Texas Government - Test 1
What are plenary powers?
the absolute authority to create and enact laws, unless expressly prohibited by another legal document, such as a constitution.
What is NOT one of the general principles of the Texas Constitution?
A unicameral Legislature
What was the Grange and what did it accomplish?
An organization for farmers that worked to limit government, spending and big businesses.
The U.S. population is getting older because ____ are reaching the age of 65 or older
Baby Boomers
By 2030, Texas' population will be majority...
Latino (non-white, hispanic)
dual federalism is known as ________ where as cooperative federalism is known as _______
Layer cake, Marble cake
The constitutional principle restricting governmental authority and spelling out personal rights describes...
Limited government
A regressive Tax system
Low and middle-income citizens pay a higher share of taxes that the wealthy.
which supreme court case addressed whether the national government had the power to create a federal bank and if those banks could be taxed by the state
McCulloch v. Maryland
What U.S. Supreme Court cases overturned laws banning the use of paid signature gathering?
Meyer v. Grant
The term "Anglos" refers to...
Non-Latino whites
What refers to the general agreement among members of the public and their sovereign government?
Social contract
______ is the view that government originated from an agreement by and with the consent of the governed.
Social contract theory.
When federal law and state law conflict, the federal law will prevail in the _______ clause
Supremacy
Which Texas court, created by the Texas Constitution, is the court of last resort to hear final appeals in criminal cases?
Texas court of Criminal Appeals
What was the main reason Texas decided to raise the drinking age in 1986 instead of refusing to raise it?
Texas would have lost a notable portion of its federal highway funding if they refused.
What was the first major law restricting immigration into the United States?
The Chinese Exclusion Act 1882
What was a primary purpose of Texas in the Republic of Mexico?
To serve as a buffer between Mexico and the United States.
State governments wield power in accordance with their constitutions EXCEPT on what territory?
Tribal reservations
What assures that no single branch of government dominates over the others.
checks and balances
What is an example of a direct initiative?
citizens draft a bill for the legalization of marijuana. They petition for it, and the bill is put ip for a vote on the ballot.
A constitution does NOT...
define who can start a private business
A constitution is...
document that provides for the legal and institutional structure of a political system.
The purpose of statutory law is to...
expand upon general provisions laid out in a constitution through legislative laws
A federal funds that are allocated to states and local governments on a basis of prescribed formula
formula grant
Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction Acts requires the new Texas constitution would...
grant African Americans the right to vote.
When Texas joined the Confederate states of America, its new constitution did NOT...
guarantee women's suffrage
______ is defined as a charter that offers local governments, like municipalities, a degree of self determination and greater independence from state governments.
home rule
In contrast to the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution....
is considerably longer
Why did organized labor groups fight in opposition to the right-to-work law?
it prohibits union membership
An underlying principle of the 1876 Constitution is that of a social compact that rests on the concepts of popular sovereignty and compact theory, as well as the principles of...
limited government and separation of powers.
Matching funds describe
money that states and local government provide to qualify for federal grants
Most scholars believe that the Texas constitution is...
obsolete
If enough signatures are collected on a bill previously approved by the legislature is put before voters for a binding yes or no is known as....
popular referendum/veto
There is a ------ relationship between state policy choices, (state policy liberalism) and citizen ideology.
positive
What happens in the direct initiative process?
qualified measures go straight to the ballots in the next election
Devolution is the
return of powers from the feds to the state government
Texas currently has the _____ largest economy in the nation
second
A bicameral legislature has...
two chambers
The U.S. has one final court of last resort, the supreme court. Texas has
two, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Texas Supreme Court
What is a unitary system?
A system in which ultimate power is vested in a central or national governments and local governments have only those powers granted to them by the central government.
Which amendment states: the powers not delegated to the US by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved by the states.
10th amendment
which constitutional amendment guarantees state sovereign immunity
11th
The first Texas constitution was adopted in ____, while it was still part of Mexico.
1827
The last time a constitutional convention was called to rewrite the constitution of 1876 was in...
1974.
How can a veto be overridden?
2/3 vote of the Texas House and Senate
Approximately what percent of Texans live in urban areas?
80%
What is "revenue sharing"?
A funding program in which government recipients could use federal dollars for virtually any purpose, with no strings attached
How do states determine the amount of signatures necessary to qualify a proposal?
A minimum amount of signatures is determined from a percentage of registered voters.
What is popular referendum also known as?
A popular veto
What is the difference between categorical grants-in-aid and block grants
Block grants may be broadly used for state programs and services, while categorical grants may only be used for specific programs or purposes.
The moralistic Subculture believes that public policy initiatives should come from...
Citizens outside the formal governmental structure.
The Texas supreme court has jurisdiction over which type of matters?
Civil Cases.
State and national governments have the power to - raise taxes - develop and implement public policies - spend money - borrow money - establish their own court systems. This is known as...
Concurrent powers
Why are changes via constitutional initiative more difficult than changes via statutory initiative?
Constitutional amendments typically have higher qualification requirements
Fed-state relationships from the 1930's until present is referred to as
Cooperative federalism (marble cake)
Texas' "Urban Triangle" contains the majority of Texas' population; it is formed by connecting...
Dallas-FW, Houston, San Antonio
until the 1930's fed-state relationships were known as ________
Dual federalism (layer cake)
Following the passage and implementation of NAFTA, the South Texas border region has seen...
Economic growth
What part of the Texas budget saw a $5 billon dollar reduction in funding as a result of a 27 billion dollar deficit?
Education
Which of the following best describes transnational regionalism
Expanding economic and social interdependence of South Texas and Mexico
What effect will the aging population of Texas have on public goods and services?
Expenditures on Medicaid and other programs will rise and strain the states budget.
____ is a process by which a person in one state must be returned to another state to face criminal charges
Extradition
U.S. Constitutional clause that ensures that social governmental legal documents and court rulings of one state must be accepted by another state
Full faith and credit clause
______ refers to the increased interdependence in trade, manufacturing, and commerce between the United States and other countries.
Globalization of Economy
Why does the individualistic subculture hold that government should be limited?
Government exists strictly for utilitarian reasons, namely maintaining markets, and to ensure stability in society.
United States v. Lopez case struck down which Federal Congressional Act, starting congress had overreached its power to regulate interstate commerce?
Gun-free school zones act of 1990
How has the oil and natural gas industry benefited Texas during times of national recession?
High prices of both have insulate Texas from the effects of recessions.
A ____ is when a state legislature is capable of adopting a proposal once it qualifies, but still be able to come up with an alternative measure that goes along with the original proposal
Indirect Initiative
The _____ subcultures dominate general views in Texas
Individualistic and traditionalistic
An important constitutional difference between the Federal government and the State government is that the state has...
Plenary powers
_____ is defined as state governments having the power to enact laws and promulgate policy unless their constitution prohibits it.
Plenary powers
Which is NOT one of the four basic steps in the initiative process?
Proposal is forwarded to the White House for review. A social title and summary of the measure are issued.
Geographically, Texas is _______ largest state in the nation, proceeded by Alaska
Second
Texas is now the ____ most populous state in the nation
Second
what act did congress enact after the September 11th attacks with the approval of President G.W. Bush?
The USA Patriot Act
To amend the Texas constitution...
The proposed amendment must originate in the legislature
Under the current Texas Constitution
The judicial branch is popularly elected
Despite the rapid growth of minorities in the U.S., they remain ______ in elected office
Underrepresented
Which is NOT one of the four major principles of the Texas constitution
Unitary Executive Theory
______ is the process by which a predominately rural society or area becomes urban
Urbanization
Dillon's rule is defined as allowing...
a local government to engage in an activity only if it is specifically sanctioned by the state government.
What is an example of a special-purpose government?
a school district
Political culture can best be defined as _______ that give order and meaning to political processes.
a set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments
Population density is...
the number of persons residing within a square mile.