Texas Government Test 2 Review PDF

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Study Guide: Test 2 (POLS 2306) This is just a guide. You are responsible for all the material discussed in class and assigned to read. This is a preliminary version of the study guide. We will finalize it the week of the test. 1) You should know the structural features of the TX Legislature: number of members, requirements for service, the session, the special session, compensation, presiding officers (and their powers), and terms. You should know the identity of the current Speaker of the House and Lt. Governor. a. Texas Legislature is a BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE. b. 31 members in the Senate, 4 year terms, elect HALF every two years a. LT Governor: Dan Patrick i. Appoint the chair of all the senate committees ii. Appoint members of the conference committees iii. Serve as presiding officer and interpret rules iv. Refer all bills to committees v. Select all members of all the senate committees (no seniority rules apply) c. The House has 150 members, 2 year terms, elect ALL every two years a. Speaker of House: Joe Straus d. Sessions: Biennial (every other year), 140 day (starting in January) a. Special Session: session called by the governor; 30 days max e. A senator must be at least 26 years old, a citizen of Texas 5 years prior to election and a resident of the district from which elected one year prior to election f. state legislators make $600 a month, or $7,200 a year, plus a per diem of $190 for every day the Legislature is in session. Adds up to $33,800 a year for a regular session (140 days); total pay for two year term would be $41,000 2) You should know the difference between professional and citizen legislatures. a. professional: i. full time ii. well paid iii. meets annually b. citizen: i. part time (have another occupation) ii. minimal amount of money paid to officers iii. meets every other year 3) You should know the following terms: redistricting, gerrymandering, filibuster, two-thirds rule, line-item veto. a. redistricting: the drawing of district boundaries

b. gerrymandering: the redrawing of district boundaries for political advantages c. filibuster: Texas Senate-limited one state member speaking, and it has to be about the trial subjects itself; US senate- can talk about anything until the time runs out i. can’t sit & can’t stop talking ii. end filibuster with 3/5 vote in Senate d. two-thirds rule: a procedural device to control bringing bills to the senate floor for debate; has to pass by 2/3 vote 4) You should know the following types of committees: standing committees, ad hoc committees, procedural committees, substantive committees, conference committees. a. standing committees: i. permanent committees established to handle legislation in a certain area; appointed by the lt gov; considers proposed bills and resolutions before possible floor debate and voting by senators b. ad hoc committees: i. temporary ii. created by the speaker and lt. gov iii. how to stop something; deals with specific issues in the community c. procedural committees: deals with issues of parliamentary procedure/legislative matters d. substantive committees: considers bills and resolutions related to the subject identified by its name and may recommend passage of proposed legislature to the appropriate calendar committee e. conference committees: i. joint committees between the House and the Senate to work out differences between bills 5) You should know the different stages of a bill becoming a law. a. introduction b. assigned to a committee, committee chairs pick and choose which bills to consider (refer) c. bill is marked up by committee/subcommittee. committee proceedings (hearings, amendments, vote) d. bill is sent to the floor where it is debated and amended e. Passes in both House & Senate-goes to conference committee where all the changes are made f. Sent back to floor for another vote g. Once it passes in both H & S then goes to Governor i. sign, not sign OR veto I. not sign lets it die II. veto gives the opportunity to go back and be overridden by a 2/3 vote III. line-item veto (mainly deals with the budget)

6) You should know what a “plural executive” is and the different offices that make up the executive in the Texas government. You should know the general responsibilities of the different offices that make up the plural executive: AG, Comptroller, Land Commissioner, AG Commissioner, Secretary of State.

7) You should know the background of the current TX constitution (1876) and why the founders produced a plural executive.

8) You should know the requirements to serve as TX Governor. You should know the salary and perks of the TX Governor. a. resident of Texas for 5 years preceding the election b. at least 30 years old c. all have been white, Anglo-Saxon protestants d. $115,345 a year, a mansion, staff, travel expenses, access to state cars and planes 9) You should know the powers of the TX Governor. You should actually understand each power. 10) You should know the following terms: veto, line-item veto, parole, pardon, hierarchical management system, impeachment, spoke-of-the-wheel management system.

11)You should know the difference between state and federal crimes. You should know the difference between constitutional and statutory laws. You should know the difference between appellate and original jurisdiction. You should know the difference between civil and criminal cases. You should know the difference between felony and misdemeanor cases.

12) You should know the five different tiers of the state judicial system and the different courts that constitute it. a. 2 lowest courts i. city-municipal I. appointed by city council II. no official records kept ii. Justice of Peace I. elected form precincts II. not required to be licensed attorney

b. County Court (CCAL) i. created by Walker county ii. probate, drunk driving etc. c. district court i. felony cases & misdemeanors ii. district clerk-deadlines iii. plea bargains: plead guilty in exchange for a lesser charge d. court of appeals (appellate court) i. no jury ii. 3 judges e. 2 highest courts i. supreme court ii. court of criminal appeals 13) You should know the differences between a grand and petit jury; the definition and process of voir dire and discovery; the definition of court of record; you should know the difference between a plaintiff and defendant; you should know the definitions of affirm (uphold), overturn (reverse), and remand.

14) You should know how judges and justices are selected in Texas. You should know the Missouri Plan. a. A method of selecting judges in which a governor must appoint someone from a list provided by an independent panel. Judges are then kept in office if they get a majority of "yes" votes in general elections b. texas-partisan election...