorial appointments
D) more days in session

Question 11

The senate has _______ compared to the house of the representatives.

A) more members
B) fewer days in session
C) more power over revenue bills
D) more authority over gubernatorial appointments

Question 12

What is the length of term for a Texas House member?

A) One year
B) Two years
C) Three years
D) Four years

Question 13

Which body is granted the "power of the purse" (funding policies)?

A) The Texas House
B) The Texas Senate
C) The lieutenant governor's office
D) The Texas legislature (both chambers)

Question 14

Which body is supposed to serve as the vehicle for protecting minority interests against the tyranny of the majority?

A) The Texas House
B) The Texas Senate
C) The lieutenant governor's office
D) The Texas legislature (both chambers)

Question 15

Which body has responsibilities that require more deliberation, such as confirming or rejecting all of the governor's appointments to state boards and commissions?

A) The Texas House
B) The Texas Senate
C) The lieutenant governor's office
D) The Texas legislature (both chambers)

Question 16

Which chamber is responsible for approving gubernatorial appointees?

A) The house of representatives
B) The senate
C) Both the house and the senate
D) The County Judge's Council

Question 17

A legislator tells her constituents that she did a lot of work to get state funds to expand the local university. This is an example of

A) casework.
B) position taking.
C) bragging.
D) credit claiming.

Question 18

When legislators and their staff assist constituents in their districts with specific requests, they are

A) Doing casework
B) Position taking
C) Credit claiming
D) All of the above

Question 19

A legislator tells her constituents that she opposes the governor's mask mandate. This legislator is engaging in

A) casework.
B) position taking.
C) credit claiming.
D) grandstanding.

Question 20

A legislator who votes in accordance with their interpretation of what his or her district would want is following the _______ model of representation.

A) Trustee
B) Delegate
C) Credit-claiming
D) All of the above

Question 21

A legislator who is simply a mouthpiece for the wishes of his or her constituency is following the _______ model of representation.

A) Trustee
B) Delegate
C) Credit-claiming
D) All of the above

Question 22

The legislative session meeting for 140 days in January of odd-numbered years is referred to as a

A) typical session.
B) regular session.
C) spring session.
D) special session.

Question 23

Legislative sessions that can be called by the governor on any issue the governor decides requires attention are referred to as

A) typical sessions.
B) regular sessions.
C) spring sessions.
D) special sessions.

Question 24

What type of legislature is Texas classified as?

A) "Weak"
B) "Strong"
C) "Partisan"
D) "Nonpartisan"

Question 25

The legislature holds a regular session

A) once every other year.
B) every year.
C) every spring and fall.
D) only when a new governor takes office.

Question 26

Sine die indicates the

A) beginning of a legislative session.
B) end of a legislative session.
C) end of debate on a bill.
D) end of the legislative day.

Question 27

Which is true of Texas legislators?

A) They are not permitted to hold any other job.
B) They are required to live in Austin.
C) They earn only a part-time salary.
D) The majority of them do not have college degrees.

Question 28

Which entity writes the first draft of the budget?

A) The Legislative Budget Board
B) The Senate Finance Committee
C) The House and Senate Leadership Council
D) The lieutenant governor

Question 29

Who co-chairs the Legislative Budget Board (LBB)?

A) The president and vice president
B) The governor and lieutenant governor
C) The speaker of the house and lieutenant governor
D) The speaker of the house and governor

Question 30

When incumbents lose their seats or leave their seats, and new members (freshmen) are voted into office, it is referred to as

A) freshman classing.
B) turnover.
C) adding newbies.
D) a flipped house.

Question 31

An individual who currently holds public office is a(n)

A) wingman.
B) challenger.
C) Texas core man.
D) incumbent.

Question 32

A collective understanding of the way an organization works held by those who run it is known as

A) institutional memory.
B) collective organization.
C) turnover analysis.
D) organizational support.

Question 33

Generally speaking, incumbents tend to

A) win reelection.
B) lose reelection.
C) have little institutional memory.
D) be unknown to voters.

Question 34

One of the speaker's major powers in the Texas House is the ability to call on or ignore a representative who would like to speak. This power is called

A) procedural autonomy.
B) recognition.
C) incumbency.
D) the power of the gavel.

Question 35

A small group of legislators is tasked with exploring an issue and crafting bills before the full house or senate consider them. This is a(n)

A) committee.
B) legislative council.
C) body.
D) assessment team.

Question 36

Permanent committees that deal with a specific issue or topic are known as

A) standing committees.
B) select committees.
C) joint committees.
D) temporary committees.

Question 37

A committee that is temporary and has a fixed issue to investigate or legislation to consider is known as a

A) standing committee.
B) select committee.
C) joint committee.
D) temporary committee.

Question 38

Suppose the house and the senate pass bills that are not identical. How do the two chambers resolve their differences?

A) The governor picks which one he likes best.
B) The bills are sent to a conference committee.
C) The house version takes priority.
D) The senate version takes priority.

Question 39

The legislature passes a bill the governor does not like. (S)he may _______ the bill to stop it from becoming law.

A) ignore
B) impeach
C) repudiate
D) veto

Question 40

Before a bill can be referred to committee, it must first receive

A) a request from a committee.
B) a majority vote.
C) a first reading.
D) gubernatorial approval.

Question 41

After the first 60 days of the legislative session, only _______ bills can be considered.

A) statewide
B) general
C) special
D) local

Question 42

All the bills start out in a

A) committee.
B) joint review.
C) floor vote.
D) markup review.

Question 43

In order for a bill to go to the governor's desk

A) it must pass the house chamber.
B) both chambers have to agree on legislation.
C) it must pass the senate chamber.
D) it must clear all committee hearings.

Question 44

Opponents of a bill stall for time on noncontroversial bills in order to limit the time that can be dedicated to a more controversial bill. This is an example of

A) party of five.
B) taking a walk.
C) point of order.
D) stuffing the box.

Question 45

Since 2010, the legislature has become

A) full-time.
B) majority-minority.
C) less politically polarized.
D) more politically polarized.

Question 46

A senator who holds the floor in order to delay legislation is engaging in a

A) procedural vote.
B) filibuster.
C) point of order.
D) discharge petition.

Question 47

A legislator in either chamber can _______ a bill to put it on hold for 24 hours as a delay tactic.

A) filibuster
B) declare
C) flag
D) tag

Question 48

Many members of the legislature are

A) non-Christians.
B) graduates of the University of Texas at Austin.
C) racial minorities.
D) under 30 years old.

Question 49

What impact does diversity in a legislative body have on outcomes?

A) Outcomes are biased against nonminorities.
B) Outcomes are attentive to the needs of minority populations.
C) Outcomes are the same as if there were no diversity.
D) Decisions tend to take much longer.

Question 50

What is a bicameral legislature?

Question 51

What are the three different types of laws that legislators can pass?

Question 52

Describe the Texas House of Representatives.

Question 53

Describe the Texas Senate.

Question 54

What is a "regular session" of the Texas legislature?

Question 55

What is a "special session" of the Texas legislature?

Question 56

How much is a state legislator's annual salary?

Question 57

Explain "institutional memory."

Question 58

Explain the incumbent advantage.

Question 59

Explain the role of the Texas legislature, including the types of laws and resolutions that they have the authority to pass.

Question 60

Describe the differences between the Texas House and the Texas Senate.

Question 61

Explain the ways that legislators can choose to represent their districts. Which of these do you feel like is the best mode of representation?

Question 62

How does Texas compare to other state legislatures?

Question 63

What is institutional memory and why is it important?