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There are 3 primary features of the Treaty of Cordoba. What is the 1st?
Mexico will be an independent constitutional monarchy
There are 3 primary features of the Treaty of Cordoba. What is the 2nd?
Roman Catholicism would be the official religion of Mexico
There are 3 primary features of the Treaty of Cordoba. What is the 3rd?
Mexicans of Spanish decent would be given greater rights than Mexicans of mixed or pure Indian blood
What did the Treaty of Cordoba do?
Granted Mexico freedom from Spain
What was the Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas?
The first constitution of Texas, formed after Mexico's Independence from Spain after Texas and Coahuila were combined
What 3 main items were under the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas?
Limit Slavery
Promote Education
Freedom of the Press
What type of Legislature was under the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas?
Unicameral
What was the official religion under the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas?
Roman Catholicism
What year did Texas gain independence from Mexico?
1836
Who was absent from the battle of the Alamo?
Sam Houston
What constitution did EJ Davis use to still declare himself Governor of Texas after losing the election?
Constitution of 1869
What year was the Current Constitution of Texas Written?
Constitution of 1876
Which TX Amendment was passes before the United States?
Women's Suffrage (19th)
How many amendments have been made to the Current Texas Constitution?
491
How many articles are in the current Texas Constitution?
17
What are the 2 main differences between the Texas and United States Bill of Rights?
Texas clearly defines Republican Government
Texas includes policy areas that they find important (oil, gas, monopolies)
What is written in the first Article of the Texas Constitution?
The Bill of Rights
What is the term used for when Texas embodies areas of the US Bill of Rights into their own?
Selective Incorporation
How does the Texas Constitution define a Republican Government?
A representative democracy where the power is derived from the people
What is written in the Second Article of the Texas Constitution?
The powers of the Texas Gov't ( 3 branches with separation of powers)
What is written in the Third Article of the Texas Constitution?
The Legislative Branch
Which article in the Texas Constitution is the longest?
3
What type of legislature is described under the 3rd article?
bicameral
How many members are in the Texas Senate?
31
Who leads the Texas Senate?
Lieutenant Governor
How many years do TX senators serve for?
4
How old do you have to be to run for TX Senator?
26
How many years must you be a TX citizen to run for TX Senator?
5
How many years must you be a citizen of your district to run for TX Senator?
1
How may members are in the TX House of Representatives?
150
What are the rules for the number of TX House of Rep. members?
Based on population, but there are to be no more than 150 members. (we have 150 and will have that no matter of population increase)
Who leads the TX House?
The Speaker of the House
How many years do TX HOR serve for?
2
How many years must you be a TX citizen to run for TX House?
2
How many years must you be a citizen of your district to run for TX House?
1
What are the 2 differences of the TX and US legislative branch articles?
TX establishes limitations on what legislators can do
TX addresses areas of important policy
What 2 things does the TX constitution limit legislators on?
their salaries
TX Ethics Commission
Is the TX governor weak or strong?
weak
What does Article 4 discuss?
Executive Dept
What is Texas' executive department best thought of as?
Texas' Cabinet
What kind of executive does Texas have?
plural executive
What is a plural executive?
the role of one leader is split among several
Who is the Texas Governor?
Greg Abbott
What does the TX Governor do?
Chief executive
how often is the TX Governor elected?
every 4 years
who elects the TX Governor
The people
Who is the Texas Lieutenant Governor?
Dan Patrick
Which TX executive is the most powerful
Lt Governor
how often is the TX Lt Governor elected?
every four years
What does the TX Lt Governor do?
President of the Senate
Who is the TX Secretary of State?
David Whitely
who elects the TX Lt Governor
the people
who elects the TX Secretary of State
appointed by the governor
what does the TX Secretary of State do?
Chief election officer
Who is the TX Comptroller
Glen Hager
What does the TX Comptroller do?
chief financial officer, makes sure the budget is balanced
What does the TX General Land Commissioner do?
State Assets (buildings, land, etc) and mineral rights
Who is the TX General Land Commissioner?
George P Bush
what does the TX Attorney General do?
serves as the attorney in TX matters
Who is the TX Attorney General?
Ken Paxton
What does Article 5 of the Texas constitution cover?
The Judicial Branch
What is the name of a TX amendment to the constitution
joint resolution
what amount of votes in the legislature must a resolution receive to pass to the people
2/3 in each chamber
what vote of people must pass a resolution for it to pass
majority
1974 Sharpstown incident
TX Constitution in 1974 after several executives were indicted on bribery charges
1974 Sharpstown incident
The new TX constitution failed by 3 votes
What did tort reform do
limit the amount of money won in civil cases
what year was tort reform passed
2003
what recent amendment was passed in 2005
marriage was only recognized between a man and a woman
What is regular session
when TX Legislature meets regularly
when is regular session
odd number years
how many days is regular session
140
what type of schedule does regular session follow?
biennial (every 2 years)
what time of the year is regular session held?
January-June
What is special session
called to come back if issues are not taken care of during the regular session or arise during the break
who calls a special session
The Governor
how long does one special session last?
30 days
how many special sessions can be called
unlimited
What does the judicial campaign fairness act of 1995 do?
Limit the amount of money that can be donated to a candidate by an individual and by law firms
how much money can be donated to a candidate from a law firm?
30000
What is the base pay for TX Legislators?
7200
How extra much do Legislators get paid per day during session
190
What is the average total pay for a legislator during session
33000
How can legislators request extra money over base pay when not in session?
they are allowed to claim up to 12 days a month for capitol related matters
what is the max salary for a legislator out of session year?
34000
Who elects the Speaker of the House?
The House itself
is the lieutenant governor a member of the senate?
no
What powers does the Lt Gov have over the Senate?
Controls docket
appoints committee chairs
What powers does the Speaker have over the HOR?
appoints committee chairs
recognition
what is recognition of the Speaker
speaker can control how long a debate is for a bill and who they recognize on the floor
what is a local bill
a bill affecting only units of local government, such as a city, county, or special district
what is a general bill
a bill that applies to all people and/or property in the state
what is the most common bill type
general
what is a special bill
a bill that gives an individual or corporation a special exemption from state law
what is a resolution?
an expression of opinion on an issue by a chamber
is a resolution a law
no
what is a simple resolution
used to adopt rules, request opinions, appoint employees, or honor achievements in a single chamber
what is a concurrent resoltution
an interest in both chambers that must be passed and given to the governor who then distributes it
what is a joint resolution
a proposal of change to the constitution
can TX make a US law stricter?
yes
can TX make a US law more relaxed?
no
what area issues do more Texas bills encompass?
city & county
what area issues do more US bills encompass?
states as a whole
How many days does the governor have to sign or veto a bill?
10 days during the first 130 days of session
20 days during the last 10
what happens if the Governor fails to act on a bill?
it becomes a law
what must occur to override a Governor's veto?
2/3 vote in each chamber
how many times has a governor's veto been over ridden?
twice in 70 yrs
What is a post adjournment veto?
A veto that occurs after the legislature adjourns thus preventing an override
What is a line-item veto?
veto specific lines of budget bills passed by the legislature
about how much money did Abbott veto from the 2017 budget bill
120 million
what are the two lowest courts in TX
Municipal & Justice
What cases are seen in the TX Municipal courts?
misdemeanors punishable by fines, city violations up to $2000
What cases are seen in the TX Justice courts?
civil actions under $10,000
small claims
What courts have the lowest jurisdiction?
Municipal & Justice
What is the court of Limited Jurisdiction
County Court
What cases are seen in county court?
civil cases $200-$10000
probates (wills)
misdemeanors with fines over 500 or jail time
appeals from lower courts
What is the trial court of Special jurisdiction
divorce
contested probates
felony criminal matters
juvenile criminal matters
appellate court
appeals from county or district courts
what are the highest appellate courts?
Court of criminal appeals and supreme court
what does the court of criminal appeals see?
final appellate jurisdiction for criminal cases
death penalty appeals
how many judges serve in the TX court of criminal appeals?
9
What does the supreme court see?
final appellate jurisdiction for civil and juvenile cases
how many justices serve on the supreme court
9
How are judges selected?
Elected by voters
What happens if a vacancy occurs before election?
The governor will appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the next election
How many years do the highest appellate court justices serve for?
10
How many years do the district court justices serve for?
8
How many years do the county and lower court justices serve for?
4
are TX district and US district courts the same?
no