Texas Government 2306 Handout Assignments
The governor's annual salary is approximately
$150,000
To win a house seat in the Texas Legislature one must raise an average of
$378,416
To win a senate seat in the Texas legislature one must rains an average of
$656,908
What is a legislator's annual salary?
$7,200 plus $150 per day for expenses for both regular and special sessions
What effect has the increasing cost of campaigns had on the gubernatorial election
It has prevented many good potential candidates from running because of the burden of raising funds.
The first woman elected governor in Texas was
Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson
Which is NOT a formal qualification to become governor? Must be 30 Must be an American citizen Must be a citizen of Texas for 5 years Must be a registered voter
Must be a registered voter
The most distinctive characteristic of the Texas administration is
No one is officially in charge of the administrative apparatus
Candidates for speaker are required to file a complete statement of loans, campaign contribution, and expenditures with which of the following?
Secretary of State.
Which committee is NOT an ad hoc committee?
Standing committee
Which of the following is NOT an argument against having short-term biennial session in Texas? It tends to work against deliberative, orderly legislative practice. Texas legislators cannot possibly acquaint themselves with the immense volume of legislation presented to them. Too much legislation gets passed at the end of the session with legislators knowing little about what they are passing. Texans believe that the legislature does more good than harm; therefore, a longer session is better.
Texans believe that the legislature does more good than harm; therefore, a longer session is better.
Rendering opinions on law and serving as the state's representative in civil cases is the
Texas Attorney General
Which of the following executives is NOT appointed by the governor? Texas Attorney General Adjutant General, Texas Military Forces Texas Secretary of State Director, Office of State-Federal Relations
Texas Attorney General
How often do Texas's legislators meet?
Texas legislators meet for 140 days every other year.
The governor's main constitutional powers over the legislature include
The veto and the authority to call and set the agenda for special sessions.
How do the staggered terms of state boards and commissioners affect the governor?
A governor has to wait at least 2 years to get majorities favoring his or her policies on most boards
To override a governor's veto, what is required?
A two-thirds vote from each chamber
Which group is the most underrepresented in the legislature relative to their percentages in the general population? Hispanics Asians Females All of the above
All of the above
the attorney general is the lawyer for which of the following? State officials State board members State agencies All of the above
All of the above
Which statement about Texas's executive branch is INCORRECT? Texas has a plural executive Elected officials are directly responsible to the governor The governor shares executive power with several independently elected executives and boards The constitutional and statutory requirement that several administrators be elected was a deliberate effort to decentralize administrative power.
Elected officials are directly responsible to the governor
Which of the following statements about the Texas attorney general's advisory opinions is INCORRECT? Government officials usually do not follow these opinions as they are not binding. If an official ignores the opinions, the attorney general will not defend thee action in court. Advisory opinions are technically not legally binding, but they carry great wight in Texas government. The attorney general has the power to give an opinion that a law or practice does or does not violate other laws or practices of the Texas or US constitution.
Government officials usually do not follow these opinions as they are not binding.
Which of the following is NOT a formal qualification to becoming a member of the Texas House of Reps. Being a US citizen Being at least 21 Having lived in Texas for 5 years prior to being elected Having lived in the district for one year prior to being elected.
Having lived in Texas for 5 years prior to being elected
Which of the following is NOT a formal qualification to become a state senator of Texas? Being a registered voter Being US citizen Being at least 26 years old Having lived in the state for 5 years, as well as 5 years in the district which he or she seeks election.
Having lived in the state for 5 years, as well as 5 years in the district which he or she seeks election.
Why was Governor James E. Ferguson impeached and convicted in 1917?
He was accused of misuse of public funds following his call for and unnecessary session
The governor may NOT make a vacancy appointment to which position? US Senator from Texas Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Comptroller of pubic accounts Member of the Texas legislature.
Member of the Texas legislature.
The term "plural executive" refers to the fact that in Texas
Most top executive officials are elected
If the office of the governor is vacated, who assumes the office after the lieutenant governor?
Pro tempore of the Senate
Which of the following is NOT a primary function of the Texas Attorney General. Representing the state in conflicts with the national government. Representing the state in legal conflicts with governments of the states Prosecuting the most criminal cases in Texas Initiating lawsuits against corporations for consumer protection.
Prosecuting the most criminal cases in Texas
What led Texans to work to limit the power of the governor with the Constitution of 1876?
Radical Reconstruction policies and the abuse of the Governor Davis administration.
An item veto allows the governor to do which of the following?
Remove funds for specific items or projects without killing the entire bill
Though historical records on gubernatorial vetoes are not complete, so far Governor ________, having vetoed 259 bills, seems to hold the record.
Rick Perry
Which of the following individuals is NOT a member of thee Legislative Redistricting Board? Speaker of the House Attorney General Commissioner of the General Land Office Secretary of State
Secretary of State
By executive order, Governor Rick Perry directed the __________ to serve as his liaison for Texas border and Mexican affairs.
Secretary of state
Which state official is keeper of the Seal of the State?
Secretary of state
The lieutenant governor serves as president of the
Senate
All Texas legislators are elected using
Single-member districts.
which committee acts as screening mechanisms to filter out bad bills or bills that have little or no political support?
Standing
A salary increase for legislators and the lieutenant governor is determined by the
Texas Ethics Commission and the voters.
Which of the following statements about Texas's population is incorrect? 37% of Texas population is Hispanic Currently, 45% of the Texas population consist of non-Hispanic whites. Texas is the only state with a majority minority population. 12% of Texas population are African American and 4% Asian.
Texas is the only state with a majority minority population
What are the terms for office for members of the legislature?
Texas senators are elected for 4-year staggered terms; reps are elected for 2-year terms.
The main source of the powers of the lieutenant governor is
legislative
Those officials who are in the line of succession to the governorship include the
lieutenant governor, president pro tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House, attorney general, chief justices fo the fourteen courts of appeals.
The governor's budgetary power is
limited, as he or she has to submit a budget to the legislature along with the LLB
The Texas governor lacks ___ power that is available to many other chief executives, including the president of the US
pocket veto
The most visible individuals in the Texas legislature are the
presiding officers
The revenues from the management of public lands are dedicated to the Permanent School Fund, which benefit
public schools
The redrawing of district and precinct lines following the national census to reflect population changes defines
reapportionment
Board and commission members are appointed to serve a term of ___-year staggered terms
six
Subcommittees are divisions of
standing committees
The executive branch of government can be grouped according to the following offices EXCEPT singled-elected administrator single-appointed executive tenure administrator multimember board or commission
tenure administrator
Texas state administrative officers can get their positions by all of the following methods EXCEPT Appointed ex-officio elected tenured
tenured
The commissioner of the General Land Office is elected to a
term of 4 years
Texas has a plural executive, which means that
the governor shares executive power with several other independently elected executives and boards
The governor may be removed from office only by impeachment with conviction by
the senate
To run for governor, the constitution says a candidate must be
thirty years old and a resident of Texas for 5 years
Because of the plural executive, it is difficult
to coordinate an integrated policy
The governor's power in Texas compared to other states is categorized as
weak
Compared to those of other states, the governor of Texas has
weaker executive and administrative powers
Which group is the most underrepresented in the Texas Legislature?
Women
The governor has the authority to veto a bill for up to
10 days during a session and 20 days after adjournment.
The Texas legislature is made up of how many members?
181
The governor can postpone executions, but only for
30 days
Texas is divided into how many state senatorial districts?
31
The commissioner of agriculture is elected for ___ to oversee the Texas Department of Agriculture.
4 years
Which of the following statements best describes a Texas governor's term in office?
4 years per term, with no limit on the number of terms
The comptroller is elected to a
4-year term, with no limit on the number of terms they may serve.
The attorney general is elected to a
4-year term, with no term limits
The Texas legislature ranks ___ in the percentage of lawmakers with a college degree?
5th
In the history of Texas, the only other female governor other than Miriam Ferguson was
Ann Richards
The procedural powers of the presiding officers of the legislature are those that
Are directly related to the legislative process.
Constitutionally, a state-of-the-state message must be given by the governor
At the beginning of each legislative session
The system of officials and their employees administering or managing government policies and programs is called
Bureaucracy
What is the most important constitutional duty for the comptroller of public accounts?
Certifying the approximate biennial revenue for the state
Which of the following officials is responsible for supervising the leasing of state-owned land?
Commissioner of General Land Office
Which state official is responsible for certifying the state's income and has the responsibility of being the chief tax collector?
Comptroller of public accounts
which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture? Checking the accuracy of scales in meat markets Administering the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority. Conducting research, educational, and regulatory activities relating to agriculture. Coordinating pesticide management policies and programs.
Coordinating pesticide management policies and programs.
The Agriculture Resources Protection Authority is responsible for
Coordination of pesticide management policies and programs for the Department of Agriculture an several other state agencies.
Once a special session of the legislature has been called, the agenda is determined by the
governor
A governor can be removed from office through impeachment proceedings initiated in the
House and conviction by the Senate
Which profession is the most frequently represented in the US legislature?
Law
Should the Texas legislature fail to redistrict, the state constitution provides for the function to be performed by the
Legislative Redistricting Board
The line of succession places which official next in line, should the governor vacate the office?
Lieutenant Governor
What characterizes the governor's appointed powers?
The governor's powers are constrained because of staggered terms and the plural executive.
Which two individuals are the presiding officers of the state legislature?
The lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house
The Texas Constitution requires the Speaker of the House to be selected by
The majority of the membership of the House.
Which of the following best describes a bureaucracy?
The system of non elected officials administrating government policies and programs
The most visible office in the state is that of the
governor
All of the following are administrative or executive functions EXCEPT when a police officer writes a ticket When taxes are collected when the state licenses doctors When law are passed.
When law are passed.
Which statement about females in the Texas House of Reps is correct
Women have a higher percentage of representation in the House than in the Senate.
The primary qualification for winning legislative office is
access to money
If the governor neither signs nor vetoes a bill during the allotted time, it
becomes a law without his signature.
The legislature has the constitutional power to override the governor's veto
by a 2/3 vote
A special session
can be called any number of times by the governor and last for 30 days
Senatorial ___ is an unwritten norm that allows a senator to block the governor's nomination of an individual who lives in the senator's district.
courtesy
Members fo the Legislative Redistricting Board are made up of
ex-officios
A plural executive is a
fragmented system of authority under which most statewide, executive officeholders are elected independently of the governor
