Texas Government

Poltics

how we decide who gets what, where and how

main purposes of government

provide/maintain order

reflect our political culture

reflect our preferences

totalitarian

total government control of society

authoritarian

government attempt to take a lot of control, but they don’t end up with much

communism

a society where property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities/needs

liberatarianism

minimal state intervention in the free market and private lives of citizens

anarchism

people who believe no government is necessary

socialism

most individual owned but the state has taken ownership of some industries

regulated capitalism

the government oversees and regulates parts of the economy

laissez faire capitalism

minimal government intervention in the economy and all individually owned

Political Culture

attitudes and beliefs that shape the way people within a polticial community think about and engage in politics

frontier culture

focused on individualism and opposition to government intervention

role of political culture

Moralistic

traditionalistic

individualistic

texas german belt

region stretching from texas’s costal plain to hill country

what are the 4 nations in texas?

El Norte, Greater Appalachia, Deep South, the midlands

moralistic

the ethical aspects of politics and a belief that government should play an active role in promoting common goods

traditionalistic

a commitment to preserving existing social hierarchies

what was Hans Morgenthau’s thoughts on Political culture

Morgenthau viewed politics as a struggle for power, he also viewed it as a struggle conducted by specific means and within certain limits

what makes influences are there on texas political culture

texas’s political culture is rooted in individualism and distrust of government

what does Hans Morgenthau say about the relationship between political culture and laws?

politics is governed by distinct laws of nature and that states could deduce rational and objectively correct actions from an understanding of these laws.

a group of german nobles that facilitated german emigration to texas with the ultimate goal of creating a german state in texas

adelsverein society

an entrepreneur who made money colonizing areas of the mexican teritories

empresario

the idea that individuals are best left largely free of the intervention of community forces such as government and that government should attempt only those things demanded by the people it is created to serve

idividualistic political culture

rare in texas, the view that the exercise of community pressure is sometimes necessary to advance the public good; it also hold that government can be a positive force and citizens have a duty to participate

moralistic political culture

the shared values and beliefs of citizens about the nature of the political world that give the public a common language as a foundation to discuss and debate ideas

political culture

the practice in the south of voting for republicans in presidential elections but voting for conservative democrats in other races; this practice continues until animosity over reconstruction faded and the republicans demonstrated their electability in the south

presidential republicanism

most prevalent in the parts of texas most like the old south, the idea that government has a limited role concerned with the preservation of the existing social order

traditionalistic political culture

signed februrary 2, 1848; this agreement between the US and mexico ended the mexican-american war and recognized the rio grande as the boundary between texas and mexico

treaty of guadalupe hidalgo

money given by the national government to state and local governments for a broad purpose; comes with fewer restrictions on how the money is spent

block grant

money given by the national government to states and local governments that must be spent for specific activities

categorical grant

system that gives one branch of government a corresponding safeguard on a power given to another branch

checks and balances

powers that are shared by the national government and the state governments

concurrent powers

a government arrangement in which the lower units of government retain decision-making authority

confederal system

a written document that outlines the powers of government and the limitations on those powers

constitution

the period of federalism in which the states and the national government pass policy in the same policy area

cooperative federalism

shifting power to state governments

devolution

the principal that all local governments are creations of state governments and have only those powers granted to them by the state

dillon’s rule

the period of federalism in which the state governments and the national government kept to their seperate spheres of policy responsibility

dual federalism

powers expressively granted to the national government

enumerated powers

the constitutional requirement that a state deliver someone suspected or convicted of a crime in another state back to the state where the crime allegedly occured, so the accused can face trial or sentencing

extradition

a form of government in which power is shared between the levels of government in the US, between the national and state governments

federalism

use of national financial incentives to encourage state and local governments to adopt specific policies

fiscal federalism

the constitutional requirement that court judgments or legal contracts entered into one state will be honored by all other states

full faith and credit clause

a city given greater latitude in deciding the organization and functioning of its government

home rule city

refers to the relationship between the states

horizontal federalism

the distribution of power betwen the national government and state governments

vertical federalism

powers beyond those enumerated in the constitution;

implied powers

a system in which almost all the positions in a state are elected rather than appointed

long ballot

a government in which the power to govern is derived from the will of the people

popular sovereignty

the constitutional requirement that states may not treat citizens of other states fundamentally different from their own citizens

privileges and immunities

the tenth amendment provision that all powers not delegated to the national government belong to the states

reserved powers

placing different powers into different branches of government so that not one branch is too powerful

seperation of powers

the section in the US constitution that guarantees that the national government is the supreme law of the land and that national laws and the national constitution supersede state laws and state constitutions

supremacy clause

legislation passed by the national government that imposes requirements on state and local governments without providing the funds required to enact the legislation

unfunded mandate

a government arrangement that vests power in a central government

unitary system

a formal change to a bill made during the committee process or during floor debate in front of the whole chamber

amendment

a legislature that consists of two seperate chambers or houses

bicameral

a proposed new law or change to existing law brought before a legislative chamber by a legislative member

bill

a bill regularly introduced in the texas senate to serve as a place holder at the top of the senate calendar; sometimes called a stopper

blocking bill

lists of bills and resolutions that are eligible for consideration by the chamber

calendars

the act of delaying action on the current bill before the texas house of representatives to prevent action on an upcoming bill

chubbing

a legislature that attempts to keep the role of a state legislator to a part-time function so that many or most citizens can perform it

citizens legislature

a formally organized group of legislators that assists the legislature in accomplishing its work, allowing a division of labor and an in-depth review of an issue or a bill before review by the entire chamber

committee

a legislative act that expresses an opinion of the legislature; must pass in both houses

concurrent resolution

an official legislative work group that meets on a limited basis to reconcile the different versions of a bill that has passed in the texas house and senate

conference committee

an elected official who acts as an agent of the majority that elected them to office and carries out the wishes of that majority

delegate

language that makes a bill effective immediately upon being signed into law rather than subject to the customary ninety-day waiting period

emergency clause

an effort to kill a bill engaging in unlimited debate and refusing to yield the floor to another member, ultimately preventing a vote on the bill

filibuster

a required document outlining the probable costs of the legislation

fiscal note

period during which a bill is brought up before the entire chamber for debate

floor debate

a party member who reminds legislators of the party’s position on a bill and encourages members to vote with the rest of the party caucus

floor leader

the practice of politicians creating oddly shaped electoral districts to maximize their political advantage in an upcoming election

gerrymandering

a unique legislative group that pushes an ideological agenda in the state legislature

ideological caucus

a committee that meets when the texas legislature is not in session;

interim committee

to officially bring a bill before a legislative chamber for the first time

introduce a bill

a special legislative caucus in the state legislature that promotes bipartisan and cross-chamber support for policies and bills advocating positions inside a relatively narrow range of policy area or political issues

issue caucus

a legislative act who approval by both chambers results in amendment to the texas constitution; an amendment must be approved by voters at the next election

joint resolution

language added to a bill on an unrelated or controversial topic in order to make the bill unacceptable to the majority of the legislature

killer amendment

the group that develops a proposed state budget for legislative consideration

legislative budget board

the protection from arrest that legislators recieve to ensure that state and local officials cannot interfere with legislators’ efforts to represent their constituents

legislative community

created by a 1948 amendment to the texas constitution, this group steps in if the state legislature is unable to pass a redistricting plan or when a state or federal court invalidates a plan submitted by the legislature;

legislative redistricting board

the presiding officer of the texas senate, elected directly by the voters

lieutenant governor

the ability of the executive to selectively veto only some parts of the a bill; in texas, available only on spending bills

line-item veto

election districts in which the majority of the population comes from a racial or ethnic minority

majority-minority districts

process whereby a committee goes line by line through a bill to make changes without formal amendments

markup

special legislative caucuses in the state legislature that represent the unique concerns and beliefs of women and ethnic groups across a broad range of policy issues

minority and women’s caucuses

an election system in which the state is divided into many election districts, but each district elects more than one person to the state legislature

multimember district

a system of drawing electoral district lines that attempt to remove politics from the process of redistricting

nonpartisan or bipartisan independent commission

shorthand term for the requirement of the US supreme court that election districts be roughly equal in population

one person, one vote

the process whereby the legislature reviews policies and decisions of the executive branch to make sure the executive branch is following the intention of the legislature

oversight

a party leader whose main job is to organize party members to vote for legislation on the floor

party caucus chair

members of a specific legislative chamber who belong to the same political party; AKA party caucus

an elected official who is expected to follow the wishes of the electorate on some issues but on others is permitted more decision-making leeway; a hybrid of the trustee and delegate

a presiding officer elected by the members of the texas senate; takes over when the lieutenant governor is unavaliable

president pro tempore

a type of standing committee that controls how the legislature functions

procedural standing committee

a legislature that meets annually, often for nine months of the year or more;

professional legislator

the minimum number of members in a legislative body who need to be present for the body to conduct business

quorum

the periodic adjustment of the lines of electoral district boundaries

redistricting

meetings of a legislature that are required by a constitution or law; the texas legislature meets every other year for 140 days

regular session

relationship between an elected offical and the electorate

representation

legislative act that expresses the opinion of the legislature on an issue or changes the organizational structure of the legislature

resolution