Chapter 23 Bicameral having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses Per diem daily payment to a public official engaged in state business Regular session the 140 day period during which the Texas legislature meets to consider and pass bills occurs only in odd numbered years Biennial occurring every two years Special session a legislative session called by the governor that addresses an agenda set by him or her and that lasts no longer than thirty days Bill a proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of the legislature and submitted to the clerk of the House or Senate Local bill a bill affecting only units of local government such as a city county or special district Special bill a bill that gives an individual or corporation a special exemption from state law General bill a bill that applies to all people and or property in the state Resolution an expression of opinion on an issue by a legislative body Concurrent resolution 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 Joint resolution 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 Simple resolution 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 Constituent a person living in the district from which an official is elected Electoral power the legislature s mandated role in counting returns in the elections for governor and lieutenant governor Investigative power the power exercised by the House the Senate or both chambers jointly to investigate problems facing the state Directory and supervisory power the legislature s power over the executive branch for example the legislature determines the size of appropriations for state agencies 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 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 Introduction 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 Referral 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 Consideration by standing committee the third step in the legislative process during which a bill is killed amended or heard by a standing committee Floor action 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 Conference committee a joint committee created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation Action by the governor the final step in the legislative process during which the governor signs vetoes or refuses to sign a bill 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 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 Filibuster a tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down Once given the floor senators have unlimited time to speak and it requires a vote of three fifths of the Senate to end a filibuster Veto according to the Texas Constitution the governor s power to turn down legislation can be overridden by a two thirds vote of both the House and Senate Post adjournment veto a veto of a bill that occurs after the legislature adjourns thus preventing the legislature from overriding it Line item veto the power of the executive to veto specific provisions lines of an appropriations bill passed by the legislature Speaker 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 Recognition the power to control floor debate by recognizing who can speak before the House and Senate Redistricting 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 Single member district a district in which one official is elected rather than multiple officials One person one vote principle the principle that all districts should have roughly equal populations The Texas Constitution grants the veto power Governor Members of the Texas Senate serve terms 4 year A n is the minimum number required to conduct legislative business Quorum The lieutenant governor gets his her powers from the Senate How many special sessions can the governor call the legislature to Unlimited The legislature does not usually override a veto for what reason Bills are passed late in the session so the legislature is usually out of session when a bill is vetoed Which kind of resolution is used to either propose an amendment to the Texas Constitution or ratify an amendment to the U S Constitution Joint Historically most legislators have been Anglo males What kind of bill is an approved measure sent to the governor for signing Enrolled In Texas the purpose of a filibuster is to kill a bill by refusing to allow a vote on it Which of the following committees is a temporary creation of one chamber of the Texas legislature that addresses a specific problem special committee Which of the following is true concerning term limits for Texas legislators No legislator is subject to term limits A regular session in the Texas legislature starts when and lasts for how many days January of odd numbered years 140 days The