Texas Gov. 4 Pretest & Posttest
________ must begin in the House of Representatives.
Revenue bills
The governor appoints people to office, but the Texas ________ must also confirm them.
Senate
Which entity has the main responsibility for collecting child-support payments?
Texas attorney general
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.
Many argue that the power of appointment is the governor's "most significant executive power." Which of the following accurately describes why that is?
The governor has the ability to make appointments to over 400 multimember state boards or single-member commissioners who direct the operation of various state agencies.
When people talk about "redistricting" what are they referring to?
The redrawing of district lines for U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Senate, and Texas House every 10 years after the census to ensure that each district has roughly the same number of people.
There are no limitations or restrictions on when the governor can use the line-item veto.
There are no limitations or restrictions on when the governor can use the line-item veto.
Why did the Texas Constitution establish a plural executive?
There was suspicion of a strong chief executive.
All death penalty cases are automatically appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeals.
True
Ann Richards was the second woman to serve as governor in Texas.
True
Civil cases use a standard of proof called preponderance of the evidence.
True
Community colleges in Texas are allotted their own special purpose districts.
True
County governments are most important for administering rural areas throughout Texas.
True
Elected members of the legislature are paid a per diem for days they are doing official business in Austin when the legislature is not in session.
True
Fewer than 10 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in special purpose district elections.
True
In Texas, the county judge presides over the county commissioner's court.
True
In big cities in Texas, Democratic judicial candidates have recently swept out many Republican incumbents.
True
Legislative districts must have roughly equal populations to comply with the one-person, one-vote principle.
True
One problem with special purpose districts is that sometimes local government officials work in relative obscurity, avoiding media and public scrutiny.
True
The Texas Constitution forbids the legislature to borrow money to conduct the daily operations of government.
True
The county judge has political administrative functions combined with some judicial functions.
True
The primary sources of funding for special purpose districts are property taxes and user fees.
True
Why was straight-ticket voting a concern with respect to judicial selection in Texas?
When voters use straight-ticket voting, judges with years of experience can be voted out of office based on nothing but party affiliation.
Why is it difficult for voters to learn about judicial candidates in Texas?
XXX NOT XXX Most voters never go to court, so they have little knowledge upon which to base their decisions.
Suppose you were trying to reform your city's government so that it better reflected the ethnic and racial diversity of your city and with leadership that is more accountable to voters. Which of the following forms of city government would most likely achieve these goals?
XXX NOT XXX a council-manager form of government with a mix of single-member districts and at-large elections
Special sessions of the legislature
XXX NOT XXX can only be called by a joint resolution passed by both the House and the Senate.
Which type of districts are used in the Texas House and Senate?
XXX NOT XXX multiple-member districts.
In large Texas counties, the ________ prepares the county budget.
auditor
In the Texas legislature, the House has ________ members and the Senate has ________ members.
150; 31
Each member of the Texas Senate represents about ___________ people, while each member of the Texas House represents about_________ people.
811,000; 168,000
________ is a unit of government that performs a single service in a limited geographic area.
A special district
According to the Texas Constitution, only the Texas legislature is permitted to borrow money using capital appreciation bonds.
False
All large cities in Texas have structures of government that give strong executive powers to the mayor.
False
General bills apply only to a specific location like one city or one county.
False
In Texas, appellate court judges are elected, but the governor appoints all district court judges to six-year terms.
False
In Texas, both the lieutenant governor and the Speaker of the House are elected in statewide elections.
False
In Texas, the lieutenant governor runs on a joint ticket with the governor, and is therefore not a "full" member of the plural executive.
False
In the Senate, the Speaker controls legislative debate by selecting who speaks and how long the debate will last.
False
Lawyers often take cases using contingent fee agreements in criminal cases.
False
Most boards and commissions in Texas are comprised of members who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas House.
False
One of the problems with Texas government is that there are no regional councils that promote coordinated planning across local governments.
False
Since most county officials are appointed, they are only accountable to the members of the county commissioners' court.
False
Special sessions last 60 days, and there is no limit to the number of special sessions a governor can call.
False
The State Commission on Judicial Conduct was established by the Constitution of 1876.
False
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has mandated that no government official may serve in any single office for more than twelve years.
False
The Texas Supreme Court hears criminal cases only.
False
The Texas governor has many formal powers, making him or her one of the United States' strongest chief executives.
False
The attorney general's office offers binding opinions to state agencies concerning the legality of actions.
False
The county commissioners' court is responsible for prosecuting violations of law that occur outside of the city limits but within the county lines.
False
The structure of the Texas executive branch is centralized, with much formal authority allocated to the governor.
False
There are no limitations or restrictions on when the governor can use the line-item veto.
False
In Texas, why is a governor's post-adjournment veto so powerful?
It cannot be overturned by the legislature.
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 purpose of the Sunset Advisory Commission in Texas?
It reviews state agencies every twelve years to see if they are still needed.
_________________ can result in a jail sentence while ____________________ can result in a prison sentence.
Misdemeanors; felonies
Executive power in Texas is
divided among multiple officials, each elected by the people, to ensure that no one person has too much power.
The Texas legislature is responsible for formally counting the returns for the election of governor and lieutenant governor. This is an example of which one of the legislature's powers?
electoral power
In Texas, what is the most important power of the state comptroller?
estimating state revenues for the legislature
Flood control is managed through special purpose districts because
flooding is seldom contained to a single city or county.
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
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.
The agenda for special sessions in the Texas legislature is set by the
governor
Which of the following are formal constitutional qualifications required to be governor?
have lived in Texas for five years immediately before the election
One goal of the deferred retirement option plan (DROP) was to
keep Dallas police officers and firefighters working on the job instead of retiring and collecting their pension after 20 years of service.
The ____________________ is responsible for a variety of elements throughout the state, including environmental quality on public lands and waters such as the beaches on the Gulf Coast.
land commissioner
A bill in the Texas legislature that would allow a county to establish a new community college would be classified as a
local bill.
If you live outside city limits, water, sewer, sanitation, and electricity services are offered by
municipal utility districts (MUDs).
Community college districts and fire-prevention districts are examples of
non-school special purpose districts.
The governor can exercise the line-item veto in which of the following circumstances:
only specific provisions or lines of appropriations bills
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
An indictment is also known as a
true bill.
Municipal courts have jurisdiction over
violations of city ordinances.
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.
What is the composition of the county commissioner's court?
a county judge who is elected countywide and presides over the meetings, and four county commissioners who are each elected to represent about one-quarter of the population of the county
Impeachment is ___________________ and is an example of the Texas Legislature's ____________ power.
a formal charge by the House of Representatives that leads to a trial in the Senate that could result in the removal of an official from office; judicial
If the legislature grants a particular corporation an exception from a state law, it is called
a special bill.
A school district is
a special district.
Which standard must be met to prove that the defendant is guilty in criminal cases?
beyond a reasonable doubt
Lesser criminal cases are generally prosecuted by _______________, while the more serious criminal cases tend to be prosecuted by ______________.
county attorneys; district attorneys
Courts of appeal have the authority to do what?
review the decisions of lower courts to determine whether legal principles and court procedures were followed correctly
What type of government is called hidden government because people often do not know it exists?
special purpose districts
Courts that can review matters relating to probate, which is the disposition of estates and property of deceased people, are referred to as what?
statutory probate courts
As the chief budget officer of Texas,
the Governor submits an executive budget that outlines his or her spending priorities for the next biennium.
The Texas General Land Office is accused of mishandling funds earmarked for hurricane relief and recovery. Who is responsible for investigating?
the House, Senate, or both chambers jointly, using the legislature's investigative power
You are an owner of a family farm that raises chickens, and you're concerned about changes that the state recently made to animal quarantine laws. You want to talk to the person who is in charge of actually enforcing these laws. Who do you contact?
the agriculture commissioner
County judges preside over
the county commissioners' court.
When we talk about "bureaucracy," we are referring to
the formal rules, tasks, official structure, and organizational principles that allow large organizations to accomplish their goals.
In a representative democracy, such as the one established by the Texas Constitution, members of the legislature are elected to represent
the interests of their constituents.