UT Texas Government Test

Current Texas Consitution

1876

Individualistic Political Culture

Government should service individual interests

Traditionalistic Political Culture

Government should preserve established arrangements

Moralistic Political Culture

Government should promote the common good

Number of Members in the Texas House

150

Term length in the Texas House

2 years

Officer for the Texas House

Speaker of the House

Representation in the House

Smaller districts

Minimum age of the Texas House

21 years old

Texas House Residency Requirement

Texas Resident for two years

District Resident for one year

Number of Members in the Texas Senate

31

Term length in the Texas Senate

4 years

Presiding officer of the Texas Senate

Lieutenant Governor

Representation of the Texas Senate

Larger Districts

Minimum age of the Texas Senate

26 years old

Residency requirement of the Texas Senate

Texas resident for five years

District resident for one year

Regular legislative sessions

Part time (every two years)

Sessions begin on the second Tuesday in January

Odd-numbered years

Last 140 days.

Who can call special sessions?

The governor

Special Sessions

Length and time determined by the governor

Last a max of 30 days

Legislators can only address issues included in the governor’s call

Speaker of the House

Presides over the House

Appoints committee chairs

Assigns bills to committees

Influences legislative agenda

Helps determine committee membership

Lieutenant Governor

Presides over the Texas Senate

Controls + influences most of the Senate’s agenda

Assigns senators to committees

Appoints committee chairs

Committee

Groups of legislators responsible for reviewing legislation

Standing Committee

Permanent committees that handle particular policy areas

Select committees

Temporary committees created to investigate or address specific issues

Conference committees

Committees formed to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a bill

What can committees do?

Hold hearings, review bills, make amendments, recommend that bills advance, and prevent bills from progressing.

How a bill becomes a law

1. A legislator introduces a bill

2. The bill is referred to a committee

3. 3. The committee reviews and may amend the bill

4. The bill is debated and voted on in its chamber

5. It goes through the same process in the other chamber

6. If the two chambers pass different versions, their differences must be resolved

7. The final bill goes to the governor

What can the governor do to a bill after it passes both chambers?

Sign the bill

Veto the bill

Allow the bill to become law without signing it

Gubernatorial Veto

The governor can veto legislation passed by the legislature

Pocket Veto

If the governor receives a bill within the final 10 days of a legislative session, the governor can basically vet it by taking no action after session ends.

Filibuster

A tactic used by senators to delay or prevent a vote by continuing debate

Quorum

The minimum number of legislators required to conduct official business

Redistricting

Redrawing legislative district boundaries after a census

Gerrymandering

Drawing district boundaries to benefit a particular party or group

Incumbent

A person currently holding an elected office

Bicameral

Legislature with two chambers

Packing

Concentrating opposing voteres into a small number of districts

Cracking

Splitting opposing voters among several districts to reduce their influence

Plural executive

Power is divided among several independently elected officials

Governor

Chief executive, oversees state administration

Attorney General

Represents Texas in legal matters and provides legal opinons

Comptroller

Collects taxes and estimates state revenue

Commissioner of General Land Office

Manages state public lands

Commissioner of Agriculture

Oversees agricultural matters

Railroad commissioner

Oversees oil and natural gas

Governor’s powers

signing/vetoing legislation, calling special legislative sessions, serves as Commander in Chief of the Texas National Guard, appoints officials to various state positions, grants clemency, delivers the State of the State address.

Governor’s qualifications

30 years old

US Citizen

Lived in Texas for 5 years prior to running

4-year terms

No term limit

How many highest courts?

2 (Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals)

Texas Supreme Court

Handles civil cases

Handles juvenile cases

Reviews decisions from lower courts

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Handles criminal cases

Reviews criminal appeals

Final authority on most criminal matters under Texas law

Justice of the Peace Courts

Handles certain minor civil disputes, small claims, and misdemeanors

Municipal Courts

Handle violations of city ordinances, traffic violations, and minor criminal offenses

County Courts

Handle certain civil and criminal cases, mmay hear appeals from lower courts

District Courts

General jurisdiction trial courts, serious criminal cases, major civil disputes, and felony cases

Court of Appeals

Reviews decisions from lower courts and determines whether legal errors have occured

Judicial Selection in Texas

Elected by voters, political parties play a role in judicial selection

Least to Most powerful texas courts

1. Justice of the Peace Courts

2. Municipal Courts

3. County Courts

4. District Courts

5. Courts of Appeals

6. Supreme Court / Court of Criminal Appeals

What party has historically dominated Texas?

Democrats

What political party has dominated Texas in modern history?

Republicans

Conservative

Favors limited government intervention, traditional values, and low taxation

Liberal

Favors more active government role in addressing social and economic issues

Moderate

Mixture of conservative and liberal positions

What type of primary does Texas hold?

Open primaries

Open primary

Voters do not register with a party, but can only choose one party to vote for in the primary in an election cycle

General Elections

Determines who will hold public office, candidates from DIFFERENT parties compete against each other

Primary

Candidates of the same party face off to see who will run in the general election

Runoff election

Occurs when no candidate receives the required majority in an election

Required Majority to win a primary

50% of the vote

Voter Turnout

Refers to percentage of eligible voters who actually vote

Suffrage / Franchise

Right to vote

Straight - Ticket Voting

Voting for candidates from one political party

Split - Ticket voting

Voting for candidates from multiple parties

Incumbency Advantage

Benefits of already holding office

Voter registration

Process of becoming eligible to vote

Texas Voter Identification

Texas Driver’s License

Texas personal id

U.S. passport

Handgun license

U.S. military identification card

Interest Group

Organizations that attempt to influence government policies and decisions (elected officials)

Lobbying

attempting to influence legislators or other government officials

Campaign Contributions

Providing financial support to candidates or political campaigns, subject to applicable campaign finance laws.

Grassroots mobilization

Encouraging ordinary citizens to contact officials, attend meetings, or participate in political activities

Litigaton

Using lawsuits to challenge laws or government decisions