Texas Government and Legislature Study Guide

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the Texas Constitution, the Legislative branch, and the Executive branch as detailed in the Exam 4 study guide.

According to lectures in class, how does the Texas Preamble compare to the US Preamble in terms of Religion and Goals?

The Texas Preamble mentions God, whereas the US Preamble does not.

The US Preamble lists specific goals, while the Texas Preamble does not.

According to lectures in class, what is the subject of Article 1 of the Texas Constitution?

The subject is a bill of rights.

According to lectures in class, what is the subject of the first Bilt of Rights listed in the Texas Bill of Rights?

State's rights

According to lectures in class, what is the subiect of Article 2 of the Texas Constitution?

The subject is the separation of powers.

Article 3 (Texas Constitution)

The subject is The Legislature.

Article 4 (Texas Constitution)

The subject is the executive.

Article 5 (Texas Constitution)

The subject is the judiciary.

Article 6 (Texas Constitution)

The subject is the right of suffrage.

Bicameral Legislature

A legislature with two chambers; Texas possesses this type of legislature.

Texas Senate Membership, how many elected to Texas Senate?

Consists of $31$ members.

Texas House Membership, how many elected to Texas House?

Consists of $150$ members.

Texas Legislative Session Frequency

The legislature meets every other year.

Texas legislative Session Duration

Sessions last for $140$ days.

Special Sessions, who calls them?

Meetings beyond the scheduled session that can only be called by the governor.

According to lectures in class and TX Chapter 3, how does the length of the leeislative session affect the veto powers of the governor?

it strengthens it

Texas House member Qualifications

Must be an American Citizen, $21$ years old, lived in Texas for $2$ years, lived in the district for $12$ months, and be a qualified voter with no convictions for bribery, perjury, forgery, or high crimes.

Texas Senate Qualifications

Must be an American Citizen, $26$ years old, lived in Texas for $5$ years, lived in the district for $12$ months, and be a qualified voter.

Texas Legislator Compensation, how much are they paid?

Pay is $7,000$ a year without per diem, or $38,140$ with per diem.

Allowed Campaign Contribution Use, what may texas legislators use campaign contributions to pay for?

Can be used for \"Reasonable household expenses in Austin,\" which include rent, food, parking, tolls, and cellphone services.

do texas legislators have term limits?

no

Speaker of the Texas House Election, how are they elected?

Elected by the members as the first act of the legislature.

what are the powers of the speaker of the texas house of representatives?

appointment the chairs of all committees, appoint most committee members, appoint members to the Calender, procedural, conference, and other powerful committees, preside over all the sessions of the house, refer all bills to the committees

Texas Lt. Governor Election, how are they elected?

Elected by the people in a statewide-election.

powers of the lt. governor?

appoint the chairs of all senate committees, select all members of senate committees, appoint members of the conference committees, preside over the senate, refer all bills to committees

roles of the texas legislature?

legislative, oversight, impeachment

what is a resolution; what kinds of resolutions exist in texas?

a legislative tool that is not a bill; 3 types of resolutions: concurrent, joint, simple

Concurrent Resolution

A legislative tool that must pass both houses and requires the governor's signature; used to communicate with other governments or for congratulations and memorials.

Joint Resolution

Must pass both houses but does not require the governor's signature; used primarily for proposing constitutional amendments.

Simple Resolution

Needs to pass only one house and is used by that specific house to maintain their position.

what is the Texas Governor's role in legislating? what are his powers?

Limited, he has a conditional veto and a line item veto

how does the texas legislature oversee the bureaucracy of texas?

mostly the sunset advisory committee

Impeachment Process, what is it?

The House brings the charges and the Senate convicts.

what is the sunset advisory commission; what does it do?

It is a commission that oversees the expiration of state agencies. It advises the legislature on whether it should extend that agency or not

Governor Qualifications

Must be $30$ years old, a citizen of the US, and a resident of Texas for $5$ years.

Texas Governor Salary

The governor earns $153,750$.

what is the succession plan for the governor of texas?

Lt. Governor, President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate, Speaker of the House, and Attorney General.

Attorney General, what is the role; elected or appointed?

The elected official legal counsel of the governor who also provides legal opinions on bills to the legislature. elected

Comptroller of Public Accounts, what is the role? elected or appointed?

The elected chief fiscal forecasting officer and chief tax collector of the state.

Commissioner of the General Land Office, role? elected or appointed? what deal did texas make while entering the union that changed its relationship with the federal government?

Manaeine the land in Texas, he is elected. Texas retained most of its public land and thus owns more than other states

Commissioner of Agriculture, role? elected or appointed? what two potentially contradictory roles does this office perform?

regulates and promotes agriculture and the position is elected

what is the role of the texas board of education? elected/appointed?

overseeing the education system of texas, elected

Texas Railroad Commissioner, role? elected/appointed

An elected body that oversees railroads, trucking, oil, and natural gas, though its primary focus is oil and gas. elected

who assumes the powers of the governor when they are out of texas?

the Lt. governor

what are the governor’s removal powers for his own appointments? do these differ from the appointments of his predecessors?

he can only remove officers he appoints with a 2/3 vote from senate

term of the texas governor?

4 years

does the texas governor have a term limit?

no

what kinds of vetoes does the governor posses in texas; what is a line item veto?

a conditional and line item veto. line item veto allows the governor to cross out parts of a bill before signing it

how strong are the judicial powers of the texas governor? what is the texas board of parol and pardons? how doeese it change the governor’s legislative authority?

very weak, he can only grant one 30 stay of execution. the board must recommend the judicial actions the governor may take to him.