Texas: The Executive Branch (9) - American Government

How does the legislature override the opinion of the comptroller?

With a nearly impossible four-fifths majority in both houses of the legislature.

Name the comptroller's taxation and budget responsibilities

collecting taxes imposed by the state, facilitating payment of those taxes by providing forms, schedules, and other taxpayer assistance, and returning abandoned money and property.

When did bureaucracy first come around?

in the 19th century

What states' lieutenant governors would be considered weak?

Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Virginia

What is the commissioner of agriculture?

He is the head of the Department of Agriculture who enforces all of Texas's agricultural laws.

What is the land commissioner?

He is the head of the General Land Office and gains power and significance from Texas's large amount of public land and the resources found in them.

What is the Texas attorney general?

He is the state's elected chief lawyer, who is responsible for defending the state in lawsuits and advising other state officials.

What is the comptroller of public accounts?

He is the state's elected chief tax collecter, accountant, estimator of revenues, and treasurer.

Who was Comptroller Robert M. Love?

He was a comptroller who's authority met an abrupt end when he was shot to death as his desk in the capital in 1903.

At what time does the lieutenant governor serve as a member of the Legislative Redistricting Board?

If and when the legislature is unable to approve a redistricting plan for one of the houses.

After World War II, the length of the lieutenant governor's term of office was constitutionally extended from two to four years. What was the effect of this extension?

It allowed lieutenant governors to gain more informal influence and legislative expertise.

What is the Public Utilities Committee responsible for?

It controls the jurisdiction over telephone and electric power companies.

What is the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission responsible for?

It regulates all aspects of the production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic drinks in the state.

Who is the current Texas Attorney General?

Ken Paxton

What does the commissioner of agriculture deal with?

Matters that include licensing, food inspection, animal quarantine laws, disease and pest control, and promotion of exports.

Who is the current education commissioner in Texas?

Mike Morath

What are some of the main duties of the Land commissioner?

Monitoring the environmental quality of public lands and waters and leasing them for mining, grazing, and oil and gas production, as well as operating the veterans' land program.

How is the State Board of Education selected?

Most of its members are elected by voters, but some positions are appointed by the governor when there is a vacant spot and in between elections.

What are the two main characteristics of a perfect bureaucracy?

Operating according to clear, impersonal rules and assigning responsibilities based on technical competence.

What are the two major responsibilities of the Texas Secretary of state?

Overseeing voter registration and keeping records of all debt and Uniform Commercial Code filings.

Who is the current lieutenant governor?

Republican Dan Patrick

Describe the lieutenant governor election of 2014

Republican Dan Patrick defeated Democrat state senator Leticia Van de Putte with over 58 percent of the vote.

Who is the current Texas Secretary of State?

Rolando B. Pablos

What are some examples of taxes imposed by the state that the comptroller must collect?

Sales tax, motor fuel tax, inheritance tax.

Why is revenue from state lands so important?

Texas collects no income tax and uses a portion of oil and gas royalties to fund public education.

Why is the commissioner of agriculture a key position in the plural executive?

Texas is the second leading overall agricultural producer in the United States, behind California.

To what extent does the Texas attorney general handle criminal issues?

The Attorney General supports and advises city and county-level officials in promoting awareness on crime and safety issues.

What office does the land commissioner head?

The General Land Office

What office has been criticized for placing business interests ahead of environmental concerns?

The Land Office

What are two prominent examples of boards that have ex-officio members?

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Public Utilities Commission

Who is responsible for regulating the oil and gas industry in Texas?

The Texas Railroad Commission

How does the power of the Texas lieutenant governor compare to the powers of lieutenant governors in other states?

The Texas lieutenant governor is very strong by comparison.

How is the comptroller of public accounts involved in the Texas budget?

The comptroller provides a revenue forecast and ensures that the budget passed by the legislature is within that revenue estimate.

What does the Texas Constitution designate the State Board of Education?

The duty of implementing a mandate for a free public education system.

What is the TABC's most visible activity?

The enforcement of the legal drinking age of 21.

What has made incumbency more difficult for the lieutenant governor in recent years?

The intense competition between two major parties for the office.

What has been a cause of the lieutenant governors' influence in lawmaking, administration, and public policy growing after WWII?

The length of the office was constitutionally extended from two to four years and it became customary for the lieutenant governor to serve more numerous terms.

What is the Texas secretary of state?

The only constitutional executive branch official appointed by the governor and administers elections and maintains important state records.

What is the balanced budget requirement often referred to as?

The pay-as-you-go principle

What power allows the lieutenant governor to influence the choices the senate makes?

The power to appoint committees to the senate.

Who is the highest-ranking official appointed by the governor in Texas?

The secretary of state

How was the power of the comptroller expanded in 1996?

When the office of treasurer was abolished in 1996, giving the comptroller the responsibilities once held by the treasurer.

Who is the lieutenant governor?

An elected executive official who is both first in line to succeed the governor and the president of the senate, where the office's chief power and authority reside.

What is a revenue forecast?

An estimate of the amount of money that the state expects to receive that is determined by the comptroller.

How long are the land commissioner's terms?

4 years

How long do the 15 board members of the State Board of Education serve terms for?

4 years

How long is the commissioner of Agriculture's term?

4 years

How long is the comptroller's term?

4 years

How long do Ex-officio members serve?

6 year staggered terms

Why does Texas have a sizable bureaucracy (in numerical terms) despite its commitment to small government?

A certain amount of bureaucracy is necessary to establish the basic delivery of goods and services that government provides.

What is the balanced budget requirement and what is the comptroller's role?

A constitutional requirement that the state's spending in each fiscal year not exceed its revenues or income. The comptroller's role is to estimate whether or not the budget passed by the legislature is within his revenue estimate.

Education officials assert that the State Board of Education has no jurisdiction over how local school districts teach the state curriculum. What is evidence against this assertion?

A court order blocked a school district from using the now publicly available lessons produced by CSCOPE.

What is the Texas Railroad Commission?

A publicly elected three-member body that regulates railroads, trucking, mining, and oil and gas production within the state.

What is the primary role of the Texas secretary of state?

Administering elections

Besides Texas, what states have a very strong lieutenant governor?

Alabama, Mississippi, Vermont, Arkansas, and South Carolina.

What states' lieutenant governors' power would be considered very weak?

Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Utah.

What is the State Board of Education?

An elected 15-member body charged with overseeing Texas's system of public education at the primary and secondary levels.

What are main duties of the lieutenant governor?

Appointing committees in the senate, assigning bills to specific senate committees, casting the deciding vote in the case of a tie in the senate, chairing the Legislative Budget Board and the Legislative Council, Vice-chairing the Legislative Audit Committee and the Legislative Education Board, and serving as one of the five members of the Legislative Redistricting board when it convenes.

What states do not have lieutenant governors?

Arizona, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Why is the appointing the committees of the senate a significant power of the lieutenant governor?

Because committees generally control specific policy areas. Therefore, by strategically assigning people who support his policy ideas to certain committees, the lieutenant governor can influence the choices the senate makes.

How come the TRRC is one of the state's most important executive bodies?

Because of the historical importance of oil and gas to the Texas economy, regulatory duties related to this industry have made the office very important.

What are Ex-Officio members?

Board or commission members who automatically serve because of some other position they occupy.

What was the state curriculum now eliminated, once known as and why has it come under fire?

CSCOPE, which has come under fire due to its percieved anti-American lesson plans.

Which states' lieutenant governors' would be considered moderately powerful?

California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Is the role of the attorney general primarily civil or criminal, and how does this differentiate from the national attorney general?

Civil, which differentiates from the national attorney general because the national attorney general often deals with crime.

Who are the current members of the TRRC?

Commissioner Wayne Cristian, Commissioner Ryan Sitton, and Commissioner Christi Craddick.

Who is the current comptroller of public accounts in Texas?

Glenn Hegar

What states' lieutenant governors would be considered strong?

Connecticut and South Dakota

Who served as lieutenant governor before Patrick and for how long?

David Dewhurst, who served three terms from 2003 to 2015.

What resource is most common that the land commissioner finds?

Energy

How long is the attorney general's term?

Four years

Who is the current land commissioner and when was he elected?

George P. Bush, Republican, 2014

What is the result of bureaucracies relying on complex procedures to make sure that laws are consistent and fair across a wide range of situations?

There is an inherent degree of red tape involved in bureaucracies, which tends to make citizens frustrated because things often take longer than expected.

How are bureaucracies central to modern life and what are they often blamed for?

They are necessary for carrying out complex tasks within our industrialized democratic societies, yet they are often blamed for shortcomings in social and technical progress.

Describe the terms of members of the Texas Railroad Commmission

They serve staggered six year terms.

How did people obtain bureaucratic jobs in the 19th century?

They were awarded based on political allegiance.

Why is the state bureaucracy decentralized?

To disperse power

What is the purpose of state bureaucracy?

To provide services to the population and to implement state policies.

What would the power of the Vice President be considered?

Weak

What is the impact of the attorney general on public policy?

When the attorney general issues an opinion on public policy, his opinions have the force of law.