TAMU POLS 207 - EXAM 3 CHUPP QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
/. Why did the American colonies/states have a legislative dominant theory of
government? - Answer-✅That was the branch of government that they were allowed to
run. That is also what gave them the political will to separate in the first place from
Britain.
/.What is bicameralism, and why did the states and Founders employ it? - Answer-
✅Two houses of legislature. Called the House and the Senate. An attempt to
synthesize an aristocratic chamber, stability and status quo, and a house that provides
and introduces progressive change.
/.How does the Texas House differ from the Texas Senate in terms of size, term length,
and membership qualifications? - Answer-✅- House: Larger, 150 members, small
comparatively to the population size, two year limit, more susceptible to change in
public opinion, younger population
- Senate: Smaller, 31 members, small comparatively to other states, four year term limit,
more stable, older population
/.How do the leadership structures and procedural rules of the Texas House and Texas
Senate differ? - Answer-✅- House, through the Speaker of the House, has full authority
over the House and the procedure in the House. Gives the majority a great advantage
over the minority.
- Senate, run by the lieutenant governor, makes the committee assignments and runs
the procedure in the Senate. Filibuster and cloture rules allow for unlimited debate so
the majority and the minority must have some push and pull.
/.What is the purpose of legislative committees, and how do Texas House committees
differ from Texas Senate committees? - Answer-✅Write the laws in committees and
funnel them into the House. Both houses have them. House has democratic
committees, majority member dominated. Senate has more balanced committees, but
the majority still has a bit of an advantage. Like mini-versions of each chamber.
/.How does a legislative proposal become a law? - Answer-✅- Proposal, committee,
vote in chamber, house and senate version created, conference committee to work
them into one document and pass both chambers (minority gains more power from the
Senate version), and the governor must sign it
- Reason they make it so difficult, increases the power of the leaders in those chambers
, /.What three theories of legislator behavior were discussed, and how do they relate to
each other? - Answer-✅- Delegate: represents their constituents. Follows their lead.
Reelected by the population.
- Trustee: based on the party ideology. Move up in the party easily. Could not get
reelected.
- Politicos: Balances both. Only the best politicos become the legislative leaders in the
party.
/.What legislative powers are exercised by the Texas Lieutenant Governor? - Answer-
✅Makes the committee assignments, unusual. Controls floor procedure.
/.Why is executive authority the essence of government? - Answer-✅Kill people. If no
one is fearful of the government and being killed, they can ignore the executive. Once
they start governing, the executive must be powerful for people to take them seriously.
/.What is the relationship between a polity's size and the nature of its executive? -
Answer-✅Smaller the polity, the fewer people in the executive branch. Smallest is one
person. Larger than one city, the executive needs help to run the nation. Needs a
council, then a legislative oversight. Becomes cumbersome to rule the larger you get.
/.Why were the newly independent states suspicious of executive authority? - Answer-
✅Fearful of having a king again. Did not want one person to wield total power. When
the British governors started to meddle with the legislative government, the colonists did
not like that. Wanted the governors early on in America to be not powerful.
/.Why did most states eventually switch to strong governors? - Answer-✅They needed
a stronger public administration so they needed stronger governors to run these
governments. Socialized to a stronger executive through the leadership of the president.
Made a stronger governor a better idea to the public.
/.Describe the powers exercised by most modern governors. - Answer-✅Budgetary
powers (not Texas). Line-item veto, important power of Texas governors. Remove and
appoint all state level bureaucrats. Governor can appoint, but cannot remove
appointments of the predecessors and needs a 2/3rds legislative vote to remove their
own appointment.
/.In what ways is the Texas Governor weak and strong? - Answer-✅Difficulty removing
appointments. Strong in general appointment power and in line-item veto power in
Texas. Strong in the informal powers that the executive is the face of the government
and the public looks to them as the problem solver. Current governors are strong
because of the strong Republican influence in Texas.
/.How was Sam Houston the George Washington of Texas? - Answer-✅Military leader.
Made popularity rose and eclipsed Stephen F Austen. Allowed him to become the first
president.
ANSWERS
/. Why did the American colonies/states have a legislative dominant theory of
government? - Answer-✅That was the branch of government that they were allowed to
run. That is also what gave them the political will to separate in the first place from
Britain.
/.What is bicameralism, and why did the states and Founders employ it? - Answer-
✅Two houses of legislature. Called the House and the Senate. An attempt to
synthesize an aristocratic chamber, stability and status quo, and a house that provides
and introduces progressive change.
/.How does the Texas House differ from the Texas Senate in terms of size, term length,
and membership qualifications? - Answer-✅- House: Larger, 150 members, small
comparatively to the population size, two year limit, more susceptible to change in
public opinion, younger population
- Senate: Smaller, 31 members, small comparatively to other states, four year term limit,
more stable, older population
/.How do the leadership structures and procedural rules of the Texas House and Texas
Senate differ? - Answer-✅- House, through the Speaker of the House, has full authority
over the House and the procedure in the House. Gives the majority a great advantage
over the minority.
- Senate, run by the lieutenant governor, makes the committee assignments and runs
the procedure in the Senate. Filibuster and cloture rules allow for unlimited debate so
the majority and the minority must have some push and pull.
/.What is the purpose of legislative committees, and how do Texas House committees
differ from Texas Senate committees? - Answer-✅Write the laws in committees and
funnel them into the House. Both houses have them. House has democratic
committees, majority member dominated. Senate has more balanced committees, but
the majority still has a bit of an advantage. Like mini-versions of each chamber.
/.How does a legislative proposal become a law? - Answer-✅- Proposal, committee,
vote in chamber, house and senate version created, conference committee to work
them into one document and pass both chambers (minority gains more power from the
Senate version), and the governor must sign it
- Reason they make it so difficult, increases the power of the leaders in those chambers
, /.What three theories of legislator behavior were discussed, and how do they relate to
each other? - Answer-✅- Delegate: represents their constituents. Follows their lead.
Reelected by the population.
- Trustee: based on the party ideology. Move up in the party easily. Could not get
reelected.
- Politicos: Balances both. Only the best politicos become the legislative leaders in the
party.
/.What legislative powers are exercised by the Texas Lieutenant Governor? - Answer-
✅Makes the committee assignments, unusual. Controls floor procedure.
/.Why is executive authority the essence of government? - Answer-✅Kill people. If no
one is fearful of the government and being killed, they can ignore the executive. Once
they start governing, the executive must be powerful for people to take them seriously.
/.What is the relationship between a polity's size and the nature of its executive? -
Answer-✅Smaller the polity, the fewer people in the executive branch. Smallest is one
person. Larger than one city, the executive needs help to run the nation. Needs a
council, then a legislative oversight. Becomes cumbersome to rule the larger you get.
/.Why were the newly independent states suspicious of executive authority? - Answer-
✅Fearful of having a king again. Did not want one person to wield total power. When
the British governors started to meddle with the legislative government, the colonists did
not like that. Wanted the governors early on in America to be not powerful.
/.Why did most states eventually switch to strong governors? - Answer-✅They needed
a stronger public administration so they needed stronger governors to run these
governments. Socialized to a stronger executive through the leadership of the president.
Made a stronger governor a better idea to the public.
/.Describe the powers exercised by most modern governors. - Answer-✅Budgetary
powers (not Texas). Line-item veto, important power of Texas governors. Remove and
appoint all state level bureaucrats. Governor can appoint, but cannot remove
appointments of the predecessors and needs a 2/3rds legislative vote to remove their
own appointment.
/.In what ways is the Texas Governor weak and strong? - Answer-✅Difficulty removing
appointments. Strong in general appointment power and in line-item veto power in
Texas. Strong in the informal powers that the executive is the face of the government
and the public looks to them as the problem solver. Current governors are strong
because of the strong Republican influence in Texas.
/.How was Sam Houston the George Washington of Texas? - Answer-✅Military leader.
Made popularity rose and eclipsed Stephen F Austen. Allowed him to become the first
president.
