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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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bicameral
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having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses
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per diem
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daily payment to a public official engaged in state business
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regular session
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the 140-day period during which the Texas legislature meets to consider and pass bills; occurs only in oddnumbered years
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biennial
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occurring every two years
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special session
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a legislative session called by the governor that addresses an agenda set by him or her and that lasts no longer than 30 days
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bill
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a proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of the legislature and submitted to the clerk of the House or Senate
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local bill
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a bill affecting only units of local government, such as a city, county, or special district
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special bill
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a bill that gives an individual or corporation a special exemption from state law
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general bill
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a bill that applies to all people and/or property in the state
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resolution
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an expression of opinion on an issue by a legislative body
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concurrent resolution
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a resolution of interest to both chambers of the legislature and which must pass both the House and Senate and generally be signed by the governor
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joint resolution
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a resolution, commonly a proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution or ratification of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that must pass both the House and Senate but which does not require the governor's signature
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simple resolution
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a resolution that concerns only the Texas House or Senate, such as the adoption of a rule or the appointment of an employee, and which does not require the governor's signature
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constituent
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a person living in the district from which an official is elected
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electoral power
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the legislature's mandated role in counting returns in the elections for governor and lieutenant governor
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investigative power
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the power, exercised by the House, the Senate, or both chambers jointly, to investigate problems facing the state
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introduction
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the first step in the legislative process, during which a member of the legislature gets an idea for a bill and files a copy of it with the clerk of the House or secretary of the Senate
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referral
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the second step in the legislative process, during which a bill is assigned to the appropriate standing committee by the Speaker (for House bills) or the lieutenant governor (for Senate bills)
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consideration by standing committee
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the third step in the legislative process, during which a bill is killed, amended, or heard by a standing committee
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floor action
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the fourth step in the legislative process, during which a bill referred by a standing committee is scheduled for floor debate by the Calendars Committee
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conference committee
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a joint committee created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation
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action by the governor
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the final step in the legislative process, during which the governor signs, vetoes, or refuses to sign a bill
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standing committee
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a permanent committee with the power to propose and write legislation that covers a particular subject, such as finance or agriculture
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pigeonholing
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a step in the legislative process during which a bill is killed by the chair of the standing committee to which it was referred, as a result of his or her setting the bill aside and not bringing it before the committee
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Speaker
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the chief presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The Speaker is the most important party and House leader, and can influence the legislative agenda, the fate of individual pieces of legislation, and members' positions within the House
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lieutenant governor
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a statewide elected official who is the presiding officer of the Senate; the lieutenant governor is one of the most important officials in state government and has significant control over legislation in the state Senate
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recognition
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the power to control floor debate by recognizing who can speak before the House and Senate
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redistricting
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the process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives in the Texas House, Texas Senate, and U.S. House. This usually happens every 10 years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges in existing districts
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single-member district
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a district in which one official is elected rather than multiple officials
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one-person one-vote principle
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the principle that all districts should have roughly equal populations
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