1. Chapter 3
The Texas Legislature

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative branch of Texas government.
Upon completing this chapter, you will be able to…
Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative branch of Texas government.

3. “The Pink Dome” Texas State Capitol Building, Austin, TX

4. The Structure and Size of the Texas Legislature
Texas Senate
31 members with four-year terms
Texas House of Representatives
150 members with two-year terms
Small size of the legislature
Key term:
bicameral

5. General Characteristics of the Legislature
Sessions and Session Length
140 days every two years
Salary
$28,200
Staff and Facilities
Key terms:
biennial session
sine die
extraordinary session
special sessions

8. Qualifications for Legislators and Member Demographics
Formal qualifications
Informal qualifications
“Birthright” characteristics
Percentage of women and minorities
Percentage of attorneys

11. Single-Member District Method of Election
Single-member districts
One member for each legislative district
Geographical representation
Multimember districts
Two or three members per district
Key terms:
single-member districts
multimember districts

15. Reapportionment and Redistricting Issues
Equity of Representation
Minority Representation
Key terms:
reapportionment
redistricting
gerrymandering
Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB)
Baker v. Carr
Reynolds v. Sims

16. Baker v Carr (1962)
Established thehe right of federal courts to review redistricting issues, which had previously been termed "political questions" outside the courts' jurisdiction. The Court’s willingness to address legislative reapportionment in this Tennessee case paved the way for the “one man, one vote” standard of American representative democracy.

17. Reynolds v Sims (1964)
The Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that the legislative districts across states be equal in population.
"legislators represent people, not trees or acres" and "legislators are elected by voters, not farms or cities or economic interests." In short, the Court ruled that population must always be the "controlling consideration" in state redistricting. Alabama was thus ordered to reapportion its legislative districts using this calculus, making them "as nearly equal of population as is practicable." 
------Chief Justice Earl Warren

19. Reapportionment and Redistricting Issues
Political and Racial Gerrymandering
Key terms:
political gerrymandering
racial gerrymandering
Hunt v. Cromartie

20. The original Gerrymander in Massachusetts, 1812

21. Hunt v. Cromartie (2001)
In Shaw v. Hunt, the U.S Supreme Court found that North Carolina's legislature violated the Constitution by using race as the predominant factor in drawing its Twelfth Congressional District's 1992 boundaries.
The Court found that the evidence was insufficient to show an unconstitutional race-based objective.
The court newly found that the legislature had drawn the boundaries to collect precincts with a high racial, rather than political, identification. (Argued and decided with , Smallwood v. Cromartie.)

22. Reapportionment and Redistricting Issues
Redistricting in 2001 and 2003
Redistricting in 2011 and Beyond

23. Getting Elected Competition for House and Senate Seats Term Limits
Turnover in State Legislatures
Key terms:
noncompetitive districts
term limits
turnover

26. Leadership Positions in the Texas Legislature
Speaker of the House
Lieutenant Governor
Key terms:
speaker of the house
lieutenant governor
extra legislative powers

28. Committees in the House and Senate
Standing committees established by house and senate rules
Conference committees: subcommittees of standing committees; work out differences in bills
Temporary committees
Interim committees
Key terms:
standing committees
conference committees
interim committees

30. Functions
Lawmaking
Budget and Taxation
Oversight

32. Procedures Formal Rules: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Major and Minor Calendars and Bills
Key terms:
rider
closed rider
calendars
Local and Consent Calendars Committee
Calendars Committee

35. Procedures Legislative Workload and Logjams Informal Rules
Key term:
informal rules

36. Legislative Roles Representational Roles Partisan Roles delegate
Key terms:
delegate
trustee
politico

37. Legislative Professionalism versus Citizen Legislatures: Where Does Texas Stand?
Legislative professionalism: pay, session length, staff resources
Texas fifteenth among states in legislative professionalism
Key terms:
legislative professionalism
citizen legislatures