Gov Test 2

अब Quizwiz के साथ अपने होमवर्क और परीक्षाओं को एस करें!

According to the Texas Judicial Campaign Fairness Act, what dollar amount is an individual limited to when donating to a statewide judicial candidate?

$5,000

According to ALEC's own reporting, approximately how of the 826 introduced pieces of legislation based on their proposals ended up becoming law in 2009?

0.14

Each county has at least how many district courts?

1

By 2017, what percentage of appellate judges are Latinos?

15

How old does someone have to be to serve in the Texas House?

21 years old

By 2017, what percentage of district judges in Texas were women?

35

According to Brace and Hall, how many more cases to state supreme courts decide each year compared to the US Supreme Court?

700 times as many

Each member of the Texas Senate represents about ___________ people, while each member of the Texas House represents about_________ people

811,000; 168,000

How many justices sit on the Texas Supreme Court?

9

In Texas, approximately how many criminal convictions are the result of plea bargains?

97

What is the main difference between a home-rule city and a general-law city?

A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons

What is the main difference between a special purpose district and a county?

A special purpose district provides only one specific service within a geographic region

Which French author understood and appreciated the instability of majoritarian, American politics and the role that courts and law played in the American political system?

Alexis de Tocqueville

A 2014 survey-based research study finds that elected officials may primarily use incentives -- even if they are not particularly effective -- for which of the following reasons?

As a political tool in pursuit of electoral success

Former governor Rick Perry used to use radio advertisements in an effort to recruit businesses primarily from which of the following states?

California

By the early 1980s, judicial candidates in Texas made a mass change in their campaign strategies. What was that change?

Candidates began making a switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party

The ________ is the oldest state agency in Texas

General Land Office

Which of the following Texas cities received the largest amount of foreign direct investment between 2014 and 2016?

Houston

In Texas, what is the primary effect of a plural executive?

It dilutes the power of the governor and fragments the executive branch

What is a key problem with counties in Texas?

Many of them are too small and underpopulated to function well

Existing evidence suggests that incentives have ___ on a business' decision to build or relocate in a particular locality

Marginal effects

What is the level of popularity of the commissioner system of city government in Texas today?

No city in Texas today has a pure commissioner system, but a handful claim a variation of the system

The concept of Devolution (in Federalism) has primarily had which of the following effects on state courts, and state courts of last resort in particular?

State courts of last resort have seen a growth in their role in policymaking

Authority over railroads throughout Texas was given to the ________ in 2005

Texas Department of Transportation

What is considered unique about the appellate court structure in Texas?

Texas has separate appellate courts for civil and criminal cases

In Texas, ________ create(s) special purpose districts

Texas voters in the areas that will be covered

Before 1978, partisanship was not a factor in Texas judicial elections because

Texas was effectively a one-party state

What was the effect of Dallas shifting from an at-large to a single

The change was responsible for the election of a significant number of African American and Hispanic council members

What happens in a bench trial?

The defendant gives up his or her constitutional right to a trial by jury. Instead, the trial is conducted with only the judge

Which of the following is true with respect to the rate at which sitting judges face challengers in nonpartisan judicial elections?

The number of sitting judges who faced a challenger almost doubled between 1990 and 2000

For how long does the Texas legislature meet?

The regular legislative session lasts 140 days in odd-numbered years.

Why did the Texas Constitution establish a plural executive?

There was suspicion of a strong chief executive

What is the function of the twenty-four councils of government in Texas today?

They are a regional board meant to coordinate local planning and economic development

How are most special purpose districts in Texas administered?

They are run by a board elected by residents within the district

Why are Texas counties important?

They provide the main form of government in rural areas.

Why is it difficult for voters to learn about judicial candidates in Texas?

Voters are called upon to vote for too many different judicial races in a single election

Which of the following is an example of a case that would most likely be heard in criminal court?

a case in which a student has vandalized cars in a school parking lot

"Pigeonholing" is a practice in which

a committee chair sets aside a bill

A school district is

a special purpose district

In a criminal trial,

a unanimous verdict is needed to find a defendant guilty or not guilty.

County judges who preside over county commissioners' courts are responsible for

administering county governments

In Texas, county governments are responsible for which of the following tasks?

administration of social services

What is an at-large election?

an election in which voters elect officials from the entire geographical area rather than from a smaller district within the area

The lieutenant governor is

an official who is elected in a statewide election for a four-year term

The chief lawyer for Texas is the

attorney general

In large Texas counties, the ________ prepares the county budget.

auditor

In criminal cases, the prosecutor must prove that the defendant is guilty

beyond a reasonable doubt

The Texas legislature is a

bicameral body consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate

Under the Senate Rules, the lieutenant governor has the power to

break a tie on any vote

Cities and towns in Texas often see rapid population growth. Such growth requires school districts to quickly expand. In this type of situation, school districts use __________________ to borrow the necessary funds to achieve this goal.

capital appreciation bonds (CABs)

The chief financial officer for a city is called the

city controller

What types of cases does the Texas Supreme Court hear?

civil appeals

The state attorney general is primarily concerned with

civil cases

Which city governments have officials who act as both executives and legislators?

commissioners

Who is responsible for setting the county's budget and tax rate?

commissioners' court

A(n) ________ is the presentation of a grievance by the plaintiff in a civil case.

complaint

A ________ form of government is one in which public policies are developed by the city council and executive and administrative functions are assigned to a professional city manager

council manager

Across the United States, which form of government for cities with over 10,000 residents has been the most popular?

council manager

Dallas operates under which style of city government?

council-manager

San Antonio operates under which style of city government?

council-manager

The law enforcement budget at the county level is approved by the

county commissioners' court

In Texas, what is the name of the officer who presides over the county commissioners' court?

county judge

In what type of court would a justice of the peace handle minor criminal cases, less serious civil suits, and traffic/parking violations?

court of limited jurisdiction

The debate over preemption between local self-governance and control by the state government echoes which of the following

debates between the state governments and the federal government about which level of government should make governing decisions

Special purpose districts in Texas are

democratic in theory but often not in practice

Civil law focuses on __________________, while criminal law focuses on __________________.

disputes about relationships, obligations, and responsibilities; violations of codes of right and wrong as determined by criminal statutes

The major trial courts in Texas are

district courts

The state comptroller has two major duties: collecting tax revenue for the state and

estimating future revenue

In Texas, what is the most important power of the state comptroller?

estimating state revenues for the legislature

In spite of judicial campaigns, voters often know little about judicial candidates. As a result, they vote

for the party label

District courts usually have ________ jurisdiction, meaning that they hear a broad range of civil and criminal cases.

general

Which is the most important bill that applies to all people and property throughout the state?

general bill

According to the Dillon Rule doctrine

general-law cities and towns are much more constrained than home-rule cities, and cannot take any action unless explicitly authorized by a law passed by the state.

Special bills are used to

give an individual or corporation an exemption from state law

In order to be eligible to serve on either the Texas Supreme Court or the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, you must

have been either a judge or practicing lawyer for at least 10 years

As the number of urban areas grew in the state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the management of local affairs became such a growing burden on the state legislature that it passed the

home-rule charter

The commissioner form of city government was developed as a response to the

hurricane at Galveston in 1900

Commissioner forms of government were at the height of their popularity

in 1918, during the Progressive era

The legislative powers of the governor

include the ability to veto bills and to call special sessions of the legislature

One of the most important social services provided by counties is

indigent health care

The governor's power of appointment is the most significant of the executive powers because it allows the governor to appoint

individuals to numerous agencies, commissions, and boards in Texas

The Speaker of the Texas House

is considered the most important elected official in state policy making

If a bill passes the House and the Senate, but in different forms, the bill

is sent to a conference committee

The State Bar of Texas is a unique organization because

it is a professional organization, but it also performs functions on behalf of the government, such as licensing and disciplining members

One reason why there are few minority judges in Texas is that

judicial districts are often quite large and dominated by whites who vote against minority judicial candidates

Which court's justices are the least likely to be lawyers?

justice of the peace

Which judicial office has existed in Texas since 1837, even before statehood?

justice of the peace

The president of the Texas Senate is also the

lieutenant governor of Texas

The Texas Judicial Campaign Fairness Act

limits the amount of campaign contributions a judicial candidate can receive from an individual donor

The governor has some control over the final appropriations bill through the use of the ________ veto.

line-item

Gubernatorial elections are held in off-years (election years in which we do not select a president) because state leaders want to

minimize the effect of presidential elections on the governor's race

Which of the following is a court of limited civil jurisdiction within the Texas state court system?

municipal court

If you live outside city limits, water, sewer, sanitation, and electricity services are offered by

municipal utility districts (MUDs)

How many states also have in place a campaign fairness act similar to that of Texas's Judicial Campaign Fairness Act?

none: Texas is the only one

Texas officially uses which method to select state judges?

partisan election

What makes the greatest difference between strong and weak governors of Texas?

personality differences

A person who files a civil lawsuit against another party is called a

plaintiff

The weak-mayor form of government is similar to the __________________ because they both ________________.

plural executive; divide power among multiple people who can present the positions of their constituencies

In civil cases, the burden is on the plaintiff, and the standard that must be met is known as

preponderance of the evidence

What are the main sources of revenue for special purpose districts in Texas?

property taxes and user fees

A merit election plan would

provide for an appointment process, and then when the term has been served, the judge would seek retention in an election with no opponents listed

Special purpose districts were initially designed to help develop poor and rural areas of Texas. However, many people are now concerned that the system is being abused because

real estate developers have figured out a way to develop the infrastructure for new developments but pass the costs on to future owners of the property

The Texas Department of Insurance

regulates the insurance market in Texas under the guidance of an appointed commissioner who serves a two-year term

What types of resolutions are acted on without debate and without requiring members to read the resolution?

resolutions of honor or recognition

The legislature has "directive and supervisory powers" that include the ability to

review each state agency every twelve years

The Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals have appellate jurisdiction, which means they have the authority to do what?

review the decisions of lower courts to determine whether legal principles and court procedures were followed correctly

What is the most important expenditure of most county commissioners' courts?

roads and bridges

Which member of the plural executive is appointed by the governor rather than elected by the people?

secretary of state

The chief law-enforcement officer in county governments is the

sheriff

The mayor-council form of government is most common in

smaller general-law cities

What type of government is called hidden government because people often do NOT know it exists?

special purpose districts

Which of the following is the most common form of local government in Texas?

special purpose districts

Veterans' courts, DWI courts, and drug courts are types of

specialty courts

Courts that can review matters relating to the disposition of property of deceased people are referred to as what?

statutory probate courts

In Texas, which judicial candidate race is considered the most expensive, where candidates are likely to raise over $1 million?

supreme court

If you want to know how many people serve on a city's governing body, which document do you need to consult?

the city's home-rule charter

Which court in Texas has automatic jurisdiction over all death penalty cases?

the court of criminal appeals

In a capital case,

the death penalty is a possible punishment upon conviction.

Which of the following is a source of often unanticipated costs faced by county governments?

the financial burden of capital murder trials

Which of the following has been given as a reason for reforming the way judges are selected in Texas?

the importance of a judicial candidate's name in the current system

In the commissioner form of government

the legislative and executive functions are performed by the elected commission.

At the same time that the Texas Supreme Court become more conservative,

the legislature was also passing laws that favored businesses, creating a situation where it is becoming more difficult for individuals to successfully sue businesses in civil lawsuits

In a strong-mayor council form of government, who controls the legislative agenda of the city council?

the mayor

In the case Avery v. Midland County, the U.S. Supreme Court held that

the principle of "one person, one vote" applied to county commissioners' courts

In Texas, which officer in the plural executive is NOT elected by voters?

the secretary of state

In smaller counties, the sheriff performs which of the following jobs?

the tax assessor/collector

The elected members of the plural executive are ultimately accountable to

the voters

In most Texas cities that use the council-manager form of government today,

there is a professional city manager, a mayor that is elected at large, and a city council that is elected by single-member districts.

Civil rights organizations representing Latinos and African Americans have argued that for minorities to get elected into office

there must be small judicial districts where minority voters make up the majority

What is the most important type of case that the Texas Supreme Court handles?

tort law cases

The majority of the cases that justice of the peace judges hear are those regarding

traffic misdemeanors

If the governor does not like specific provisions of an appropriations bill passed by the legislature, he or she can

use the line-item veto to remove those portions from the rest of the bill

Municipal courts have jurisdiction over

violations of city ordinances

For a law to pass in the Texas legislature it must be voted on by

two deliberative bodies representing different constituencies

Texas governors can serve a(n) __________ number of __________-year terms

unlimited, four

The governor's line-item veto power allows him or her to

veto specific lines (or items) from appropriations bills

Members of the State Board of Education (SBOE) are elected in single-member districts. Therefore,

voters in Texas have the ability to influence public education policy, such as high school graduation requirements and textbook adoptions.

Historically in Texas, the governor is considered to be __________, while the lieutenant governor is considered to be __________

weak; strong

The Sunset Advisory Commission (SAC) evaluates

whether state agencies continue to meet the needs of the state in an effective manner

Which of the following legislators would be LEAST likely to propose an ALEC model bill according to the findings of the article?

"68 years old, liberal democrat, 20 years in office"

According to Paul Peterson, an author cited in the article, which of the following is one reason why focusing studies of state-level policy making influence on state legislatures is misguided?

"The parochialism (narrow, limited outlook) of state legislatures make them a poor vehicle for achieving state-wide policy goals"

In even-numbered years, Texas representatives receive a salary of only ________ per year, not including a per diem

$7,200

In 2017, approximately how many people worked for the state bureaucracy in Texas?

330,000

What is ALEC?

American Legislative Exchange Council

How can the plural executive limit the governor's power?

Members of the plural executive are elected by the people of Texas; this means members are accountable not to the governor but to voters

The Railroad Commission of Texas's strategy of limited oil production to maintain prices was adopted by which organization?

OPEC

According to the hypotheses of the Barrilleaux and Berkman article, which of the following do the authors expect Democratic party controlled state legislatures to favor?

Policies associated with higher levels of state government spending

Which of the following policy areas or policy-related activities do Barrilleaux and Berkman use to study the power of the governor relative to the power of the state legislature?

Budgetary policy

________ is a kind of talking that is used to stall legislation

Chubbing

Which of the following is NOT one of the things that, for example, make strong governors particularly successful in policy making?

Having experience derived from prior service in a lower-level executive office

Which chamber not only is larger but also is subjected to more frequent elections?

House of Representatives

As in the U.S. Congress, the purpose of a conference committee in the Texas legislature is to do what?

It is a committee designed to make differing House and Senate versions of the same bill identical

What is the function of the "local and consent" calendar?

It is reserved for uncontroversial bills or bills limited to a localized problem.

What is the purpose of the Sunset Advisory Commission in Texas?

It reviews state agencies every twelve years to see if they are still needed

________ is the only Texas governor to be both impeached and convicted

James Ferguson

Which of the following most accurately describes the influential activities undertaken by ALEC in pursuit of policymaking success?

Providing model bills to state legislators with little expertise in particular policy areas

Which of the following policy pursuits is most likely to reward governors?

Provision of statewide benefits

________ must begin in the House of Representatives.

Revenue bills

Which entity has the main responsibility for collecting child-support payments?

Texas attorney general

For what offense may the governor of Texas be impeached?

The Texas Constitution does not specify grounds for removal

According to the Barrilleaux and Berkman, which of the following is most likely to influence the extent to which governors act as a leader of their policy-making team (their political party)?

The electoral environment and the extent to which state legislators and the governor are independent of each other either secure or threatened in their reelection prospects

Which of the following is the best example of the Texas governor's military powers?

The governor can declare martial law during a natural disaster

What is required to convene a special session of the state legislature?

The governor must call for a special session outside a general session

After a bill is referred by a committee, the next step in the process is

floor action

If the governor appointed a loyal supporter to serve on the Sunset Advisory Commission, it would be considered an act of

patronage

One of the most notable effects of bicameralism in the Texas legislature is that it

permits more opportunities to kill or significantly modify a bill

The governor often uses the State of the State address to do which of the following?

to describe his or her legislative priorities and agenda

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

to handle elections and voter registration

In order to be eligible to serve in the Texas House, you must be ______ years old; in order to be eligible to serve in the Texas Senate, you must be ______ years old

21; 26

Special sessions last ________, but there is no limit to the number of special sessions a governor can call

30 days

If the legislature grants a particular corporation an exception from a state law, it is called

special bill

Which committee acts as a screening mechanism to filter out bad bills or bills that have little or no political support?

standing

Which office is charged with ensuring the accuracy of official weights and measures?

the Department of Agriculture

The legislative budget is prepared and submitted by

the Legislative Budget Board

The number of legislators ALEC claims among its membership is closest to which of the following percentages of all state legislators in the United States?

0.34

Redistricting usually happens every __________ years so that it aligns with the new __________ results

10; census

The Texas legislature meets in regular session for

140 days every odd-numbered year

In the Texas legislature, the House has ________ members and the Senate has ________ members.

150; 31

Which of the following types of spending is one in which benefits are concentrated in specific geographic sections of a given state?

Developmental spending

Institutional design has an influence on the power of the governor and on state-level policy making in general. Which of the following reasons is NOT generally one of the thoughts or goals considered when designing institutional arrangements?

Electoral goals

The pluralist view of interest group influence in policy making sees business interests as just one among many influences with nothing particularly special about it in so far as other interests are able to check the influence of business groups. This pluralist perspective is opposed to the ___ perspective of interest group influence in policy making

Elitist

The governor appoints people to office, but the Texas ________ must also confirm them

Senate

Which of the following statements about special sessions of the Texas legislature is true?

Special sessions are common, held an average of once a year since 1876

Which of the following is the best example of the Texas governor's exercise of senatorial courtesy?

The governor will not appoint someone to office unless that appointee's state senator agrees

For a Texas governor, what is the benefit of a post-adjournment veto?

The legislature is prevented from overriding it

What is the outcome for the vast majority of bills that are assigned to committees in the Texas legislature?

They are pigeonholed by the committee chair

Which of the following statements about simple resolutions is correct?

They do not require the signature of the governor.

According to the Texas Constitution, in order to serve as governor, an individual must

be at least 30 years old

Which of the following is one of the governor's legislative powers?

calling special sessions of the legislature

Constituent service can play an important role in

creating a personal relationship between the legislator and the individual constituent, which will give the legislator an advantage when running for reelection.

The power of recognition allows the Speaker of the House to

determine who will get to speak and how long a legislative debate will last

Texas senators serve ________-year terms and House members serve ________-year terms

four; two

Although judges are elected in Texas, the __________ can appoint a state judge in the event of a vacancy.

governor

The agenda for special sessions in the Texas legislature is set by the

governor

The Texas Constitution grants the __________ veto power, and it is used __________.

governor; actively

The ability of the governor to use message power, veto bills, and call special sessions of the legislature are all part of his or her __________ powers.

legislative

A bill in the Texas legislature that would allow a county to establish a new community college would be classified as a

local bill

Texas House members differ from Texas Senate members because House members

represent small districts and are subject to more frequent elections

What is the Texas governor's greatest judicial power?

the power to appoint judges to vacancies in the courts

The Texas Legislature has many powers that are not related to legislation, including which of the following?

the power to formally count returns for the governor's and lieutenant governor's elections


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