Assignment Answers

Bicameral legislature

A legislature that is divided into two houses.

Legislative immunity

Members of the legislature will not be arrested for what is said during debates.

Citizen legislature

A type of legislature that attempts to limit the role of a state representative to a part-time role.

Professional legislature

A type of legislature where legislators have a full-time workload that limits outside employment.

Turnover

The term used to describe when incumbents leave office from an election defeat, retirement, or term limits.

Gerrymandering

Politicians redrawing a district in an odd shape to try to better their odds in an election.

Standing committees

The most important committees in the Texas Legislature.

Joint resolution

A type of resolution that proposes amendments to the Texas Constitution.

Incumbent advantage

The advantage ensured to incumbents in the post-2020 redistricting of Texas legislative districts.

Killer amendment

Adding wording to a bill that will make the bill less likely to pass a vote.

Unlimited Debate

A long-standing tradition in the U.S. Senate and state senates allowing for extended discussions to potentially block or kill a bill.

Equal Protection Clause

Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution establishing the principle of "one person, one vote."

Gerrymandering

Redrawing a district in an irregular shape to benefit a political party.

Citizen Legislature

A type of state legislature where members are not professional politicians.

Plural Executive

System where administrative powers are shared among officials independent of the governor.

Madisonian Model

A government system designed to prevent the concentration of power by dividing it among different branches.

Weak Executive, Strong Legislature

Institutional design concept historically followed in Texas, emphasizing a less powerful governor and a more influential legislature.

Agenda Setting

The power of the Texas governor to influence which policies the legislature will address.

Diffused Political Power

Preference in Texas for spreading political power among institutions rather than concentrating it in one office or branch.

Crisis Manager

Role of the governor in coordinating resources and making policy decisions during emergencies.

Line-item veto

The power of the governor to reject specific lines in an appropriations bill while approving the rest.

Line-item veto

Only applicable to appropriations bills within the budget process.

Political ambition ladder

The process where a political figure gains contacts and allies as they move up through different offices.