BW Texas Gov’t Topic 7.1 and 7.2
See ATTACHMENT
Need Help Writing an Essay?
Tell us about your assignment and we will find the best writer for your paper.
Get Help Now!Go to thewebsite of the State of Texas Legislatureand look around.
Download at leastoneof the Party Platforms if you haven’t done this alreadyDemocraticorRepublican
Select at leasttwo policiesyou would like to see become law . They don’t have to be from the same party, but they can.
Go back to the Legislature website and scroll to find the section dedicated to the Legislative Committees.HouseorSenate
Find one or two committees you think would be the first to introduce your policy and discuss it.
Go to the Discussion Board and talk about your experience.
Topic 7.2
ThePowerPointtalks about theresponsibilitiesof the Texas Legislature in terms of generating laws to govern the State, making desired outcomes official policy.
In addition to generating legislation, our State reps have other “powers” called “non-legislative” powers. Find the slide that talks about them. Think about those powers and discuss how important you think they are, or are not
TEXAS
GOVERNMENT
2306
Dr. Maria Luisa Picard-Ami
[emailprotected]
1
UNIT 3. THE INSTITUTIONS OF
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
WHAT ARE THE AGENCIES OF
GOVERNMENT?
1. The Legislative Branch
2. The Executive Branches
3. The Judicial Branch
4. Unit 3 Essay
THE LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
Making Policy
Agenda How Texas Legislature is organized and how it operates
Who Represents us in the Legislative Branch?
Demographic of our Representatives
Expertise?
Finances
Longevity
Who is Represented?
What Do Legislators Do?
Inside the legislature
Outside the legislature
The Legislative Policymaking Process
How the Legislative Branch is Organized and How it
Operates
1. Texass bicameral legislature has two chambers
The Texas House of Representatives: 150 House members
The Texas Senate: 31 senators
House and Senate are organized by Standing Committees
2. Two people hold leadership positions:
The Speaker of the House,
elected and empowered by House members at the beginning of the regular session.
The Speaker appoints half of all committee seats and designates the chair
The Lieutenant Governor
elected statewide to a four-year term. not a member of the Senate.
He or she may only vote to break a tie on a particular vote.
Powers granted include the power to decide all questions of order; recognize members on the floor;
refer bills to committees; and appoint members to standing committees, subcommittees, special
committees, and conference committees.
The lieutenant governor appoints 80 percent of all committee seats and designates the chair
https://capitol.texas.gov/Committees/CommitteesMbrs.aspx?Chamber=H
https://capitol.texas.gov/Committees/CommitteesMbrs.aspx?Chamber=S
Sessions of the
Legislature
Regular sessions
The Texas Constitution specifies that regular
sessions of the legislature be
140 days
biennially
in odd-numbered years
Thousands of bills and resolutions are
introduced during a regular session
Special sessions
The governor may call a special session of no more
than 30 days to deal with a specific issue.
The Texas Legislature in Context Strong
and
Weak
Legislatures
Political scientists classify legislatures as strong or weak
Strong legislatures:
full-time,
professional,
well-paid legislators,
year-round or annual sessions,
plentiful legislative staff, and
competitive elections.
Texas has a weak legislaturedue to the
length of its sessions,
salary,
staff, and boards that facilitate the legislative process
All Texas legislators receive a salary of only $7,200 a
year, plus per diem pay
Who Represents Us in the Legislative Branch?
A Texas Senator
Elected for a four-year term
A U.S. citizen
At least 26 years of age,
A qualified voter
A resident of Texas for at least 5
years
A resident of the district for at least
1 year
US Senator:
30 years old
Citizen for 9 years
Resident of the state represented
A Texas Member of the House of
Representatives
Elected for two-year terms
A U.S. citizen of
At least 21 years of age
A qualified voter
A resident of the state for at least 2 years
A resident of the district for at least 1
year
US Member of the House of
Representatives
25 years old
Citizen for 7 years
Resident of the State represented
https://senate.texas.gov/members.php
https://senate.texas.gov/facts.php
What Do Legislators Do?
Legislators have both Legislative and Non-legislative Powers
Legislative Powers
Legislators have the power to propose:
Bills, proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature
(1) local bills,
(2) special bills,
(3) general bills
A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the
executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act of the legislature, or a statute.
Resolutions are expressions of opinion on an issue
(1) concurrent resolutions,
(2) joint resolutions, and
(3) simple resolutions
Nonlegislative Powers
Legislators have Other non-legislative powers:
To serve their constituents
in activities such as writing a letter of recommendation
Electoral power:
the legislatures mandated role in counting returns in the elections for governor and
lieutenant governor.
Investigative power:
the power to investigate problems facing the state.
Directive and supervisory power:
the legislatures power over the executive branch.
Judicial power:
the power of the House to impeach and of the Senate to convict members of the
executive and judicial branches of state government
How Do
Proposals
Become Laws?
Bills are proposed laws introduced in the
House and Senate at the same time
Introduction by a member of the House or the
Senate
Referral to a Standing Committee for
Consideration where it is heard, amended or
killed by the Chair (x 2)
Referral to the Floor for debate (x 2)
Referral to the Conference committee to work
out a compromise between House and Senate
versions of the legislation
Vote by each Chamber to approve final version
of the legislation
Governor signs or vetoes legislation
How a Bill
Becomes a
Law
in Texas
Additional Players in the Legislative Process
The Comptroller of Public Accounts
Texass operating budgets must balance
Revenue estimates provided by the comptroller set limits on state spending
The comptroller of public accounts can use revenue estimates to push bills the
comptroller wants.
The media help choose and frame the issues
The media can influence the legislative agenda through the stories that they cover.
Accordingly, legislators try to attract media attention that will support their positions.
Here, Speaker Joe Straus speaks at a press conference.
The scrutiny of federal and state courts influences the legislative agenda
Lobbyists and the Public also influence legislators
The public can serve as lobbyists by sending letters, emails, and telephone calls
urging representatives or senators to vote a certain way.
Key Terms
Filibuster: a tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation by continuously holding
the floor and speaking until the majority backs down. It requires a vote of three-fifths of the Senate to end a
filibuster.
Veto: according to the Texas Constitution, the governors power to turn down legislation
Line-item veto: the power of the executive to veto specific provisions (lines) of an appropriations bill passed
by the legislature
Standing committee: a permanent committee with the power to propose and write legislation that covers a
particular subject, such as finance or agriculture.
Pigeonholing: a step in the legislative process in which a bill is killed by the chair of the standing committee
to which it was referred, as a result of him or her setting the bill aside and not bringing it before the
committee.
Constituent: a person living in the district from which an official is elected.
Impeachment: according to the Texas Constitution, the formal charge by the House of Representatives that
leads to a trial in the Senate and possibly to the removal of a state official.
Incumbent: an individual who currently holds a public office
Turnover: when incumbents lose their seats or leave their seats and new members (freshmen) are voted into
office
Institutional memory: a collective understanding of the way an organization works held by those who run it
Texas Government 2306
Unit 3. The Institutions of State and Local GovernmentWhat are the agencies of government?
The Legislative Branch
Agenda
How the Legislative Branch is Organized and How it Operates
Sessions of the Legislature
Strong and Weak Legislatures
Who Represents Us in the Legislative Branch?
What Do Legislators Do? Legislators have both Legislative and Non-legislative Powers
Nonlegislative Powers
How Do Proposals Become Laws?
How a Bill Becomes a Law in Texas
Additional Players in the Legislative Process
Key Terms
Get Fast Writing Help – No Plagiarism Guarantee!
mywritinghub.com is one of the best Online assignment writing service websites that provide university students with quality academic essays, personal statements, research proposals, essays, term papers, admission essays, annotated bibliographies, reports, research papers, projects, presentations, dissertation, theses, movie reviews, Book reviews, application papers, among others.