Final Exam Flashcards
(137 cards)
1
Q
The Texas Legislature is
A
Bicameral
2
Q
The Texas House of Representatives and the Senate are comprised of.
A
150 and 31
3
Q
Special Sessions of the Texas Legislature can only be called by
A
The governer
4
Q
The Texas Legislature meets
A
Only in odd number years
5
Q
The Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House
A
Are member of the Texas Legislative Board and Texas Legislative Redistricting Board
6
Q
An Example of a special legislative caucus in the Texas State Legislature is
A
Mexican American Caucus, Tea Party Caucus
7
Q
Which of the following is a committee within the Texas Legislature structure?
A
Standing Committee, Conference Committee, and Interim Committee
8
Q
The first bill introduced in every new session in the Senate is called the
A
Blocking Bill
9
Q
When a senator enhances in a prolonged debate and refuses to yield the floor to another member, he or she is engaged in
A
Filibustering
10
Q
The minimum number of members in a legislative body who need to be present for it to conduct business is called
A
Quorum
11
Q
The qualifications to run for the House of Representatives is as follows:
A
Twenty one years of age, resident of Texas for two years and the district for one year and be a registered voter
12
Q
The qualifications to run for the Senate in Texas is as follows:
A
Twenty six years of age, resident of Texas for five years and the district for one year
13
Q
The term of office for a member of the House of Representatives is
A
Two years
14
Q
The term of office for a member of the Texas Senate is
A
Four Years
15
Q
The relationship between an elected official and his/her constituents is called
A
Representation
16
Q
Legislator who votes on issues according to the views of a majority of the constituents is called
A
Delegate approach
17
Q
When a legislator votes for what he/she believes is in the best interest of the entire state instead of voting specifically as his constituents want them to is called
A
Trustee
18
Q
Legislators run for office within
A
Single Member Districts
19
Q
The requirement that all legislative districts be approximately the same size to equal one person one vote concept was ruled in the Supreme Court Case
A
Baker v. Carr
20
Q
When Congressional and Legislative boundaries are drawn up to favor one political party is called
A
Gerrymandering
21
Q
The qualifications to run for governor are
A
Must be 30 years of age, resided in the state for at least 5 years, a US citizen and registered voter
22
Q
Which of the following females have served as governor of the state of Texas
A
Miriam Ma. Ferguson
23
Q
The term of office for the governor is
A
Four years
24
Q
Which of the following is the longest serving governor?
A
Rick Perry
25
The succession to when a governor can no longer serve is as follows:
Lieutenant Governor, president Pro-tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House and Attorney General
26
The only governor to be impeached and removed from office was
James Ferguson
27
The act of rewarding political supporters with public jobs and appointments by the governor is called
Patronage
28
Which appointment is the single most important given to the governor?
Secretary of State
29
The informal requirement that a gubernatorial appointee have approval of her or his own state senator in order to obtain support within the Texas Senate is
Senatorial Courtesy
30
The phenomenon of legislators and members of the executive branch moving easily from government office to lucrative positions with lobbying firms is called
Revolving door
31
The constitutional requirement that the governor address the state legislature about the condition of the state at the beginning of each legislative session is called
State of address
32
The governor has the exclusive power to call
Special legislative sessions
33
How many days does the governor have to veto proposed legislation from the legislature
Ten days
34
If the governor does not act on a pieces of legislation within a ten day period then the bill
Becomes a law
35
The following attributes make up the governor's informal power
Governor's electoral mandate, political ambition ladder, personal future as governor, performance ratings
36
An executive branch of government in which the functions have been divided among several, mostly elected officeholders, rather than residing in a single person is called
Plural Executive
37
The chief legal advisor for the state who represents the state in courts and issues advisory opinions on legal matters to the governor, legislature, other state agencies is
Attorney General
38
The Attorney General's term of office and salary is
4 years and $150,000 per year
39
The executive response for collecting fee and taxes, investing state funds, oversees payments by the state for good and services is
Comptroller of Public Accounts
40
What is the most important function of the Comptroller of Public Accounts?
Estimating the amount of revenue the state will generate each year
41
In order for the legislature to override the Comptrollers authority to reject any legislation that does not have the proper funding, its takes a
4/5 vote of both houses
42
The executive who administers state owned lands, controls leases for the Permanent School Fund, and controls leases for the development of mineral other resources on public land is
Commissioner of the General Land Office
43
The appointed executive responsible for business licensing and regulation and also administrates and supervises elections and serves as the chief protocol officer of Texas is
Secretary of State
44
A method of organizing a large public or private organizations that includes hierarchical structure, division of labor, and standard operating procedures and advancement by merit is called
Bureaucracy
45
This commission was the first regulatory commission in the State of Texas and is compromised of three members serving six staggered terms, elected in statewide elections, and includes regulation of oil and gas industry
Texas Railroad Commission
46
The number of elected offices on the State Board of Education is
Fifteen elected in single member districts
47
The agency responsible for the states primary and secondary education is and for distributing US government funds to public schools across the state
Texas Education Agency
48
Laws designed to make government transparent and accessible to the public are called
Sunshine Laws
49
A system in which people receive government jobs based upon a set of qualifications and formal training, and job promotion and pay raises are based upon job performance is called
Merit based civil service system
50
The executive responsible for correct weights and measures, and inspections of each gas pump in the state is
Agriculture Commissioner
51
A legal system in which authority is shared between different levels of government is called
Judicial Federalism
52
A court's sphere of influences is called
Jurisdiction
53
The courts that hear to initial case are called
Courts of Original Jurisdiction
54
Courts with the authority to hear appeals from the lower court that has already rendered a decision and does not hear new evidence is
Appellate Jurisdiction
55
A system where different levels of courts have overlapping jurisdiction or authority to try the same type of case is called
Concurrent Jurisdiction
56
Courts created by state legislature for cities are hearing primarily violations of municipal ordinances such as litter laws and traffic violations are called
Municipal Courts
57
How many Justice of the Peace Courts are there in Texas?
815
58
What are the state-level trial courts in Texas?
District Courts
59
How many district courts are there in the state of Texas?
456
60
What are the requirements to be a judge in the state of Texas?
Must be at least 25, a resident of Texas, a US citizen and a licensed attorney with at least four years experience as an attorney or a judge
61
What are the state's two highest appellate courts?
Supreme Court of Texas and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
62
What are the requirements to serve on the appellate courts?
Judge must be at least 35 years of age, resident of Texas, a US citizen, at least 10 years of experience as a lawyer or a judge and a licensed attorney
63
How many judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals and what kind of appeal cases does the court hear?
There are nine judges including a presiding judge. Hears appealed criminal cases and all death penalty appeals
64
The Texas law that allows the use of deadly force to defend one's home is called
Castle Doctrine
65
Prior to 1920 what was the preferred method of state executions?
Hanging
66
What is the percentage breakdown of executions in Texas since through July 2010 ?
46% white, 37% African American and 17% Hispanic
67
What percent of the Texas population support the death penalty?
73%
68
What is the total number of inmates on death row in Texas in 2011?
308
69
The legal right to vote in the US is known as
Suffrage
70
What were the four basic tools used in Texas to prevent African Americans from voting?
Grandfather clause, literacy test, poll tax, and white primary
71
The federal statue that eliminated literacy tests as a qualification to vote and greatly increased African American access to the ballot box was
Voting Rights Act of 1965
72
What method was used to discourage Hispanic voting in the state of Texas?
Economic Harassment
73
The Supreme Court decision that rules states cannot deny someone the right to vote because he or she is a member of the armed service was
Carrington v. Rash
74
A candidate running for office without a political party affiliation or nomination is called
Independent Candidate
75
The law that mandated every polling station in the country utilize electronic voting equipment and have at least one voting booth that is accessible for those with a disability was
Help America Vote Act
76
An intra party election in which candidates compete to determine who will win the party's nomination in the general election is called
Primary election
77
A primary election in which voters elect delegates to a party convention, delegates are pledged to support a specific candidate seeking the party nomination
Indirect primary
78
An interparty election in which candidate from two or more political parties and independent candidates compete for actual political office
General Election
79
An electoral contest restricted to party loyalists that excludes supporters of other political parties and independent voters
Closed primary
80
An electoral contest in which voters are not required to require to declare a party affiliation to participate but must request a specific party's ballot at the primary
Open primary
81
There are two ways to calculate percentage of votes cast in a particular election. What are they?
Total number of registered voters and the total population
82
The lowest group of voters in Texas as well as the country are
Young voters, ages 18-24
83
The candidate running for reelection is called an
Incumbent
84
A system of campaign financing in which the government covers the cost of elections for political parties is called
Public financing
85
A system of campaign financing in which citizens, interest groups, labor unions and corporations donate funds to cover the cost of elections for political parties and candidates is called
Private financing
86
Political Parties and Interest Groups
Idk...
87
Definition of political party is
Any group, however loosely organized, seeking to elect governmental officeholders under a given label
88
The view that each party should hold firmly to a clear and consistent set of policies with a coherent ideology distinct from that of other parties in order to present voters with clear choices is called
Responsible party model
89
The view that parties make a pragmatic move to the center of the political spectrum as they attempt to win votes, sacrificing the more purely ideological position is called
Electoral competition model
90
What are the major functions of a political party?
Run candidates for office, present voters with a clear alternative of policy choices, run the government if they win, and serve as a challenge to the existing party running the government if they lose
91
What is the primary organizational structure of the political party?
Local party, state party and national party
92
When do Texas political parties hold their state conventions
Even years in June
93
The document that officially spells out the issue stands of the party and are written and approved at the party convention is
Party Platform
94
Individual selected at the state party convention to head the state executive committee is
State party chair
95
The group selected at the state party convention to carry on the activities of the party between party conventions is
Executive committee
96
An individual, group of people or group of businesses that organize in an effort to influence public policy is
Organized Interest Group
97
A theory of group formation that states that as societies become more complex and more diverse, new interest emerge to voice their concerns, prompting established interest to mobilize to protect the status quo
Disturbance theory
98
When citizens do not contribute the effort of a group but nevertheless enjoy the results of the group's efforts is known as
Free-rider problem
99
Benefits that once provided go to everyone and cannot be effectively denied to others even those who did not contribute to the effort are called
Collective goods
100
Organizations that pursue noneconomic policies on behalf of the general public, even if all members of the general public do not agree on these issues or policies
Public interest groups
101
Groups usually organized around one side of a single issue, such as pro-choice or anti-abortion groups
Single-issue interest groups
102
Economic interest groups include the following:
Labor unions, professional associations, trade associations and businesses and business associations
103
A method used by organized interests to try to shape public policy by influencing who is elected to office, especially by serving as sources of campaign funding
Electioneering
104
The fundraising arm of an interest group that has been organized to meet the requirements of state and federal campaign finance laws
Political action committee
105
The direct contact with members of the legislative or executive branch to influence legislation or administrative action
Lobbying
106
The three most recognized methods of lobbying are
Grassroots lobbying, Astroturf lobbying, and Grass top lobbying
107
A view of politics that argues that democracy is best practiced when citizens participate through groups; greater number of organized interests means wider participation and a healthier democracy
Pluralist perspective
108
A view that the system today has evolved beyond simple pluralism and is now one in which many narrow interest are represented, often at the expense of the broader public interest
Hyperpluralism
109
Regardless of the type of local government, all local governments are creatures of the state government and have only those powers specifically granted to them by the state is a concept known as
Dillon's rule
110
Use of national financial incentives (money) to encourage policies at the state and local level
Fiscal federalism
111
The process by whereby the national government sets policy guidelines, then expects state governments to pay for the programs they engender without the aid of federal monies is known as
Administrative federalism
112
How many counties are there in the state of Texas?
254
113
What is the largest county in the state of Texas?
Harris
114
What is the smallest county in Texas and the size of the population?
Loving county and only 82 people
115
Name the six key functions performed by state governments
1. Operate courts for the state 2. Prove public health clinics 3. Enforce health regulations 4. Collect certain funds for the state 5. Maintain vital records for the state and 6. Conduct elections for the state
116
The governing body for Texas counties, consisting of four elected commissioners and the judge from the county constitutional court is called
Commissioners court
117
The following are elected officials who carry out the duties for the county governments
Sheriff, County clerk, County attorney, Tax assessor, Justice of the Peace, and Constable
118
The Texas Constitution provides for the creation of two categories of cities
General law cities and home rule cities
119
A city that has been granted freedom in the organization and functioning of city government and can make structural and administrative changes without seeking permission from the state is a
Annexation
120
In home rules cities, a plan of government that details the structure and function of the city government is called
City charter
121
When a city has a mayor as chief executive and a city council to serve as the city's legislature and the two make public policy for the city it is called
Strong mayor-council system
122
When a city has directly elected a mayor whose powers are much more diluted relative to those of the city council and the two share powers over the creation and adoption of the budget and city council chooses heads of the various departments and jointly oversee the city agencies is known as
Weak mayor-city council system
123
When the city council hires a manager to run the day to day administration functions you have a
Council manager system
124
The five stages of policy making are
1. Agenda setting 2. Policy formation 3. Policy adoption 4. Policy implementation 5. Policy evaluation 6. Policy evaluation
125
A policy that moves benefits from one group to another in an attempt to equalize society is known as
Redistributive policy
126
A policy that moves benefits to meet the needs of the citizens but does so without targeting any one group as the source of money is known as
Distributive policy
127
A policy that attempts to limit or control the actions of individuals or corporations in known as
Regulatory policy
128
An across the board tax imposed on goods and services sold within a jurisdiction is called
General sales tax
129
A tax on natural resources charged when the resources are produced or severed from the Earth is called
Severance tax
130
A tax on products or activities such as cigarettes or gambling and is basically designed to discourage people from engaging in those activities is
Sin tax
131
A graduated tax, such as an income tax, which taxes people with higher incomes at a higher rate is called
Progressive tax
132
A tax such as sales tax, that taxes everyone at the same rate regardless of income, and has a greater impact on lower income people is known as
Regressive tax
133
How much of the state revenue comes from federal grants?
$39 billion
134
During the years that Texas was an independent nation, the president set aside land from each county to support elementary education. That president was
President Mirabeau Lamar
135
The law that requires teachers and school administrators to take a test to assure basic competency before being certified to teach is called
Education reform act
136
The group of thirteen people appointed by the governor for six year terms to oversee higher education policy in Texas is
Higher Education Coordinating Board
137
The federal program that provides eligible households monthly cash payments and Medicaid benefits is called
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
