There are many aspects of the structure of the legislative process that limit the ability of the Texas legislature to pass bills and resolve important issues. Identify and discuss the primary structural barriers that make lawmaking difficult in Texas, and suggest what could be done to overcome those barriers.
What will be an ideal response?
The ideal answer should include:
1. The Texas legislature meets only once every two years for 140 days. The Texas constitution could be amended to call for an annual meeting or biannual meetings. In addition, the constitution could be amended to increase the length of sessions and/or allow the legislative leadership to call special sessions, something that only the governor can do.
2. The pay of $600 per month was established to force lawmakers to go home as quickly as possible. A constitutional amendment could be adopted that increases the pay sufficiently to make the legislature a professional legislature and thus be more attuned to lawmaking as a career.
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Max Weber identified which of the following as a characteristic of an ideal bureaucracy?
a. inefficiency b. transparency c. consensus-making d. task specialization
Presidents have to spend time leading the legislature in order to gain support for their initiatives because the American system is one of __________
a. limited power b. equal power c. shared powers d. diminishing power e. unlimited power
Which of the following is true regarding gender inequality and women's rights?
a. Cultural traditions regarding women in Islamic countries are inherently evil. b. The International Criminal Court did not confirm sexual enslavement as a war crime until 2001. c. There has been little progress in legislation protecting women's rights over the past decade. d. All of these are true.
Some analysts try to predict how likely a policy issue will be placed on the agenda for action. Policy issues that have ______ have the best chances to be placed on a public agenda.
A. low conflict and high saliency B. high conflict and high saliency C. low conflict and high risk D. high conflict and high reward