Governing Texas 3rd Edition

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CHAPTER 7: The Legislature

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Why does it matter who is Speaker of the Texas House?

a. The Speaker is as powerful or more powerful than the governor.
b. The Speaker must be able to appoint key Democrats as chairs of committees that support
the Republican agenda.
c. The Speaker sets the legislative agenda.
d. The Speaker must be able to work with the Tea Party on issues.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

2. In the Texas legislature, the House has ________ members and the Senate has ________ members.
a. 435; 100 c. 150; 31
b. 100; 25 d. 31; 150
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

3. Texas senators serve ________-year terms and House members serve ________-year terms.
a. two; four c. four; two
b. four; six d. six; four
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Applying

4. The Texas legislature takes office in January

a. biennially. c. every year.
b. in even-numbered years. d. in odd-numbered years.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Applying

5. All Texas legislators are elected using

a. multiple-member districts. c. single-member districts.
b. floating districts. d. regional districts.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

6. Each member of the Texas House represents approximately ________ constituents, and each
senator represents over ________constituents.
a. 100,581; 811,000 c. 168,000; 811,000
b. 168,000; 150,000 d. 175,000; 150,000
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
 MSC: Remembering

7. For a law to pass in the Texas legislature it must be voted on by

a. two deliberative bodies representing different constituencies.
b. both Democrats and Republicans.
c. Tea Party members.
d. just one chamber.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

8. One of the most notable effects of bicameralism in the Texas legislature is that it
a. speeds up the process of legislation by dividing the labors between two separate
institutions.
b. works to the benefit of the more densely populated urban areas.
c. allows for sparsely populated rural counties to receive more of a voice in the legislature.
d. permits more opportunities to kill or significantly modify a bill.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Applying

9. What is the function of the “local and consent” calendar?

a. It marks the date by which legislators must vote on specific bills.
b. It is the calendar for all private bills sponsored by members of the legislature.
c. It is reserved for uncontroversial bills or bills limited to a localized problem.
d. It describes the voting schedule for those bills that require approval by both the legislature
and local communities.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

10. For how long does the Texas legislature meet?

a. The legislature meets all year, with breaks for holidays and campaigning.
b. The regular session is nine months every year.
c. The legislature meets for nine months biennially.
d. The regular legislative session lasts 140 days in odd-numbered years.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

11. The agenda for special sessions in the Texas legislature is set by the
a. lieutenant governor and the Texas Speaker of the House.
b. governor.
c. Texas Supreme Court.
d. chair of the joint committee on special sessions.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

12. Which of the following statements about special sessions of the Texas legislature is true?
 a. Special sessions are a rare occurrence, called on average once a decade.
b. Special sessions were common in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries but have
been rare over the past 50 years.
c. Special sessions are common, held an average of once a year since 1876.
d. Special sessions occur often, on average four times a year.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Applying

13. Special sessions last ________, but there is no limit to the number of special sessions a governor
can call.
a. 30 days c. 90 days
b. 60 days d. 120 days
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

14. In 2004 and 2005, three special sessions were called in the Texas legislature to deal with
a. tax codes.
b. deregulation of the pharmaceutical industry.
c. school finance.
d. criminal law reform.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

15. In even numbered years, Texas representatives receive a salary of only ________ per year not
including a per diem.
a. nothing c. $7,200
b. $28,200 d. $12,000
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature
OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

16. ________ must begin in the House of Representatives.

a. Transportation bills c. Revenue bills
b. School finance bills d. All bills
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

17. A bill in the Texas legislature that would allow a county to establish a new community college
would be classified as a
a. general bill. c. local bill.
b. special bill. d. concurrent resolution.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

18. Which is the most important bill that applies to all people and property throughout the state?
 a. general bill c. simple resolution
b. local bill d. special bill
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Applying

19. If the legislature grants a particular corporation an exception from a state law, it is called
a. logrolling. c. a private resolution.
b. a special bill. d. a filibuster.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Analyzing

20. Which of the following statements about simple resolutions is correct?

a. They do not require the signature of the governor.
b. They can only concern the internal rules of the Texas legislature.
c. They are limited to matters of concern for no more than two House districts.
d. They can only be initiated by the governor.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Analyzing

21. What types of resolutions are acted on without debate and without requiring members to read the
resolution?
a. concurrent resolutions c. resolutions of honor or recognition
b. joint resolutions d. simple resolution
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

22. Constituency services provided by Texas representatives may include all of the following
EXCEPT
a. giving a speech to a local civic group.
b. providing legal services in court.
c. attempting to influence decisions of government agencies.
d. writing a letter of recommendation for a constituent.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Applying

23. Which of the following is NOT a nonlegislative power of the Texas legislature?
a. the power of impeachment
b. the power to investigate problems facing the state.
c. the power to formally count the election returns in the governor’s race
d. the power to overturn state supreme court decisions with a two-thirds majority
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

24. As a matter of legislative duties, ________ convicts an individual of impeachment charges.

 a. the Senate c. the judiciary
b. the House d. the attorney general
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Powers of the Legislature
OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

25. Unlike other states, Texas allows ________ to introduce a bill in the Texas legislature.
a. anyone
b. only a member of the legislature
c. any governmental official
d. only the lieutenant governor and Speaker of the House
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Evaluating

26. In Texas, who can write a bill?

a. only a member of the legislature
b. the legislature or someone officially authorized by the legislature
c. any government official
d. anyone at all
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Remembering

27. For a bill that starts in the House the steps are
a. introduction, referral, consideration by standing committee, floor action, action by a
conference committee and approval by both houses, and action by the governor.
b. introduction, floor action, referral, consideration by standing committee, action by a
conference committee and approval by both houses, and action by the governor.
c. introduction, action by full committee, referral, consideration by standing committee, floor
action, and action by governor.
d. introduction, referral, action by conference committee and approval by both houses, and
action by the governor.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Evaluating

28. In the Texas legislature, the referral of a bill to a standing committee in the House and the Senate is
the job of the
a. governor.
b. secretary of state.
c. Speaker of the House and lieutenant governor.
d. sergeant of the House and Senate.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Analyzing

29. Which committee acts as a screening mechanism to filter out bad bills or bills that have little or no
political support?
a. Standing c. Joint
b. Conference d. Select
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Remembering
30. Rules of the legislature require that the bill be read
a. on two separate occasions.
b. on three separate occasions.
c. by the bill writer, the legislative member, and the lieutenant governor or Speaker of the
House.
d. by the bill writer, the legislative member, and the committee chairman.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Evaluating

31. Which of the following is NOT a rule that applies to a filibuster in the Texas Senate?
a. There is no eating or drinking during a filibuster.
b. Senators must stand at their desks and may not lean, sit, or use their desks or chairs in any
way.
c. Remarks must be confined to the issue under consideration.
d. There is one seven-minute bathroom break.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Understanding

32. In the Texas legislature, when a committee chair “pigeonholes” a bill, what happens?
a. The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee.
b. The bill is referred to a special session.
c. The chair vetoes a bill after it has already received an affirmative committee vote.
d. The chair refers a bill to only one subcommittee rather than two or more.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Applying

33. ________ is a kind of talking that is used to stall legislation.

a. Veto c. Pigeonholing
b. Chubbing d. Referral
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Remembering

34. As in the U.S. Congress, the purpose of a conference committee in the Texas legislature is to do
what?
a. It is a committee in which members of both houses meet informally with the governor’s
representatives to set the agenda for an upcoming session.
b. It is a committee designed to make differing House and Senate versions of the same bill
identical.
c. It is the committee that establishes the rules for floor debate in the House.
d. It is another name for a standing committee.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Applying

35. Which of the following is NOT a legislative power of the Texas governor?
a. calling special sessions
b. signing or vetoing bills
c. setting an agenda in the State of the State address
d. removing, for suitable cause, the Speaker or lieutenant governor
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Analyzing
36. In Texas, why is a governor’s post-adjournment veto so powerful?
a. It cannot be overturned by the legislature.
b. It can be overturned only by a two-thirds majority of both houses.
c. It allows the governor to veto parts of a bill but not all of it.
d. It allows the governor to get maximum media coverage.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Evaluating

37. When the governor strikes out specific spending provisions in large appropriations bills it is called
a. pigeonholing. c. the line-item veto.
b. the pocket veto. d. the post-adjournment veto.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Understanding

38. In Texas, the governor’s State of the State address is an example of the ________ power.
a. special session c. message
b. veto d. impeachment
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Applying

39. In addition to the legislators and the governor, there are others involved in the lawmaking process
during both regular and special sessions. Which one official has direct involvement in the
legislative process, while other players are involved indirectly?
a. the comptroller of public accounts c. the court
b. the media d. the lobbyist
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Remembering

40. Why is the comptroller of public accounts so important to the legislature?

a. The comptroller is responsible for setting the salary and compensation packages for
legislators.
b. The comptroller informs the legislature how much money it has to spend on the budget.
c. The comptroller investigates suspected illegal campaign contributions.
d. Whoever is comptroller is also the Speaker of the House.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Evaluating

41. Which of the following political leaders in Texas are two of the most powerful figures in the state?
a. the governor and the lieutenant governor
b. the governor and the comptroller of public accounts
c. the comptroller of public accounts and the lieutenant governor
d. the lieutenant governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Applying

42. How is the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives chosen?

a. The Speaker is elected in a statewide election.
b. The Speaker is the most senior representative in the House.
c. The Speaker is the most senior representative from the majority party.
 d. The Speaker is elected by members of the House.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: Power and Partisanship in the Legislature
OBJ: Analyze how party leadership and partisanship affect power in the legislature
MSC: Understanding

43. Which of the following statements about partisanship in the Texas legislature is correct?
a. Partisan rivalries have been high throughout the history of the Texas legislature.
b. Historically, partisanship has been rather low, but in recent years the legislature has moved
into a more partisan era.
c. The legislature was divided by partisan bickering before the 1980s, but the conflict has
decreased steadily since then.
d. The Texas Constitution was amended in 1986 to forbid partisanship from interfering with
the legislative process.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: Power and Partisanship in the Legislature
OBJ: Analyze how party leadership and partisanship affect power in the legislature
MSC: Applying

44. Legislative districts in the Texas House and Senate are

a. based on proportional representation.
b. single-member districts.
c. multiple-member districts.
d. redistricted every four years.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Redistricting
OBJ: Explain the politics of redistricting MSC: Applying

45. Who has responsibility for redistricting the Texas delegation to the U.S. Congress?
a. the Texas legislature
b. the governor
c. the governor, along with the Texas Senate
d. the U.S. Congress
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: Redistricting
OBJ: Explain the politics of redistricting MSC: Remembering

46. What is the importance of the Supreme Court case Reynolds v. Sims and Baker v. Carr?
a. It declared the Voting Rights Act of 1965 constitutional.
b. It declared poll taxes unconstitutional.
c. It declared the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote.”
d. It declared that preclearance was an unconstitutional abridgement of state power.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: Redistricting
OBJ: Explain the politics of redistricting MSC: Evaluating

47. The Legislative Redistricting Board has the authority to draw new districts if
a. appointed to do so by the governor after a special redistricting session.
b. the legislature fails to redistrict at the first regular session after the census.
c. ordered to do so by the state supreme court or a federal district court.
d. a majority in both the House and the Senate vote to allow it.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Redistricting
OBJ: Explain the politics of redistricting MSC: Applying

48. What unconventional action did the Texas legislature take in 2003?
 a. It redistricted a second time in a single decade.
b. It extended its regular session by two months.
c. It operated without electing a House Speaker.
d. It did not overturn a single gubernatorial veto.
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Redistricting
OBJ: Explain the politics of redistricting MSC: Analyzing

TRUE/FALSE

1. Like the state of Nebraska, Texas has a bicameral legislature.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature

OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

2. The Texas Constitution permits the election to the Texas legislature of persons who are not U.S.
citizens but who have been legal residents of Texas for at least 10 years.

ANS: F DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature

OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Applying

3. Bicameralism creates an interesting dynamic in a legislature because it means that before a law is
passed, it will be voted on by two deliberative bodies representing different constituencies.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature

OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

4. For a bill to be passed into law by the Texas legislature, only one house must pass the bill by
50 plus one.

ANS: F DIF: Moderate REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature

OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Applying

5. The Texas legislature meets in regular session once every two years.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature

OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

6. Special sessions last 30 days and there is a limit to the number of special sessions a governor can
call.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature

OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Understanding

7. Revenue bills must begin in the House of Representatives.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Powers of the Legislature

 OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

8. The Texas House of Representatives is responsible for both impeaching government officials and
holding the trials after impeachment.

ANS: F DIF: Moderate REF: Powers of the Legislature

OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Analyzing

9. Resolutions of honor or recognition are acted on without debate.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: Powers of the Legislature

OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Remembering

10. Anyone can write a bill, but only members of the legislature can introduce a bill.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas

OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Understanding

11. Conference committees are designed to make Texas House and Senate bills identical to each other.

ANS: T DIF: Difficult REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas

OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Analyzing

12. Like the U.S. president, the governor of Texas can kill a bill by refusing to sign it.

ANS: F DIF: Difficult REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas

OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Analyzing

13. The governor of Texas has the authority to exercise a line-item veto.

ANS: T DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas

OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Applying

14. Similar to the U.S. president, the governor has the power of the pocket veto.

ANS: F DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas

OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Understanding

15. The Texas Constitution forbids the legislature to borrow money to conduct the daily operations of
government.

ANS: T DIF: Moderate REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas

OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Analyzing

16. Media can determine issues of importance by the selection of stories they cover.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas

OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Remembering

17. In Texas, both the lieutenant governor and the Speaker of the House are elected in statewide
elections.
 ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Power and Partisanship in the Legislature
OBJ: Analyze how party leadership and partisanship affect power in the legislature
MSC: Analyzing

18. The lieutenant governor is also a member of the Texas House of Representatives.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: Power and Partisanship in the Legislature

OBJ: Analyze how party leadership and partisanship affect power in the legislature
MSC: Remembering

19. Members of the Texas House of Representatives are permitted to speak on the House floor for as
long as they wish.

ANS: F DIF: Difficult REF: Power and Partisanship in the Legislature

OBJ: Analyze how party leadership and partisanship affect power in the legislature
MSC: Analyzing

20. In the Senate, the Speaker controls legislative debate by selecting who speaks and how long the
debate will last.

ANS: F DIF: Moderate REF: Power and Partisanship in the Legislature

OBJ: Analyze how party leadership and partisanship affect power in the legislature
MSC: Understanding

ESSAY

1. Describe the structure and organization of the Texas legislature. Consider the following questions:
What are some of the effects of bicameralism? What are committees, and what are their roles?
When is the Texas legislature in regular session?

ANS:
a. Bicameralism: Two chambers, state House of Representatives and Senate. Before a
law is passed, it will be voted on by two deliberative bodies representing different
constituencies. If a bill cannot be killed in one house, it can be killed or modified in
the other body. If a bill has been amended in another house, the author can accept the
amendment, and the bill will move forward. If the author rejects the amendment, the
bill is killed. This allows for retaliation against a member of either body for not
cooperating on desired legislation.
b. Committees: Little legislatures; they are where technical errors and oversights in bills
can be corrected and where compromise can begin for those bills that eventually do
become law.
c. Roles: Consider power over legislation. Committees may kill bills by simply refusing
to schedule them for hearing. The chair may send a bill to a subcommittee that he or
she stacks with members opposed to the legislation, allowing the bill to die slowly.
Committees work out compromises, correct technical problems in bills, or draft
substitute legislation to accommodate competing interests.
d. Regular session: Legislators meet for 140 days, and Senators and House members
meet in January of odd-numbered years.

DIF: Difficult REF: Structure of the Texas Legislature

OBJ: Describe the organization and basic rules of the legislature
MSC: Analyzing
2. Contrast the leadership and committee structure of the Texas House with that of the Texas Senate.

ANS:
a. Presiding officer of the House: Elected by own House members; appoints all
committee chairs; assigns legislation; appoints members to committees; has power to
recognize members on the floor.
b. Presiding office of the Senate: Statewide office; elected by citizens of Texas; powers
granted to lieutenant governor include the power to decide all questions of order on
the Senate floor; has power to recognize members on the floor; has power to break a
tie on a particular vote; has power to refer bills to committees; has power to appoint
members to standing committees, subcommittees, and special committees.
c. Committee system: The fate of most pieces of legislation is decided at the committee
level. The presiding officers also play key roles in the development of major
legislative proposals and, to a great extent, depend on their hand-picked committee
chairs to sell their legislative programs to House and Senate colleagues.
d. Committee powers: Committee chairs have considerable power over legislation
assigned to their committees. They may kill bills by simply refusing to schedule them
for a hearing. After the hearing, the chair may send the bill to a subcommittee that he
or she stacks with members opposed to the legislation, thus allowing the bill to die.
The chair can refuse to recognize a motion to approve a bill. Chairs are sensitive to
presiding officer wishes.

DIF: Difficult REF: Powers of the Legislature

OBJ: Outline the legislative and nonlegislative powers of the legislature
MSC: Evaluating

3. Describe how a bill becomes a state law. Consider the following questions: Who writes bills?
What are the rules for debate on the floor? What are some of the powers of the governor
throughout this process?

ANS:
a. Who writes a bill?: Anyone can write a bill, but only members of the legislature can
introduce a bill. Bills can be written by members of the executive branch, by lobbyists,
by constituents, or by local government entities.
b. How a bill becomes law: There are six steps in the House. The first steps include
introduction of a bill, referral, consideration by the standing committee, and floor
action. In the Senate, steps 1 through 4 are repeated, and a fifth step requires action by
a conference committee and approval by both houses; step 6 is action by the governor.
c. Rules for debate: In the House, the Speaker determines the length of the debate. Each
member is allowed 10 minutes of debate. Early in the session, the time may be longer;
later in the session, time may be more limited. In the Senate, time is unlimited, which
means a senator could filibuster.
d. Powers of governor: The governor can sign or veto legislation. For the first 130 days
of the regular session, the governor has 10 days from the time a bill arrives on his or
her desk to sign or veto the legislation. If the governor neither signs nor vetoes the bill
in 10 days, it becomes law with the governor’s signature. In the last 10 days of a
session, the governor has 20 days from the time the bill arrives on his or her desk to
sign or veto the legislation.

DIF: Difficult REF: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas

OBJ: Trace the process through which law is made in Texas MSC: Analyzing
4. Does the increase in partisanship put the minority party at a bigger disadvantage when it comes to
influencing legislation? Do the Texas legislature’s presiding officers have too much power?

ANS:
a. Increase in partisanship creates bigger disadvantage: Ideological differences between
Democrats and Republicans now play a major role in legislative politics. Partisanship
makes it difficult to identify common ground across party lines and to produce policy
census. Roll call votes demonstrate an increase in the differences between Democrats
and Republicans.
b. Increase in partisanship does not really matter: Partisanship serves as a natural system
of checks and balance and provides voters with a clear choice. Partisanship reflects
voter choice. The two parties have different views of the world and how to solve
problems.
c. Presiding officers have too much power: Partisanship is high. Committee
appointments are made in such a way that the majority party controls every
committee, and the chairs of those committees are always members of the majority
party. Appointments to committees ensure loyalty to them rather than the party.
Presiding officers have the power of recognition.
d. Presiding officer’s power does not really matter: The powers of the Speaker and
lieutenant governor are granted by the rules that each chamber’s membership votes on
at the beginning of the legislative session. The powers of the presiding officers could
be reduced if the members of the legislature so chose.

DIF: Difficult REF: Power and Partisanship in the Legislature

OBJ: Analyze how party leadership and partisanship affect power in the legislature
MSC: Analyzing