HONORS GOVT 2302 Final Exam Study List
Dr. Garrison

Spring 2009

Revised 1-19-09

(ocsabtx08/spr09)

 

CONGRESS
O'Connor & Sabato text, chapter 7

Powers of Congress, enumerated powers, implied powers & elastic clause

Constituent role – constitutional amendments

Electoral role – Electoral College

Judicial role – impeachment process

Executive role – Senate only: appointments, treaties                                              

Bicameralism, Great Compromise

The Least Popular Branch

bill of attainder, ex post facto law, habeas corpus
 Edmund Burke, trustee theory

Delegate theory

politicos

representativeness

Congressional elections and voting
 Money & elections, incumbency factor, PAC

Constituency

Pork barrel projects, earmarks

  Home style, casework, franking privilege

Open-seat election

apportionment, Redistricting, single member district,  Baker v. Carr, “One person, one vote,” Wesberry v. Sanders, Miller v. Johnson

Gerrymander, Political, Racial,  Affirmative action
 majority minority districts

Party organization in Congress, Leadership, Speaker of the House, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Whips

Vice President, Senate Majority & Minority leaders

Seniority

Standing committee

Lawmaking function, How a Bill Becomes a Law, bill, hearings, markup, discharge petition, House Rules Committee, Conference committee

Senate floor traditions: filibuster, cloture, germane, rider

Roll-call vote

Congressional Record

 

Statutory law

C-SPAN

Party discipline

Veto – all forms

Representation function

Logrolling

Congressional staff

GAO

Pay & perks

27th Amendment

Career path

Oversight function

Legislative veto
 INS v. Chadha

Party unity

Presidential support

Gridlock

Divided government

Constituency influence

Interest group influence

Customs & norms

reciprocity

Apprenticeship demise

Specialization

Deference

Show horse, workhorse

“To get along, go along.” – Sam Rayburn

Ethics

Expulsion, censure

 

TEXAS LEGISLATURE
 O'Connor & Sabato text chapter 4 & TX chapter 23

“The Best Little Statehouse in Texas”

“Texas Hat Dance”

“A Real Pol: Rodney Ellis”

  • Texas Remapping: League of United Latin American Citizens et al. v. Rick Perry et al., Travis County, Texas et al. v. Rick Perry et al., Eddie Jackson et al. v. Rick Perry et al. and, GI Forum of Texas et al. v. Rick Perry et al. challenges the 2003 congressional redistricting plan in Texas. The plan was designed to give Texas's House delegation a Republican majority to match the state's overall voting preference. After the 2000 census the state's delegation grew from 30 seats to 32, creating a Republican majority in Texas and a boost to GOP control of the House. Opponents of the plan say it is so partisan that it violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection and dilutes Hispanic and black voting strength in some communities.
  • White House Defends Texas's GOP Remapping Plan to Justices, The Post, Feb. 2, 2006

    • Legislative process

    Senatorial courtesy

    Impeachment

    President of the Senate

    Bicameral
    Regular session    , special session

    Terms & qualifications of members

    $7,200

    Per Diem
    single member district, term limits,     Legislative Redistricting Board
         LULAC v. Perry (2006)

    Legislative Budget Board

    Oversight

    Impeachment

    Representativeness
    Representation

    Speaker of the House, speaker's race, speaker's lieutenants, speaker's team

    Lt. Governor

    Legislative Council
    LBB (Legislative Budget Board)

    Committee system

    Substantive committee

    Procedural committee
    Standing committee

    Calendars Committee

    Conference

    Select
    TX House ideological voting patterns
    Legislative Black Caucus
    Mexican American Legislative Caucus
    Senate Hispanic Caucus

    Texas Conservative Coalition

    Vetoes, Appropriations, Line item veto, post adjournment veto
    Senate two-thirds rule    ,     Filibuster

    Party and caucuses

    Ethics
    constitutional amendment

    "Rotten Boroughs" in Texas
     balanced budget, deficit spending, debt, budget execution authority

    SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY
         O'Connor & Sabato text, chapter 17
    social welfare policy

    public policy

    poverty line, in-kind benefits, transfer payment, entitlements

    social insurance

    public assistance, means test

    Equality of opportunity
    Social Security, OASDI, disability insurance, AARP
    CPI
    unemployment insurance, employment, TX Workforce Cmn.
    SSI, AFDC, TANF
    Medicare, Medicaid, universal coverage
    food stamps, Lone Star debit card,

    workfare, Head Start, welfare reform, block grants

    earned income tax credit

    American welfare state compared

    TEXAS --
     Social Services, devolution
    health & human services     DHS
    public education, vouchers

    O'Connor & Sabato text TX chapter 22 & 24 policy pages
         Public Schools
     TEA,     State Board of Education (SBOE) publice school finance, Robin Hood

    School reform Indepdendent school district,

    No pass, no play, TAKS & TAAS tests, Low-performing school

    Colleges & Universities, Permanent University Fund
     

    ECONOMIC POLICY
    O'Connor & Sabato text, chapter 18

    inflation, depression
    welfare state

    laissez-faire

    interventionist state
    economic regulation,     social regulation
    protecting intellectual property

    GDP
     fiscal policy, taxes - progressive, regressive, income, corporate income, FICA, COLA, capital gains, inheritance, flat
    monetary policy, discount rate, reserves, Federal Reserve Bd.
    Keynesians, government spending, taxes, budget deficit, national debt

    regulatory state, deregulation

    Employment Act of 1946

    Budget process - President, Congress, OMB

    uncontrollables, entitlements, indexing

    TEXAS PUBLIC FINANCE
    O'Connor & Sabato text chapter 4 & TX chapter 24
    e    conomic policies, business regulation, oil & gas, TX RR Cmn., PUC
     TX budget, revenues & expenditures,
    balanced budget, biennium, LBB, bonds, Comptroller

    Taxes, regressive, progressive, sales, exemptions, sin, business, franchise, severance, income, payroll, local property tax public school finance, Robin Hood, school reform, ISD, Edgewood v. Kirby, West Cove ISD v. Neeley(2004)
    the lottery
         State Board of Education,     Higher education Coordinating Board

    COMPREHENSIVE
    U. S. Constitution
    judicial review & Marbury v. Madison
    judicial selection systems
    federal courts
    Supreme Court & major cases

    state courts especially Texas courts
    types of law, constitutional law, common law, statutory, administrative
    civil liberties
    Bill of Rights & issues
    First Amendment rights, issues
    civil rights
    14th Amendment
    due process of law

    equal protection of the law

    presidency & governorship - traits, roles
    Cabinet

    plural executive

    executive powers
    veto
    bureaucracy - traits, issues
    impeachment process

    foreign policies - traits, history

    Cold War
    war powers