UT Austin Texas Government Credit Exam Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes for the UT Austin Texas Government Credit Exam.

The Texas Legislative Branch is the least weak of the three branches

True

How many senators are in the Texas Senate?

31

How many representatives are in the Texas House of Rep.?

150

Connecticut Compromise

Proposed two chambers for the legislative branch: one with the number of representatives based on state population and the other with a fixed number of senators per state.

How often does the Texas Legislature hold its regular session?

For 140 days every other year.

What happens to a bill at the end of the regular sessions if it hasn't been passed or denied?

It dies

Special Sessions

Legislative sessions that the governor can call for after the regular session is over. The governor dictates the content of the session and can call as many as he or she wants.

Texas legislatures are elected in single-member districts and districts are redrawn every 10 years

True

Lieutenant Governor

The President of the Senate by the Texas Constitution. They are elected via a statewide election.

The Texas House has always had single-member districts

False, up until a Supreme Court decision in 1972, House reps where elected in multi-member districts

How long are the terms of office for Texas House of Representative positions?

The house have elections every two years where all seats are up for grabs

How long are the terms of office for Texas Senate positions?

The senate has elections every two years where only half the members are up for re-election. Each term is four years long.

What are the requirements to run for the Texas House of Reps?

• must be at least 21 - legal resident of the state for the past two years - resident of their district for at least one year - US citizen

What are the requirements to run for the Texas Senate?

• must be at least 26 - legal resident of the state for the past 5 years - resident of their district for at least one year - US citizen

Private Interest Group

Groups that seek to influence public policy for the specific and often exclusive benefit of their members or people with similar interests

Public interest group

Groups that seek influence public policy for the benefit of the general population

In-house lobbyist

Employed directly by the interest groups themselves

Contract Lobbyist

Independent professionals who are hired to represent an interest group for a fixed period of time. Often represent multiple interest groups at the same time

Public advocacy firm lobbyist

Hybrid of the other two types. work for law firms or public advocacy firms that businesses and interest groups can hire.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An entity other than a political party that raises and sends money to elect or defeat candidates. They are regulated under both federal and state law.

Interest Group scorecards

Interest groups create a ranking system of how well candidates align with there interests

Bracket bills

Legislation or proposed legislation intended to benefit a relatively narrow class of beneficiaries without directly naming them.

Legislative resolution

A formal statement of opinion or a specific decision. can be issue by either chamber

Joint resolution

The mechanism used to propose amendments to the Texas Constitution. passed by both chambers of the legislature

Types of resolutions

simple, joint, concurrent (a formal statement of opinion but does not carry the force of law)

Legislature Administrative Power

Ratify gubernatorial appointments, Create, abolish and redefine state agencies, Require report and special reporting from state agencies, Approve state agency budgets

How are gubernatorial appointments ratified?

The appointments made by the governor must have two-thirds approval vote in the senate

Three types of bills that can be introduced in the legislature

general, special and local

Who impeaches and who tries the case?

The house impeaches and the senate tries the case

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of political boundaries and/or electoral constituencies to favor one party over another

Senatorial Standing Committees

Deal with public policy; chair and members are appointed by the lieutenant governor

Senatorial Special Committees

Essentially subcommittees of permanent committees, created to study important issues

House Substantive Committees

Similar to senatorial Standing Committees; deal with issues of public policy

House Procedural Committees

Dedicated to regulating the functioning and operations of the house itself

Calendar Committee

Decides when bills are heard on the floor

Conference Committee

Include members of both chambers and are formed to resolve differences in bills that passed by each house that deal with same issue. Consists of five members from both chambers.

Interim committee

Formed to consider bills when the legislature is not in session - can be formed to study a particular issue that arose at the end of the previous session

Ad hoc committees

Used to study specific issues, problems or questions

Line-item veto

The governor may veto certain items in an appropriations bill.

The legislature can override the governor's veto with a 2/3 vote in both chambers

True

What committees in the House and Senate deal with taxes and appropriations?

House: Ways and Means Committee, Appropriations Committee; Senate: Finance Committee, Business and Commerce Committee

State Affairs Committee

Prestigious committee that deals with operation of the state government

How long is the waiting period that members must wait before acting on legislation?

60 days

Lieutenant Governor Responsibilities

• four year terms - appoints members to committees - assigns bills to committees - the tie breaker - chair the legislative budget board and Legislative council - vice-chair of Leg. Audit committee and Education board - member of the LRB

Attorney General Responsibilities

• opinions on public policy has the force of law - "the state's lawyer" - generally doesn't work on criminal cases; mainly advises when asked

Comptroller of Public Accounts Responsibilities

• in charge of tax collection, accounting, estimating revenue for the state, and acts as custodian of state funds and investments

Texas Secretary of State Responsibilities

• in charge of voter registration - keeping records of all debt and Uniform Commercial Code filings - appointed by the governor and approved by the senate

Public Utilities Commission

• oversees rates and enforces rules and laws related to electricity and telecommunications