Deck 19: The Texas Legislature

Question 1

In Texas, special sessions can be called by

A) the governor.
B) the governor or the speaker of the house.
C) the speaker of the house.
D) a quorum of senators.
E) a plurality of senators.

Answer 1

the governor.

Question 2

In the Texas house of representatives, the presiding officer is the speaker, while in the senate, that position is held by the

A) attorney general.
B) chief justice.
C) lieutenant governor.
D) budget committee chair.
E) rules committee chair.

Answer 2

lieutenant governor.

Question 3

Legislative pay in Texas is _______ a living wage.

A) about the same as
B) not
C) half
D) twice
E) excessive as

Answer 3

not

Question 4

The occupation that currently most often leads to membership in the Texas legislature is

A) business.
B) oil.
C) law.
D) physician.
E) firefighter.

Question 5

The Legislative Redistricting Board includes all of the following EXCEPT the

A) lieutenant governor.
B) governor.
C) attorney general.
D) comptroller.
E) land commissioner.

Question 6

At-large districts in Texas were found to be

A) more egalitarian.
B) prejudicial to Anglos.
C) prejudicial to women voters.
D) biased in favor of Hispanics.
E) biased against minorities.

Question 7

The Texas redistricting battle of 2003 was led by

A) Hispanics.
B) women.
C) African Americans.
D) Republicans.
E) Democrats.

Question 8

The 2003 redistricting battle ended with

A) a stalemate.
B) defeat for Republicans when Democrats refused to vote.
C) a Republican victory.
D) a Democratic victory.
E) no quorum, so no vote on the plan.

Question 9

The biggest difference between the Texas senate and house as far as leadership is in

A) senate Republican dominance.
B) house Republican dominance.
C) their methods of choosing their leader.
D) the influence of tradition in the senate.
E) the influence of tradition in the house.

Question 10

In order to pass legislation, senate leaders must often seek

A) consensus.
B) compromise.
C) unanimity.
D) friends in the senate.
E) reelection.

Question 11

Committees can do all of the following to legislation except

A) weaken it.
B) amend it.
C) summarily enact it.
D) correct technical errors.
E) rewrite a bill to help it pass.

Question 12

Ways to kill a bill include all of the following EXCEPT

A) requesting a third reading.
B) adding controversial provisions.
C) scheduling it out of existence.
D) holding a filibuster.
E) sending it to an unsupportive committee.

Question 13

The process by which a legislator makes a decision is LEAST likely influenced by which of the following?

A) Personal reading of each bill
B) Political considerations
C) Interest groups
D) The governor
E) The legislator's staff

Question 14

An important role of the Legislative Budget Board and the Legislative Council is to dispense

A) advice.
B) funds to help pass legislation.
C) information.
D) partisan platforms.
E) sanctions.

Question 15

The authors imply that the Republicans brought _______ with them when they took control of both houses of the Texas legislature.

A) coalition-building
B) the committee tradition
C) standing committees
D) partisanship
E) a tradition of bipartisanship

Question 16

The Texas legislature is responsible for oversight of state agencies.

Question 17

One of the chief responsibilities of the legislature is drafting a budget for the state.

Question 18

The composition of the Texas legislature has radically changed since 1971.

Question 19

Single-member legislative districts have always been the norm in the United States and Texas.

Question 20

The lieutenant governor of Texas is part of both the legislature and the executive.

Question 21

The lieutenant governor is one of the most powerful political positions because the post draws on a statewide mandate, yet is a legislative position.

Question 22

The leadership traditions of the U.S. Congress have been adopted in the Texas legislature.

Question 23

The process for moving bills through the Texas legislature differs considerably between the house and senate.

Question 24

Each legislative committee has a specific area of expertise, and the presiding officers have no say in assigning bills to committees.

Question 25

It is impossible for legislators to be fully informed on every bill they vote on.

Question 26

The legislature can be said to be a body dedicated to

A) bipartisanship.
B) conflict resolution.
C) partisanship.
D) implementing law.
E) interpreting law.

Question 27

The role of the legislature includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) adjudicating.
B) drafting a state budget.
C) enacting law.
D) overseeing state agencies.
E) representing.

Question 28

Texas can be said to be average compared with national trends in all of the following EXCEPT the

A) bicameral legislature.
B) size of its senate.
C) constitutional limits on legislative pay.
D) size of its house of representatives.
E) legislative turnover.

Question 29

Special sessions in Texas are limited in their

A) length.
B) frequency.
C) length and frequency.
D) scope and frequency.
E) scope only.

Question 30

Special sessions have been called in Texas in the last decades for all the following issues EXCEPT

A) the budget.
B) education.
C) tort reform.
D) workers' compensation.
E) the collapse of the oil industry.

Question 31

The Texas legislature meets every two years for how many days?

A) 120
B) 140
C) 160
D) 180
E) 200

Question 32

Special sessions in Texas have historically

A) come in waves.
B) been rare.
C) been common.
D) been used only by Republicans.
E) been used only by Democrats.

Question 33

Limitations placed on Texas legislators include all of the following EXCEPT

A) a minimum age.
B) they must be qualified voters.
C) they must be residents of their district.
D) they must be residents of Texas.
E) term limits.

Question 34

The pay level for Texas legislators is __________ that of most other states' legislators.

A) much higher than
B) higher than
C) equivalent to
D) lower than
E) much lower than

Question 35

The Texas state legislature consists of a _____ member House of Representatives and a ____ member Senate.

A) 435, 100
B) 100, 75
C) 150, 31
D) 50, 20
E) 270, 135

Question 36

Which group showed the greatest loss in Senate membership from 1971 to 2005?

A) African Americans
B) males
C) Republicans
D) Democrats
E) Anglos

Question 37

Nearly a third of Texas legislators come from what sector?

A) Business
B) Trade
C) Oil and gas
D) Law
E) Manufacturing

Question 38

Considering the relatively low turnover in the Texas legislature, the goal of granting legislators low pay can be said to have proved

A) irrelevant.
B) a mixed success.
C) highly successful.
D) successful.
E) a failure.

Question 39

The use of multimember districts was ended because

A) they were too confusing.
B) they gave too much power to minorities.
C) they were ruled unconstitutional.
D) such districts violated the principle of separation of powers.
E) single-member districts are more common elsewhere.

Question 40

The major battle over redistricting in Texas in recent decades occurred in

A) 2001.
B) 2003.
C) 2005.
D) 2006.
E) 2008.

Question 41

The overwhelmingly Republican Legislative Redistricting Board drew a new districting map of Texas favorable to Republicans in 2001 due to

A) legislative corruption.
B) massive influence peddling.
C) the governor's failure to act.
D) the failure of the legislature to redraw districts.
E) the power of the senate.

Question 42

Texas legislators have engaged in what tactic on occasion, in efforts to break a quorum?

A) filibustering.
B) resigning.
C) fleeing the state.
D) cooperation.
E) playing deaf.

Question 43

The ins and outs of the battle fought by Tom Craddick in the Texas house illustrate some __________in the rules governing the legislature.

A) inconsistencies
B) inequalities
C) excessive detail
D) strengths
E) ambiguities

Question 44

Following the controversy of the 2007 legislative session, ______ was chosen as speaker in 2009 based on bipartisan support from a group of Democrats and Republicans.

A) Tom Craddick
B) Joe Straus
C) Greg Abbott
D) Bill White
E) Bob Bullock

Question 45

Leadership in the Texas legislature has changed recently because of

A) rising power among Hispanics.
B) the shift to a two-party system.
C) the Republican majority.
D) the Democratic majority.
E) new rules.

Question 46

Pete Laney was typical of house speakers in

A) being conservative.
B) being supported by the Religious Right.
C) surviving for decades.
D) working across party lines.
E) being divisive and partisan.

Question 47

Which of the following men served as the first republican Speaker of the House?

A) George W. Bush.
B) Bill Clayton.
C) Gib Lewis.
D) Pete Laney.
E) Tom Craddick.

Question 48

Under such speakers as Pete Laney and Tom Craddick, house leaders presided over a _________ leadership structure.

A) looser
B) more partisan
C) more corrupt
D) less professional
E) tighter

Question 49

It can be said that the structure of leadership in the house derives from

A) traditions.
B) rules.
C) the electorate.
D) a blend of rules and traditions.
E) the governor.

Question 50

Bob Bullock differed from Bill Hobby in his leadership of the senate in all of the following ways EXCEPT his

A) tactics.
B) style.
C) party affiliation.
D) time in office.
E) compromises.

Question 51

Recent lieutenant governors have generally been Republicans and have

A) become Democrats while holding office.
B) preferred working with Democrats.
C) generally worked only with Republicans.
D) preferred to select only Republicans to work with.
E) often been willing to cross party lines.

Question 52

The role of the lieutenant governor and the speaker in the two houses of the Texas legislature can best be summed up as that of a

A) police officer.
B) rule-enforcer.
C) figurehead.
D) mediator.
E) diplomat.

Question 53

A group of legislators that reviews and holds public hearings on bills or issues that they have been assigned is a

A) quorum.
B) working party.
C) majority.
D) minority.
E) committee.

Question 54

House standing committees are important due to their scope or because they deal with

A) agriculture.
B) finance.
C) resolutions.
D) education.
E) procedure.

Question 55

The committees responsible for the state budget include all of the following EXCEPT

A) Ways and Means.
B) Appropriations.
C) Finance.
D) State Affairs.
E) Rules and Resolutions.

Question 56

The other name for the state budget is the

A) ways and means bill.
B) appropriations bill.
C) comptroller's bill.
D) finance bill.
E) money bill.

Question 57

Special committees are unique in that they meet

A) only in even-numbered years.
B) in the interim.
C) to reconcile different versions of bills.
D) all year.
E) to force through legislation.

Question 58

Stalling tactics that may kill a bill include using all of the following EXCEPT

A) the calendar.
B) a tag.
C) record votes.
D) a filibuster.
E) debates.

Question 59

In dealing with legislation, the lieutenant governor has the prerogative of assigning legislation to committees, allowing the bill to be

A) exempt from committee action.
B) passed without a quorum.
C) killed in a hostile committee.
D) lost.
E) censured.

Question 60

The record filibuster is held by Texas Senator Bill Meier, who held the floor for almost

A) six hours.
B) 12 hours.
C) 20 hours.
D) one day.
E) two days.

Question 61

Legislation is passed in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A) by compromise.
B) without a quorum.
C) by subterfuge.
D) by "mumbling."
E) in error.

Question 62

Evaluating the influence of any one group or person on legislative decisions is difficult for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) decision-making is highly complex.
B) floor debates are closed to the public.
C) influences often compete with one another.
D) such influence varies between legislators.
E) influence varies between bills.

Question 63

As Republicans took control of both legislative houses, Democrats

A) fought by aligning with Libertarians.
B) sometimes joined with Republicans.
C) moved farther to the right.
D) became more liberal.
E) retained all of their traditional prerogatives.

Question 64

The Texas Conservative Coalition party caucuses in the Texas legislature function to influence elections and

A) focus support or opposition to legislation.
B) support fellow party members.
C) elect governors.
D) control committees.
E) oppose the speaker and lieutenant governor in their respective houses.

Question 65

Legislators need help making decisions on legislation for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) the high volume of bills introduced.
B) because bills may hide controversial provisions.
C) because supporting a bill may have political consequences for the legislator.
D) because many bills require specialized information.
E) their inexperience.

Question 66

The tools used by the Texas governor to influence legislation include all of the following EXCEPT

A) the media.
B) sanctions.
C) the veto.
D) persuasion.
E) leadership.

Question 67

Nonpartisan research to help legislators is provided by all EXCEPT

A) the Legislative Council.
B) the House Research Organization.
C) the Senate Research Center.
D) the Library of Congress.
E) the Legislative Budget Board.

Question 68

The authors expect all of the following issues to be on the Texas state legislature's agenda in 2011 EXCEPT

A) carrying concealed weapons on college campuses.
B) voter identification requirements.
C) the top 10 percent automatic admission rule.
D) adopting a state income tax.
E) education funding.

Question 69

The bold distribution of $10,000 checks to legislators by Lonnie Pilgrim resulted in

A) censure for several members.
B) expulsion of two members.
C) a hearing on the action.
D) Pilgrim being forbidden in the state house.
E) no penalty for any of those involved.

Question 70

A new ethics bill passed in 1991 included all of the following EXCEPT

A) more reporting of lobbyists' expenses.
B) limits on campaign contributions.
C) a provision against pleasure trips for legislators at the expense of special interests.
D) a prohibition against legislators taking fees for speaking before special interest groups.
E) a new Ethics Commission.

Question 71

In 1991, most complaints that house rules fostered an undemocratic process came from

A) novice legislators.
B) veteran legislators.
C) Democratic legislators.
D) Republican legislators.
E) women legislators.

Question 72

Ethics rules passed in 2003 required donors of over _______ be indentified by occupation and employer.

A) $50
B) $500
C) $5000
D) $50,000
E) $500,000

Question 73

Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis was fined $2,000. Under the ethics law passed in response to his actions, what penalty is imposed on those who frivolously file ethics charges?

A) $1,000
B) $2,000
C) $10,000
D) $12,000
E) $14,000

Question 74

The scandal involving the ties of Speaker Gib Lewis with the law firm of Heard Goggan was centered on a lucrative business in

A) collecting penalties for delinquent taxes.
B) farm subsidies.
C) oil exports
D) veterans' benefits.
E) prison building.

Question 75

The only function of the legislature is to write laws.

Question 76

The 2003 redistricting battle was temporarily halted when eleven Democratic senators broke the senate quorum by going to New Mexico.

Question 77

The 2003 redistricting battle was a Republican victory.

Question 78

Ultimately the 2003 redistricting battle was decided by one Democratic senator.

Question 79

Participation in debate gives the speaker of the house and the lieutenant governor in the senate great control over their house's proceedings.

Question 80

Senate leadership in Texas has traditionally meant working for compromise and bipartisanship