Texas Legislature Review Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing the Texas Legislature.

Bicameralism Effect

Permits more opportunities to kill or significantly modify a bill in the Texas legislature.

Local and Consent Calendar Function

Reserved for uncontroversial bills that are not expected to have major opposition.

Texas Legislature Meeting Length

The regular legislative session lasts 140 days every two years.

Texas Governor's Legislative Power Exclusion

Removing, for suitable cause, the Speaker or lieutenant governor is NOT a legislative power of the Texas governor.

Special Session Agenda Setter

The governor sets the agenda for special sessions in the Texas legislature.

Lieutenant Governor Power Exclusion

The ability to call the Texas Senate into special session is NOT a duty nor a power of the lieutenant governor in Texas.

Special Bill Definition

If the legislature grants a particular corporation an exception from a state law, it is called a special bill.

Bill vs Resolution

Unlike a bill, a resolution, if passed, lacks the force of a public law.

Incorrect Statement About Texas Legislature

Only the senate has the constitutional authority to launch investigations into problems concerning the state is incorrect.

Simple Resolution

They do not require the signature of the governor.

Constituency service exclusion

Providing legal services in court.

Non-legislative power exclusion

The power to overturn state supreme court decisions with a two-thirds majority

Bill Writer

Anyone at all can write a bill.

Bills Dealing with State Revenue

Start in the House of Representatives.

Bill to standing committee referral

The Speaker of the House and lieutenant governor.

Pigeonholing a bill

The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee.

Conference committee purpose

It is a committee designed to make differing House and senate versions of the same bill identical.

Post-adjournment veto

It cannot be overturned by the legislature.

Line-item veto definition

When the governor strikes out specific spending provisions in large appropriations bills

State of the State address power

message

Comptroller of public accounts importance

The comptroller informs the legislature how much money it has to spend on the budget.

Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives

The Speaker is elected by members of the House.

Texas legislature partisanship

Historically, partisanship has been rather low, but in recent years the legislature has moved into a more partisan era.

Allowing to speak in floor debates

The Speaker of the House

Legislative districts

Single-member districts.

Redistricting the Texas delegation to the U.S. Congress

the Texas legislature

Reynolds v. Sims importance

It declared the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote.”

The Legislative Redistricting Board authority

the legislature fails to redistrict in the first regular session.

Unconventional action

It redistricted a second time in a single decade.