Chapter 7- State Legislatures
Terms:
Bicameral- having two chambers
Unicameral- having one chamber
Single-member districts- legislative district in which only one legislator from the same chamber
serves
Multi-member districts- legislative districts that elect more than one representative
Legislative professionalism- when a legislature is established largely to be a full-time body, with
members who are paid a living wage, have plenty of staff, and believe that legislating is their
primary job
Citizen legislatures- state legislature that is largely a part-time body, whose members are paid a
modest salary, have little staff, meet infrequently, and are expected to have other careers and
interests
Swing states- states that are closely contested by the parties
Divided government- when two of the three legs of the legislative process are controlled by
different parties
Term limits- requirement that a person can be elected to a certain office only for a specified
number of terms or years
Redistricting- redrawing of political districts, as required after each census in order to keep them
equal in population
Gerrymandering- process of drawing governmental district boundaries for political advantage
Voting rights Act of 1965- designed to remove racial barriers to voting; gave federal government
authority over local voter registration procedures in several southern states
Cracking- dispersing a party’s voters among many districts so it will win fewer district races
,Packing- concentrating one party’s voters into a few districts so as to waste those votes over fifty
percent, allowing the other party to win more district races
Standing committee- legislative committee that evaluates legislation on a particular area of
policy
Bill’s sponsor- legislator who proposes that a bill be considered by his or her chamber
Chamber floor- where or when the members of one chamber meet as a group to debate and vote
on legislation
Amend- to modify a bill in the lawmaking process
Gatekeeping- determining which questions and decisions will and will not be considered
Roll call- when legislators are required to cast a recorder vote on a bill or motion, whether in a
committee or on the chamber floor
Conference committee- temporary legislative committee made up of equal members of the senate
and house who meet to reconcile the differences between the versions of a bill passed by the two
chambers and to propose a single version for both chambers to consider
Override- when legislature passes a law despite a gubernatorial veto, usually by a supermajority
vote in each chamber
Supermajority- portion of the vote that is greater than one-half; in legislatures, this usually comes
out to a number such as two-thirds or three-fifths
Implementation- execution of government agencies of laws passed by the legislature
Legislative intent- what the legislature meant for a piece of legislation to do when it passed it
State auditor- high-ranking official who heads a unit that conducts financial and program
evaluations of state agencies, both routinely and in response to legislative requests
Ex post oversight- when the legislature investigates how well an agency is carrying out the intent
of a law
, Pork barrel- government spending that is focused on a single geographic area; derogatory term
that suggest such spending is wasteful and politically motivated
Collective action problems- problem of coordinating a group of people to achieve a common
goal
Caucus- used by parties to nominate candidates, with party members informally meeting,
deliberating, and casting their vote for a particular candidate
What are the three main jobs of state legislatures?
The first job is lawmaking, deliberating on the public problems of the state and then making or
modifying state law to address them. The second job is overseeing the executive branch,
checking to make sure that agencies are executing policy as originally intended. The third job is
representation, representing the interests of the state’s residents to its government.
How does a bill become a law in VA?
A bill is first introduced in the Senate or the House of Delegates. The bill is then referred to a
committee that will hold a public hearing and vote on whether the bill should be advanced to
chamber floor. Upon reaching the chamber floor, a bill is subject to amendment and debate.
After amendment and debate, there is a vote on the bill. If the bill is passed, it goes to the
opposite chamber where the process is repeated. If the other chamber approves a different
version, a conference committee meets to design a bill that can pass both chambers. Should the
compromised bill pass both chambers, it is sent to the governor for approval or veto. With a veto,
the bill may be passed with a two-thirds vote in both houses.
How do state legislatures oversee the executive branch?
One way is stating clearly in the legislation what an agency is supposed to do so that there is less
discretion in executing policy. A second way is helping constituents who are having trouble with
the state government as this casework can call attention to problems with an agency. Another
way is having administrative rules review committees review the many regulations that agencies
issue to make sure that the agency is following legislative intent. One other way is the state
auditor evaluating an agency.
Terms:
Bicameral- having two chambers
Unicameral- having one chamber
Single-member districts- legislative district in which only one legislator from the same chamber
serves
Multi-member districts- legislative districts that elect more than one representative
Legislative professionalism- when a legislature is established largely to be a full-time body, with
members who are paid a living wage, have plenty of staff, and believe that legislating is their
primary job
Citizen legislatures- state legislature that is largely a part-time body, whose members are paid a
modest salary, have little staff, meet infrequently, and are expected to have other careers and
interests
Swing states- states that are closely contested by the parties
Divided government- when two of the three legs of the legislative process are controlled by
different parties
Term limits- requirement that a person can be elected to a certain office only for a specified
number of terms or years
Redistricting- redrawing of political districts, as required after each census in order to keep them
equal in population
Gerrymandering- process of drawing governmental district boundaries for political advantage
Voting rights Act of 1965- designed to remove racial barriers to voting; gave federal government
authority over local voter registration procedures in several southern states
Cracking- dispersing a party’s voters among many districts so it will win fewer district races
,Packing- concentrating one party’s voters into a few districts so as to waste those votes over fifty
percent, allowing the other party to win more district races
Standing committee- legislative committee that evaluates legislation on a particular area of
policy
Bill’s sponsor- legislator who proposes that a bill be considered by his or her chamber
Chamber floor- where or when the members of one chamber meet as a group to debate and vote
on legislation
Amend- to modify a bill in the lawmaking process
Gatekeeping- determining which questions and decisions will and will not be considered
Roll call- when legislators are required to cast a recorder vote on a bill or motion, whether in a
committee or on the chamber floor
Conference committee- temporary legislative committee made up of equal members of the senate
and house who meet to reconcile the differences between the versions of a bill passed by the two
chambers and to propose a single version for both chambers to consider
Override- when legislature passes a law despite a gubernatorial veto, usually by a supermajority
vote in each chamber
Supermajority- portion of the vote that is greater than one-half; in legislatures, this usually comes
out to a number such as two-thirds or three-fifths
Implementation- execution of government agencies of laws passed by the legislature
Legislative intent- what the legislature meant for a piece of legislation to do when it passed it
State auditor- high-ranking official who heads a unit that conducts financial and program
evaluations of state agencies, both routinely and in response to legislative requests
Ex post oversight- when the legislature investigates how well an agency is carrying out the intent
of a law
, Pork barrel- government spending that is focused on a single geographic area; derogatory term
that suggest such spending is wasteful and politically motivated
Collective action problems- problem of coordinating a group of people to achieve a common
goal
Caucus- used by parties to nominate candidates, with party members informally meeting,
deliberating, and casting their vote for a particular candidate
What are the three main jobs of state legislatures?
The first job is lawmaking, deliberating on the public problems of the state and then making or
modifying state law to address them. The second job is overseeing the executive branch,
checking to make sure that agencies are executing policy as originally intended. The third job is
representation, representing the interests of the state’s residents to its government.
How does a bill become a law in VA?
A bill is first introduced in the Senate or the House of Delegates. The bill is then referred to a
committee that will hold a public hearing and vote on whether the bill should be advanced to
chamber floor. Upon reaching the chamber floor, a bill is subject to amendment and debate.
After amendment and debate, there is a vote on the bill. If the bill is passed, it goes to the
opposite chamber where the process is repeated. If the other chamber approves a different
version, a conference committee meets to design a bill that can pass both chambers. Should the
compromised bill pass both chambers, it is sent to the governor for approval or veto. With a veto,
the bill may be passed with a two-thirds vote in both houses.
How do state legislatures oversee the executive branch?
One way is stating clearly in the legislation what an agency is supposed to do so that there is less
discretion in executing policy. A second way is helping constituents who are having trouble with
the state government as this casework can call attention to problems with an agency. Another
way is having administrative rules review committees review the many regulations that agencies
issue to make sure that the agency is following legislative intent. One other way is the state
auditor evaluating an agency.
