POSI EXAM 4

what kind of legislature does texas have

bicameral

when are senate members elected

half of them are elected every 2 years

what cases does the supreme court hear

last resort for civil cases and ones involving juviniles

what does sine die mean

adjourning at the end of a regular session

who can call a special sessions

only the govenor

how many special sessions can be called and how long can they last

unlimited amount of sessions, 30 days per session

what are some informal requirements for running for HOR/Senate

Income, education, race, gender, and political knowledge

why do most officials retire after they meet the minimum requirements

they get $25K in benifits aswell as their regular $7k pay a year

canidates who had bad press due to scandals

clayton williams and bush

what races are negleted in media if they occur at the same time as national elections

state and local elections are neglected because _

who helps local canidates with limited campaign expierence

campaign firms or consultants

electoral cycle of texas

off years

who decides ballot formats

counties, but state can reject them

party collum format

canidates are listed by party and office. party that holds goveners office is placed first

office block format

lists the office then canidates by party. most used on computers

how can independants end up on the ballot

with signed petitions, 1% of the previous voter turnout, for county and local you need 5% of the presoiv turnout

whats hard about getting signatures to run as an independent

the person signing has to be a registered voter, and they cant participate or have particpated in a parties primary

how many votes does a minor party need to be on the ballot

5-19% of votes in the previous election

how many votes does a major party need to be on the ballot

at least 20% of votes in the previous election

closed primary

only registered members of a party can vote in the primary

semi closed primary

open to all voters but voters must declare party affiliation as they vote

open primary

open to all voters regardless of affiliation

semi open primary

voters can choose which primary they want to vote in, when they vote they are declared that party

blanket primary

voters can switch parties between offices, is called uncostitutional

when do special elections occur

janurary, may, august, november

what was the federal voting rights act

it made changes in election procedures be cleared by the justice department first

what is absentee voting

it allows someone to vote early if theyre out of town on the day of election

crossover voting

voters leave their party and vote in the others primary

how do canidates get widespread media attention and spread their messege to people

political rallies

what are late train contributions

canidates loaning themselves money that they can repay later, there is limits on how much you can lend yourself

sore loser law

canidates who were defeated in primaries cannot file as independents

how are minor party canidates chosen

party caucus

kinds of special elections

amendments to constitution, selection of city council or mayors, to fill a vacancy in a role

what happened in texas when section 4 of the voting rights act was abolished

texas put in voter id laws becayse__

when are senate members are reelected

half of them every 2 years

when are house reps reeelected

every 2 years

when are the legislative sessions

every 2 years for 140 days

who can call special sessions and decide the agenda

only the govener

how old do you have to be to run for a house rep seat

21

how old do you have to be to run for a senate seat

25

how long do you have to live in a district to run for house or senate

at least 12 months

what are some informal requirements for senate seats and house seats

wealth, political knowledge, gender, race, ocupation

when was the first women in a legislature

1890s in colorado

how much do legislatures make a year

7000 + 200 per diem

when are texas lagislatures prohibited from accepting campaign money

30 days before session, before session, 20 days after a session

party voting means

a measure of the strength of a party in a district, determined based on voter support in previous elections. shows party competition

how many votes are needed to be determined as a competative party

44-54% of votes

why do low levels of party competition exist

gerrymandering

term limits for seante and house

senate: 4 years before they can run again, house: 2 years.

what is turnover

the number of new members of the legislature each session

why is turnover in tx so high even tho the seats are uncompetative

voluntary reitring

responsibilities of speaker of the house

appoint committee chairs, and standing committee members, serves as presiding officer over sessions, refers all bills to committeees

responsibilities of lieuteneante govener

appoints chairs for senate commitees, appoints members for conferance committee, serves as presiding officer and rule interpreter, refers bills to senate comittees

what bill can start in the senate while the rest have to start in the house

a revenue bill

what is a companion bill

when members of the senate and house pass identical bills at the same time

when do bills become effective

september 1st following the session

what must each bill include to keep the budget balanced

a fiscal note- explaining the costs of the bill if passed

concurrant resolution

must pass both chambers and goveners signature

joint resolution

must pass both chambers but doesnt need goveners signature

simple resolution

deals with issues that only concern one chamber, only has to pass inthat chamber and doesnt need a signature

when are simple resolutions used

when making rules for the chamber

who proposes a budget

the legislative budget board

where is an impeachment trial held

the senate

how much time does the govener have to veto or sign a bill

10 days, except during the final 10 days of session he has 20 days to decide

does the govener have pocket veto powers

no the govener does not have pocket veto powers, if he doesnt sign a bill it will automatically pass

what percent of bills pass in the last 2 weeks of a legislative session

80% of bills pass

what is professionalism based off on for legislatures

pay, session length, worker resources

what state has the most professional legislature and where does TX lie

california, texas is 19th

What is the chief goal of a political party?

to have its candidates elected to office

are political parties in the US dependent on states or the whole nation

states

how old do you need to be and how long do you need to be resident of texas to run for govener

30 years old and 5 years before your run

what is the most important informal qualification for running for govenor or an executive position

experience especially serving in an elected role before

what is the order of succession when the govenor is unavalible

lieutenant governor, president pro tempore, speaker of house, attorney general, chief justice of court of appeals

do a majority or minority of govenors continue on to higher level posiitons after serving as a govener

a minority, most of them retire

how is an official impeached

house adopts articles of impeachment, senate holds trial, 2/3s vote to be convicted and removed

formal powers of the govenor

office of tenure, budget, appointment, veto powers

what kind of executive system does texas have

a plural one — executive power is divided among the state with several elected officials

responsibilities of attorney general

legal counsler to governor, legislature and boards. represents the state in litigation.handles cases appealed to federal courts

responsibilities of the comptroller

chief fiscal, revenue forcasting, auditing, tax collector, state fund investor

what is tenure of office

the ability for goveners to be reelected

does texas have term limits for governors

no, they serve 4 year terms with no limit of terms

what are some of the goveners appointment powers

appointing and removing heads of most agenicies, such as seceratary of state, director of commerce, health and human service and state fedreal affairs

whos approval is needed for some appointments

the senates

responsibility of seceratary of state

manages elections, ballot forms, registration, and keeper of state records

why is the state government decentralized

the amount of boards and commisions in the beuracracy

how many boards and commisions are there

around 300

what factor plays a big role in who the govneor appoints

party support and allignment

what is a line item veto power/partial veto

govenor can veto certain parts of a bill without veto-ing the whole bill

texas partial veto power is ___

texas partial ___ power is weak

does the govener control the party

no, instead he influences choice of party leadership

what kind of jobs have the highest number of state employees

higher education

what is the legislative budget board responsible for

preparing a state budget

who is in the legislative budget board AND legislative council

lietenant governor, speaker of the house, 4 house reps and 4 senate members

who supervises judicial agencies

supreme court supervises

what are the governors judicial powers

pardons and executive clemency

what is an ex officio board member

someone who holds a posiiton in a board because they have an executive or official role - not elected for this board

what does the sunset advisory committee do

they review state agencies, can abolish agencies and reccomend changes to the agencies

what are the governors strongest formal powers

tenure and veto power

what are some informal powers the governor has

ability to shape media, popularity solidifies standings, reputation

what roles is the governor expected to carry out

ceremonial leader, chief legislature, party chife, crisis manager