Exam 2 review

Question 1

Know how the Speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor can direct the legislature.

Answer 1

They both assign 50% of committee members, assign committee chairs, run legislative sessions, conduct the process, and set the congressional agenda.

Question 2

Know the presiding officers of the Senate and House.

Answer 2

Senate - Lieutenant Governor
House - Speaker of the House

Question 3

Know how special legislative sessions are run.

Answer 3

• The governor of Texas calls for special sessions
• Each session can last 30 days
• There is no limit to the number of sessions the governor can ask for
• The governor sets the agenda

Question 4

Know how House and Senate districts differ, as well as the terms of office.

Answer 4

1. House districts have 150 members, so districts are smaller with roughly 2500 people per district
2. Senate districts have 31 members, with roughly 9000 people per district

Terms of office - Senators serve 4 years, House members serve 2 years

Question 5

Know the length of legislative sessions.

Answer 5

140 days *biannually, and they always meet in odd numbered years

*every other year

Question 6

Know the various committee types and their duties.

Answer 6

• Standing committees perform the day to day work of congress
• Conference committee finalizes the language in the senate version and the house version of a bill

Question 7

Know when public testimony takes place during the legislative process.

Answer 7

During the committee hearings

Question 8

Know the duties of legislative committees.

Answer 8

Duties of legislative committees:

• Take public testimony
• Investigate a bill with fiscal reports and impact statements
• Make recommendations on amendments on a bill

Question 9

Know how chubbing and the filibuster work.

Answer 9

Filibuster- speaking for an unlimited amount of time in the Senate to stall the passage of a bill

Chubbing - A house member uses their full allotted debate time to stall the passage of a bill

Question 10

Know the difference between a professional legislature and a citizen legislature.

Answer 10

• Professional- One that meets year round, have high pay and benefits
• Citizen- Limited meetings, low pay and benefits

Question 11

Know what occurs during a bill’s second reading.

Answer 11

The official debate occurs, and amendments are added

Question 12

Know the qualifications for office for Texas legislators.

Answer 12

House of Representatives- Have to be a citizen, two years resident, twelve months resident of a district, 21 years of age

Senate- Have to be a resident of Texas for five years, 12 months resident of a district, and 26 years of age

Question 13

Know the 3 primary functions of the legislature.

Answer 13

• To represent the people
• to pass legislation
• to oversee the government agencies

Question 14

Know what the line-item veto is.

Answer 14

Governor’s power to veto individual appropriations (lines) in a spending bill

Question 15

Know what is meant by the “plural executive” and why we have one.

Answer 15

A “plural executive” is an executive office with several independently elected members, and we have one to limit the power of the executive branch

Question 16

Know the causes for and the process of the governor’s impeachment.

Answer 16

A governor can be impeached for any reason,

The process: House of Representatives raises articles of impeachment by a majority vote, and the Senate convicts by a 2/3 majority vote

Question 17

Know the duties of the Agricultural Commissioner.

Answer 17

They run the Agricultural industry in Texas, putting limitations on things like pesticides and the rotation of crops and fields. They also regulate gas pumps in the state.

Question 18

Know what limits the ability of the legislature to override a governor’s veto.

Answer 18

Takes a 2/3 majority in the House and the Senate to override a veto, but the limit is that once Congress is adjourned, vetoes cannot be overridden.

When Congress has adjourned the legislative session , and the governor vetoes the bill, the legislature cannot override the veto.

Question 19

Know the terms and qualifications for the office of the Texas governor.

Answer 19

• 30 years of age
• 5 years resident of the state
• Have to be a citizen

Question 20

Know what is meant by an agency’s “rulemaking” power.

Answer 20

The power of the agency to pass an administrative law in the state

Question 21

Know who Miriam Ferguson was.

Answer 21

The first female governor of Texas

Question 22

Know how many people a governor typically appoints and to what positions.

Answer 22

Typically appoints 3,000 people in a term of office, mostly members of executive boards, and boards and chairs to state agencies when judicial vaccines occur

Question 23

Know who administers state elections.

Answer 23

Secretary of state

Question 24

Know the main critiques of government agencies.

Answer 24

The agencies often possess so much rulemaking power, they almost act as legislative bodies themselves, and they are not directly accountable to the people through voting systems

Question 25

Know the duties of the land commissioner.

Answer 25

The land commissioner regulates all state land, responsible for leasing state land to collect oil, gas, and mineral revenue. The land commissioner also has to appropriate money to the state permanent school fund.

Question 26

Know what plea bargains are and how they work.

Answer 26

A plea bargain is an agreement between the prosecutor and the defendant to plead guilty to a crime. In return, they reduce the criminal sentence

Question 27

Know the case of Miranda v. Arizona and what it required for Miranda rights.

Answer 27

* Originated the idea that a person that is arrested must be read their rights. * Miranda rights have to be read when a person is held in a custodial intervention and interrogated as a suspect.

Question 28

Know what probate courts are and their jurisdictions.

Answer 28

Courts that hear cases concerning wills and estates

Question 29

Know what an indictment is and how it is issued.

Answer 29

**Official charge of a crime.** Issued in Texas, either **through a grand jury or the district attorney**

Question 30

Know what an arraignment is.

Answer 30

A person appears in front of court, they are arraigned in the official charges against a person or pressed in court If a person is not read their Miranda rights, they must be read their rights in the arraignment | *Informing the defendant of the charges against them*

Question 31

Know the jurisdictions of municipal courts and justice of the peace courts.

Answer 31

They both can hear low level criminal offenses * Municipal courts hear offenses with very short jail time * Justice of the Peace courts can hear criminal offenses that do not have jail time and can also hear civil cases upwards to 10,000 dollars in value.

Question 32

Know different forms of law: constitutional, administrative, and statutory.

Answer 32

Constitutional - law found in a constitution Administrative - law that is passed by a government agency Statutory - law created by a legislative or elected body

Question 33

Know the difference between the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court.

Answer 33

* Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state supreme court for all criminal cases and by law must review death penalty cases. * Texas Supreme Court is the highest supreme court in Texas concerning civil cases, and they also hear all cases to which the state is a party and or getting sued.

Question 34

Know what appellate jurisdiction is.

Answer 34

Ability to review a court case from a lower court's decision

Question 35

Know what a partisan judicial election is.

Answer 35

Election in which judges declare their party membership on their ballad for when you vote

Question 36

Know what a court of inquiry is.

Answer 36

Looks at older cases and reviews them

Question 37

Know the concept of a hierarchical court system.

Answer 37

A hierarchical court system has levels of courts, trial courts, courts of original jurisdiction which hear and conduct cases

Question 38

Know how city governments are financed.

Answer 38

Most city governments are financed through property taxes

Question 39

Know what a municipal utility district is.

Answer 39

Special districts that provide water, electricity, and disposables

Question 40

Know who manages voter registration.

Answer 40

County assessor

Question 41

Know the duties of the county sheriff.

Answer 41

Acts as the chief law enforcement officer and runs the county jail and the entire sheriff's office

Question 42

Know the duties of the county judge.

Answer 42

Mostly responsible for running the county, acts as the chief executive officer for the Commissioners court

Question 43

Know how county governments are funded.

Answer 43

Predominantly funded by property taxes

Question 44

Know the difference between general law cities and home rule cities.

Answer 44

General law cities follow the state constitution Home rule follows their charter and can amend the charter without permission from the state

Question 45

Know the duties of the commissioners court.

Answer 45

Chief legislative body of a county and runs the county.

Question 46

Know the duties of the county clerk.

Answer 46

* is the Chief record officer * keeps property records

Question 47

Know what special purpose districts are and how many Texas has.

Answer 47

*Independent governing districts* - special districts for everything with **over 4,000 districts** *Single number districts* - cities broken down into district, and voters vote in their own district; They vote for who is running in that district

Question 48

Know how municipal elections are conducted.

Answer 48

At large elections, every place in the city votes at one time in the same positions

Question 49

Know what extra territorial jurisdiction agreements are.

Answer 49

Agreements made between counties and cities to provide extra services to one another. For example, a city government will supply fire, police, or emergency services and then the county will pay a fee back. It allows for public servants to go beyond their normal grounds.