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An organization of individuals with similar views that tries to influence government to respond favorably to its views is called a(n) |
interest group |
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Interest groups try to influence public policy by |
lobbying government officials regardless of party affiliation |
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The principal purpose of political party activity is to |
gain control of government by winning elections and thus achieve party goals |
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Which of the following would not be a goal of an interest group? |
Getting its members elected to public office |
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In the case of the NAACP v. Alabama (1958), the U. S. Supreme Court |
recognized the right of association as part of the First Amendment |
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Which constitutional right is the foundation of the right to form and participate in interest groups? |
Freedom of association |
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Which of the following is not a reason for the growth and diversity of interest groups in the United States? |
A legal system that requires citizen membership in interest groups |
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The United States achieves a decentralized governing structure through |
federalism and separation of powers |
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The decentralized structure of Texas politics and governance __________ the ability of interest groups to influence public policy |
increases |
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Which of the following is true of interest groups and parties in Texas? |
Texas has weak political parties and influential interest groups |
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The Texas Tea Party is |
a powerful faction within the Texas Republican Party |
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Which of the following is true of interest group organizational patterns in the United States? |
Some are highly centralized, and others have a decentralized organizational structur |
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Which occupational group is least likely to have a large representation in an interest group? |
Receptionists |
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Which of the following is not a common reason that citizens join interest groups? |
They are not accepted as members of official political parties |
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Most political interest groups represent |
professional and managerial occupations |
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Which of the following generalizations regarding interest group leadership is correct? |
Interest group decisions are usually made by an active minority of the membership |
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Interest groups organized to promote policies that maximize profits and wages for their members are known as |
economic interest groups |
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The Texas Association of Businesses and Chambers of Commerce is an example of |
an umbrella organization |
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Which of the following goals would a business organization be least likely to pursue? |
Increased safety and environmental standards |
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An example of a labor organization that is active in Texas is the |
Communication Workers of America |
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Which of the following is true regarding labor organizations in Texas? |
Labor groups are not as numerous or as powerful as business-related groups in Texas |
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Which kind of group exists to promote policies that would increase wages, adequate health and unemployment insurance, and promote safe working conditions? |
Labor groups |
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Which of the following interest groups would be an example of a professional group in Texas? |
Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants |
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Which of the following would a government employee interest group be least likely to pursue? |
Decreased levels of government spending |
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Texas doctors successfully used their professional organizations in lobbying the 76th Legislature to make Texas the first state that allows |
doctors to collectively bargain with health maintenance organizations |
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Which of the following is the largest state government employees group in Texas? |
Texas Public Employees Association |
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Which organization would most likely mount a vigorous campaign to oppose a reduction in the staffing levels of the Texas Rehabilitation Commission? |
Texas Public Employees Association |
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Which of the following is not one of the main goals of racial and ethnic groups in Texas? |
Reduce government interference in the economy |
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A social interest group would be least likely to get involved in which of the following issues? |
Highway funding |
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Which of the following is among the oldest and most effective racial and ethnic interest groups in Texas |
All of the above are among the oldest and most effective racial and ethnic groups in Texas. |
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Which of the following is true of women in Texas politics? |
There are a variety of women’s interest groups in Texas promoting equal rights, greater political participation, and other issues important to women. |
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The Christian Coalition would be most likely to promote which of the following |
Banning same-sex marriage |
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Which of the following would not be a cause supported by the Texas Freedom Network? |
Defending the traditional family |
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Common Cause of Texas is an example of |
a public interest group |
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Which of the following would not be among the interest groups that Texas legislators identify as most powerful? |
Public interest groups advocating campaign finance reform |
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Which of the following techniques do interest groups use to influence policy decisions? |
All of the above are techniques used by interest groups |
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Which of the following is not a function that interest groups perform in Texas? |
Writing party platforms |
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A lobbyist is an individual who |
attempts to influence the decision making of lawmakers |
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About how many registered lobbyists are there in Texas? |
1700 |
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Which of the following is the most commonly employed strategy of influencing legislation? |
Providing the legislator with relevant information |
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Political officeholders often rely on interest groups to |
provide information and expertis |
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The political term grassroots refers to activity that |
begins locally and spreads to broader areas |
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In their grassroots and electioneering efforts, interest groups are increasingly |
using the Internet and social media |
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Actively campaigning in support of candidates for office by an interest group is called |
electioneering |
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Which of the following is an example of an electioneering technique? |
Coordinating a "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) campaign |
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Typically, in order to get people to the polls, which of the following is generally employed? |
Mail-outs, telephone calls, door-to-door solicitation, and transportation to the polls |
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The device by which a corporation may contribute money to a political candidate is |
through a political action committee |
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Which of the following statements best explains campaign finance laws for candidates running for a seat in the Texas legislature? |
There is no limit on how much a PAC may contribute directly to a campaign |
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An interest group technique that is unethical would be |
utilizing bribery |
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Following the Sharpstown Bank scandal, the Texas legislature |
prohibited candidates for Speaker from giving anything of value to supporters in the House |
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Which Texas House Speaker was not the subject of an inquiry about potentially improper practices with regard to interest groups? |
Pete Laney |
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The details of political contributions and expenditures of candidates must be filed with the Texas Ethics Commission |
between two and seven times each year |
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Which of the following was not prohibited by an amendment to the Texas Constitution in November of 1991? |
Campaign contributions from political action committees |
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Ethics laws prohibit a candidate or official from receiving a contribution inside |
the Texas state capitol building |
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In response to big spending by lobbyists, Texas voters in 1991 approved a constitutional amendment to create the eight-member |
Texas Ethics Commission |
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Members of the Texas Ethics Commission are selected by the |
Texas governor |
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Which of the following is common in the last days of an election campaign? |
Interest groups make last minute contributions to campaigns |
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Which of the following is not a responsibility of the Texas Ethics Commission? |
Setting legal limits on campaign contributions |
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An interest group with substantial financial resources, sizable membership, unity, and a competent leadership |
should have success in getting its policy preferences honored |
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The political influence of interest groups is enhanced when |
they are well represented within the structure of government |
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The system of politics in Texas can be described as one with |
weak parties and strong interest groups |
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Functions of the Texas legislature include all of the following, except |
appointing state judges |
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The number of senators in the Texas legislature is |
31 |
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The Texas legislature is ___________, meaning that it is composed of two chambers |
bicameral |
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The Texas House of Representatives consists of __________ members |
150 |
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Legislative redistricting for both houses in Texas routinely occurs |
the first odd-numbered year in a decade |
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Which of the following is true of members of the Texas Senate? |
They usually serve terms of four years with no term limits |
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Which of the following is true of members of the Texas House of Representatives? |
They serve terms of two year terms with no term limits |
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A vacancy in the Texas House or Senate arising during a term is filled by |
a special election |
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Regular sessions of the Texas legislature meet for |
140 days, in odd-numbered years |
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All Texas Senate seats are up for election every 10 years because |
Senate district lines are redrawn every 10 years |
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If a state legislator is a member of the National Guard and is called to active military duty for more than 30 days, what will happen? |
The legislator appoints a qualified replacement who must be approved by the appropriate chamber |
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Which of the following is not true regarding special sessions of the Texas legislature? |
They are limited to three per year |
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The redistricting practice of drawing legislative districts to favor one group or party is called |
gerrymandering |
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The federal court case that applied the doctrine of "one-man, one-vote" to Texas was |
Kilgarlin v. Martin (1965) |
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The U.S. Supreme Court found in Reynolds v. Sims (1964) that |
legislative districts of bicameral state legislatures must have substantially equal populations |
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The legislative redistricting maps approved by the 82nd Texas Legislature in 2011 were challenged because |
they appeared to discriminate against the election of historical minority groups |
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Under the Texas Constitution, those serving in the Texas legislature |
cannot hold another government office |
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Which of the following is not listed in the Texas Constitution as a qualification for membership in the Texas legislature? |
College degree |
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Which of the following groups dominates the membership of the Texas legislature? |
Anglo Protestant men |
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Which statement about women in the Texas state legislature is true? |
In recent elections, the number of women elected to the state legislature has increased |
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Educationally, most members of the Texas legislature have |
attended institutions of higher learning |
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Republican membership in the Texas legislature has |
constituted a majority in both chambers since 2003 |
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The religious denominations most represented in the Texas legislature are |
Catholic and Baptist |
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Turnover in the Texas legislature is most likely to be high in those |
elections immediately after redistricting |
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Compared to legislators in other states, those in Texas receive |
low pay, reasonable allowances, and generous retirements |
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Changes in compensation for members of the Texas legislature are initiated by |
an Ethics Commission recommendation |
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The lieutenant governor also functions as the state’s |
president of the Senate |
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Which of the following is not correct regarding the lieutenant governor of Texas? |
He or she receives a constitutional salary of $46,000 per year |
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Which of the following is not a power accorded to the lieutenant governor by the Texas Constitution or Senate rules? |
Voting on all bills before the Senate |
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Which of the following is not true regarding the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives? |
He or she is selected by direct popular vote in a general electio |
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In the Texas House, a committee that considers legislation and recommends whether it should or should not pass is called a(n) |
substantive (standing) committee |
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The Legislative Black Caucus has been most concerned about |
hate crimes laws |
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Which of the following statements is true regarding the Texas legislature? |
It has Democratic and Republican caucuses that are increasingly important |
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The Mexican American Legislative Caucus played an important role in |
the establishment of a pharmacy college and health center |
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The liberal ideological caucus in the Texas legislature is the |
Legislative Study Group |
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The "farm-to-table" caucus is described as a bipartisan caucus because its members include legislators |
from both the Democratic and Republican Parties |
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Rules relating to the procedures for operation of the Texas Senate would be dealt with in a |
simple resolution |
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Adopting the guitar as the state musical instrument required that the legislature uses ____________ to make the icon official |
a concurrent resolution |
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When an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is proposed by Congress, the Texas legislature may vote for ratification using |
joint resolution requiring a simple majority vote in each body |
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The wiki site "The Texas Red Tape Challenge" resulted in |
changes to almost 100 laws |
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A bill making exception to general law for a named individual is known as a |
special bill |
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To enact a law applying specifically to Collin county, the Texas legislature would pass a |
local bill |
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The primary function of the state auditor is to |
determine if state funds have been spent by the state agencies in accordance with law |
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The legislature may require reports from state agencies under a procedure known as |
oversight |
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Before making an appointment, the governor is expected to consult with the senator of an affected district, a process called senatorial |
courtesy |
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Most of the governor’s board and commission appointments to head state agencies must be submitted and approved by |
at least two-thirds of the Senate |
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A member of the Texas legislature would be immune from adverse judicial action if he |
slanders in a speech during a legislative proceeding |
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If a governor or other elected executive official is suspected of criminal activity, |
the Texas House may bring charges through impeachment, after which the Texas Senate would render judgment. |
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In Texas, the second 30 days of the legislative session are mainly reserved for |
standing committee action on bills |
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After its first reading in the House of Representatives, a bill is |
referred to the appropriate committee |
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Representatives occasionally engage in lengthy debates on bills, including bills that they do not oppose. This delaying action is called |
chubbing |
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House rules prohibit ghost voting, a practice which involves representatives |
pressing the voting button for another representative |
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The Texas Senate has __________ to control the flow of bills from standing committees to the floor |
no calendar committees |
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A two-thirds vote on the floor of the Texas Senate is required for any bill to be considered due to the use of a |
blocking bill |
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A senator can attempt to delay or impede a bill’s passage by speaking on the floor as long as physically possible, which is called |
filibustering |
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When the House and Senate pass a bill with different language in each version, |
the bill will go to a House-Senate conference committee |
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After a bill passes both houses of the Texas legislature, it then |
becomes law with or without a governor’s signature |
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If the governor vetoes a bill after the legislature has adjourned, |
the bill will die and cannot be overridden |
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How long does the governor have following the adjournment of the legislature in which to act on bills? |
Twenty calendar days |
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The lieutenant governor, Speaker of the House, and other members of the legislature authorize special research projects to help in the drafting of bills through the |
Texas Legislative Council |
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