Texas Government Exam 4

Who initially signed the DACA executive order?

Obama

A __________ method commonly used by prosecutors to maintain high conviction rates.

Plea bargain between defendant and the state.

Because of desiring access to the Permanent University Fund this university recently joined the University of Texas system?

SFA

When taking into consideration taxes on both gasoline and diesel, which of the following is true?

Texans pay the lowest fuel taxes out of the ten largest states.

Which public university in Texas can trace its origins to the Texas Constitution?

Texas A&M

The agency responsible for licensing peace officers is the

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement

The core curriculum used at all public colleges and universities in Teas is developed and standardized by which agency?

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

In a felony case, before a defendant goes to trial, who grants a verdict that there is sufficient evidence to begin prosecution and that a threshold of probable cause has been met?

The Grand Jury

__________ have recently been used to pay maintenance and construction of roads and highways.

The Highway Maintenance Fund

How does being convicted of a felony in Texas impact your ability to vote?

Felons are allowed to vote upon full discharge of their sentences.

If sentenced by a judge to probation, then you would most likely have to do which of the following?

Have a steady job, report to your probation officer on a regular basis, abstain from drug and alcohol use, and pay any fines or restrictions

According to recent welfare statistics, which group is listed leading in receiving Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) benefits?

Households with very low incomes

In the 1972 case of Ruiz v. Estelle, the U.S. federal court determined that

Inmates guaranteed rights were violated in Texas prisons

What is the significance of the 1967 Water Rights Adjudication Act?

It created a unified permit system related to surface water and well-defined underground streams.

The Sandra Bland Act requires which of the following?

Jail deaths must be investigated by an independent agency.

In Texas, constitutional carry

Known as permit less carry became legal

Which of the following accounts for both the length of the road and the width of the road, as indicated by the number of lanes?

Lane miles

Community colleges are supported in party by __________

Local tax dollars

As of 2020 what was the status of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program?

The Supreme Court stopped the Trump plan to end DACA, but it did not rule out other plans that could end DACA later.

Who among the following makes the decision to grant parole in Texas?

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles

Which statement about the Texas prison population is accurate?

The number of people incarcerated in Texas state prisons is higher than any other state.

Which of the following allowed for the creation of the Permanent University Fund in the Constitution of 1876?

The sale of certain public lands

One of the most controversial issues facing police in Texas and across the United Staes involves

The use of force

Why did Texas build reservoirs through the state?

They are used to help control flooding and to better distribute water during droughts.

What effect have drug and alcohol treatment programs had on the Texas prison system?

They have had so little effect on the prison system that the legislature began scaling back prison alternatives in 2007

What happens if members of the Texas National Guard who are deployed at the border see someone illegally crossing the border?

They have to notify the border patrol to make the arrest, the Texas National Guards and members cannot generally arrest anyone.

How are people currently selected to serve on grand juries in Texas?

Through a random selection process

Why were university systems created in Texas?

To coordinate the activities of multiple colleges, universities, medical schools, and special agencies that are located in different locations across the state.

Which agency is responsible for monitoring land crossings between Texas and Mexico?

TxDOT

Texas has more verified instances of __________ than any other state.

Wrongful convictions

Water policy in Texas is based on

a complicated system of private property rights.

More than one-half of the water used in Texas comes from

aquifers

According to the Texas Dream Act,

undocumented immigrants living in Texas have the ability to pay in-state tuition at public universities in Texas.

The Texas prison population peaked in which year?

2000

In Texas, a person convicted of a third felony can be sentenced to life imprisonment based on

3 strikes provision

A serious criminal offense that subjects a person to state prison punishment is a(n)

felony

Part of the opposition to the Texas high-speed train project

is due to the rural landowners not wanting to sell their land to the state to improve the travel capabilities of urban dwellers.

It is estimated that undocumented immigrants paid __________ in state and local taxes in 2014.

$1.6 billion

In Texas, felony juries are composed of __________ people and misdemeanor juries are composed of _________.

12;6

Today, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the prison system. Who runs this agency?

A 9 member board appointed by the governor.

The 2012 State Water Plan discussed strategies to address both the short- and long-term water needs in Texas including

A focus on conservation and expanding and developing available surface water

Which of the following was among the goals included in the 2015 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board/s "60x30TX" strategic plan?

All graduates by 2030 will have completed programs with identified marketable skills.

In the state of Texas, which group is most overrepresented, relative to the Texas population, on death row?

African American men

Suppose you are arrested and taken to jail. After this happens you must appear before a judge and be told what charges you are being accused of and reminded of your right to an attorney and right to remain silent. What is this process called?

Arraignment

What is the difference between an assigned counsel and a public defender?

Assigned - judge will appoint someone to represent people who cannot afford Public defender - lawyer paid in salary to represent indigent defendants

Money that is provided by the defendant to make sure that he or she shows up for any required court appearances is called

Bail

Which state has the largest DACA population?

California

The most serious felony is _________, for which the penalty can be death or life imprisonment without parole.

Capital murder

Taken together, the sprawling cities and __________ make it difficult to develop public transportation in most areas in Texas.

Car-centric culture

The total length of a road or a segment of a road is measured using __________.

Centerline miles

When we use the term "sanctuary cities" what are we talking about?

City that limits its cooperation with the national government effort to enforce immigration law.

Which of the following industries is most reliant on immigrant labor in Texas?

Construction

In Texas, the legal standard of proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" is used in which type(s) of cases?

Criminal cases

Arguments were recently held in the U.S Supreme Court regarding the case of the Biden administration supporting __________ deportation of immigrants as opposed to the state of Texas supporting deportation of __________ immigrants.

Criminal, all illegal

In 2018 the Trump administration announced a "zero tolerance" policy designed to deter people from crossing the southern border illegally. Which of the following was a consequence of this policy?

Critics noted that the policy is inhumane because it separates children from their parents. Children were being detained for much longer periods in facilities that lacked adequate medical care and bedding.

An advance in which technology has conclusively proved the innocence of a large number of convicted people

DNA analysis

The term "dreamers" refers to individuals protected under which of the following?

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Felony cases in Texas are often prosecuted by

District Attorneys

In order to become a naturalized citizen, you must

be at least 18, live in the U.S. for 5 years, pass citizenship exam, have a green card.

One of the consequences of cars and trucks becoming more fuel efficient is that

drivers are buying less gasoline, thereby reducing the amount of money collected by the state in fuel taxes.

If a person cannot provide bail on his or her own or cannot pay a bondsman, then the accused can possibly be released

on personal recognizance

Having a widespread public transportation system is challenging for Houston because

the city has over 1,200 square miles of territory and it would be expensive to have bus or rail service for this large of an area.

According to the law of capture,

the first person to "capture" water or oil by pumping it from the ground owns that water or oil.