Deck 6: The Texas Legislature

Question 1

Which article of the Texas Constitution deals with the legislature?

A) Article 1
B) Article 3
C) Article 5
D) Article 7

Answer 1

B

Question 2

About what percent of Texas legislative seats are held by women?

A) 27%
B) 35%
C) 42%
D) 50%

Answer 2

A

Question 3

State legislatures experience membership turnover of about what percent in each electoral cycle?

A) 80%
B) 60%
C) 40%
D) 20%

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Who is the presiding officer of the Texas Senate?

A) Dan Patrick
B) Tom Craddick
C) George Christian
D) Todd Staples

Question 5

The power committees of the Texas House include all but which of these?

A) Appropriations
B) Border and International Affairs
C) Calendars
D) Ways and Means

Question 6

All but which of the following is a key stage in the committee consideration process?

A) public hearings
B) mark-up
C) redaction
D) committee vote

Question 7

The Texas Senate requires the agreement of how many members to bring a bill to the floor?

A) 12
B) 15
C) 18
D) 21

Question 8

A member urging a no vote in the Texas House would hold up how many fingers?

A) one
B) two
C) three
D) five

Question 9

Texas governors usually veto about what percent of bills passed by the legislature?

A) 20%
B) 10%
C) 5%
D) 1%

Question 10

How many of the ten largest states pay their legislators less than Texas?

A) none
B) 2
C) 3
D) 5

Question 11

Each member of the Texas House represents approximately how many people?

A) 50,000
B) 75,000
C) 109,000
D) 193,000

Question 12

Anglos hold about what percentage of the Texas legislative seats?

A) 40%
B) 50%
C) 65%
D) 85%

Question 13

The Texas legislature meets for how many days in each regular session?

A) 100 days
B) 140 days
C) 180 days
D) 240 days

Question 14

Who was the most recent female governor in Texas history?

A) Molly Ivins
B) Sissy Farenthold
C) Miriam Ferguson
D) Ann Richards

Question 15

Who is the longest serving member of the Texas House?

A) Joe Straus
B) Tom Craddick
C) George Christian
D) Todd Staples

Question 16

Scholars divide state legislatures into various types. Which type includes Texas?

A) professional legislature
B) amateur legislature
C) hybrid legislature
D) partial legislature

Question 17

Which of the following is not a former speaker of the Texas House?

A) Billy Clayton
B) Gib Lewis
C) Pete Laney
D) Billy Sol Estes

Question 18

The Lt. Gov. is the presiding officer of the Texas Senate. Who is he?

A) Pete Laney
B) Bill Ratliff
C) Dan Patrick
D) Greg Abbott

Question 19

About what percentage of the bills introduced into the Texas legislature eventually pass?

A) 50%
B) 40%
C) 35%
D) 25%

Question 20

Instead of a formal calendar like the Texas House uses, the Texas Senate uses a process called

A) unanimous consent
B) first-past-the-post
C) king-of-the-mountain
D) suspension of the rules

Question 21

How much time does a bill's manager get to open and close debate on a bill on the House floor?

A) 20 minutes
B) 30 minutes
C) One hour
D) Two hours

Question 22

About what percent of the bills passed in the Texas legislature go through the conference committee process?

A) 50%
B) 40%
C) 25%
D) 10%

Question 23

Special sessions of the Texas legislature are constitutionally mandated to last no more than how many days?

A) 140
B) 60
C) 30
D) 10

Question 24

Members of Congress are paid about $174,000 a year. Members of the Texas legislature are paid $7,200 a year plus some expenses. Why the difference and what are the pros and cons of such a low salary for Texas legislators?

Question 25

Only three states besides Texas, the small states of Montana, North Dakota, and Nevada, continue to have biennial sessions. Evaluate the pros and cons of a large, complex state like Texas employing biennial sessions.

Question 26

What are the principal limits on the political power of the presiding officers of the Texas House and Senate?

Question 27

In a separation of powers system, why would the legislative branch be considered superior to the executive and judicial branches?

Question 28

In what ways do professional legislatures like those in California and New York differ from the Texas legislature?

Question 29

What is the role of the Sunset Advisory Committee in the Texas legislature?

Question 30

Describe the leadership and responsibilities of the Legislative Budget Board.

Question 31

Describe the role of calendars in the legislative process.

Question 32

Members of the Texas Senate are elected to a six-year term.

Question 33

About 30 percent of Texas legislators hold a law degree.

Question 34

Special sessions of the Texas legislature are constitutionally limited to 60 days.

Question 35

Greg Abbott is a former three-term Texas attorney general.

Question 36

The most important committees in the Texas legislature are the standing committees.

Question 37

______is the idea that all legitimate governmental authority comes from the people.

Question 38

Texas is one ______of only states that holds biennial legislative sessions.

Question 39

Bill Hobby was Texas ______ from 1972 to 1990.

Question 40

Specially appointed committees that work between legislative sessions are called ______ .

Question 41

The legislator who introduces a bill into the House or Senate is called the bill's______

Question 42

A list of bills awaiting consideration on the floor is called a legislative______