Key Terms in Federalism and Constitutional Amendments

$16,000

National poverty guideline in 2006 for the continental USA

3%

The Texas Lottery contributes approximately what percent to state revenues?

10th place

Where does Texas rank in terms of average faculty salaries among the ten most populous states?

35%

Federal funds represent approximately what % of the state's revenues?

45%

State taxes account for approximately what % of the state's revenues?

140

The Texas Legislature meets for how many days during the regular session?

254

How many counties does Texas have?

375

As of 2005, Texas had how many home rule cities?

1845

When was the first Texas Constitution drafted?

1869

Which Texas Constitution provided for centralized power by the state government, generous salaries for elected officials, and annual sessions of the state legislature?

46%

What % of Texans turned out for presidential balloting in the last 3 years?

absentee ballot or early vote

If a citizen is planning to be out of town during an election, they may vote by:

address

Process by which the legislature may request that the governor remove a district or appellate judge from office by a 2/3 vote:

administrative discretion

Freedom that bureaucrats have to implement and interpret laws

US Department of Agriculture

Administers the national food stamp program

Hopwood v. State

1996 case over affirmative action programs

alderman

Most general law cities in Texas have this model of government:

policy agenda

Identified by government agencies, interest groups, court mandates, and elected officials

jury wheel

Potential jurors are selected form a _____ which is developed from voter registrations, driver's licenses, and state ID cards

Edgewood v. Kirby

1987 court case that ruled that the state's schools systems were unequal, poorly financed, and violated the state constitution

weak

Because candidates finance their own campaigns, primary elections determine nominations, parties have no discipline over officeholders, candidates rely on their own organizations, etc., political parties in Texas are _____:

interest on state funds, state lottery, sale and leasing of mineral rights on public lands, user fees and licenses

Besides taxes, how does Texas raise revenues?

well publicized, board members are publicly elected, the number has been declining

In contrast to other special districts, school districts are:

annexation

Rules for _______ include: providing infrastructure and roads within 2.5 years, adding only unincorporated areas, and fire and police services.

Texas Court of Appeals

The _____________ are organized geographically, do not have juries, and judges serve 6-year terms on panels.

State Bar

The _______ acts as a political interest group, regulatory agency, and professional organization

Article 3

________ of the Texas Constitution established the legislature.

10 years

The (single-member) districts for the Texas Legislature are redrawn every ______

31

The Texas Senate has ____ members

County Commissioner's Court

The ____________ has no judicial functions, appoints the heads of the (unelected) departments, adopts the budget and tax rate for the county, and all members are elected.

county governments

Decentralized purchasing, inappropriate size, the spoils system, partisanship, and restrictive structure are weaknesses in Texas _________.

Ethics Bill

The ________ of 2003 requires that local officials file personal financial statements, candidates file campaign finance reports electronically (unless they spend less than $2000), candidates disclose cash balances in campaign accounts, and legislators who are lawyers disclose when they are paid to delay trials during a legislative session.

Jacksonian democracy

________ promoted: long ballots with most officials popularly elected, short terms of office, the spoils system, and expansion of individual participation in government.

State Board of Insurance

The __________ was abolished by the legislature and replaced with a single appointed executive after the Travis County Grand Jury issued a critical report in 1991 and the agency favored the industry against consumers.

redistricting

Texas senators stand for election the year following ______.

2 or 4

Texas senators draw lots for either _________ year terms.

appellate jurisdiction

The authority of a court to review the decisions of a lower court, then confirm or overturn them.

county executive committees

The state convention does NOT appoint the ______.

appointment and removal

The governor's constitutional and statutory authority hire and fire people employed by the state

apportionment

Drawing counting precinct lines based on equal population.

Article 4

_________ of the Texas Constitution establishes the executive branch.

Article VI

__________ of the US Constitution is also known as the Supremacy Clause

at-large elections

In ___________, each candidate must run jurisdiction-wide when several similar positions are being filled.

Attorney General

Issues "advisory opinions" on the constitutionality of proposed laws and government actions and gives interpretations of the Open Records Act

oil, minerals, agriculture, cattle

Historically, the Texas economy was primarily based on ____, _____, _____, and ____.

30

The Texas governor must be at least ___ years old, a US citizen, and a resident of Texas for at least 5 years.

block grants

Federal money allowed for general use in a broad range of programs

presiding officer

Texas Legislature committee assignments are primarily determined by the ______.

dual-budgeting system

Texas has a ________, which means that both the governor and the legislature prepare the budget.

captive agency

When a state agency begins to promote an interest group rather than regulate it, it has become a ______.

categorical grants

Federal funding that can only be used for specific programs.

Children's Health Insurance Programs

The _____, also known as CHIPS, is a federal-state program to provide health insurance for low-income parents.

city manager

The _______ is a professional executive hired by a city council to administer a city.

civil jurisdiction

The authority of a court over civil rather than criminal matters

clientele

A ____ group is an interest group that benefits from or is regulated by an administrative agency

commission

Texas home rule cities have abandoned the ____ form of government.

committee action on bills

In Texas, the second 30 days of the legislative session are reserved for _____, unless the legislature votes to suspend the rule

Comptroller of Public Accounts

An approved appropriations bill must first go to the ____, the custodian of public monies and securities, before it is sent to the governor for signature.

concurrent jurisdiction

Shared authority between two or more types of courts.

concurrent resolution

A _____ is a resolution passed by both houses of the legislature by a majority vote.

conference committee

A temporary joint committee consisting of members of both houses of a legislature to reconcile differences between the two versions of a bill.

co-optation

____ occurs when government agencies lose their independence and become dominated by the interest group they were created to control.

corporation franchise taxes

The major taxes levied on business in Texas are:

council-manager

The form of city government in which an elected city council appoints a city manager who is responsible for hiring and firing department heads (no mayor)

Avery v. Midland County

In ______, the US Supreme Court ruled that counties had to abide by the one-person, one-vote rule.

county health officer

In Texas, the county attorneys, count clerks, county sheriffs, and assessor-collectors of taxes are all elected, but the _____ is not.

county judge and 4 county commissioners

A Texas county government basically consists of a ____.

governor

The Texas _____ has control over the Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Air National Guard, and Texas Army National Guard.

County Sheriffs' Departments

In law enforcement and public safety, the governor does not have control over the ______.

Court of Criminal Appeals

The _____ is the highest appellate court in criminal law in Texas and has no civil jurisdiction.

court of record

Each county in Texas must have a _____, a court where a complete transcript is made of each case.

Courts of Civil Appeals

The intermediate appealed courts having both civil and criminal jurisdiction in Texas are _____.

14

How many Texas Courts of Appeals are there?

death penalty appeals

The Texas Courts of Appeals handle felony appeals, criminal appeals, juvenile appeals, and civil appeals, but not _____.

Department of Agriculture

The Texas ____ is responsible for enforcing weights and measures, determining the relative safety of pesticides, etc.

disintegrated or fragmented executive

A _______ system occurs when the administrative authority is shared by numerous elected officials.

district elections

The ______ are elections in which candidates run in one geographical portion rather than the whole city or county

40%

Approximately what % of the state's budget is spent on education?

education

The largest percentage of the state's budget is spent on ____.

elasticity

In tax systems, _____ means the flexibility and breadth to ensure that state revenues are not seriously disrupted if one segment of economy is troubled.

term limits

Texas governors are directly elected to 4 year terms by the state's citizens but have no constitutional _____.

electioneering

The efforts and activities of a group to influence the selection of public officials or the outcome of elections.

voter turnout

_____ is the proportion of eligible citizens who actually cast ballots

en banc

When hearing an appeal from a lower court, a Texas Appeals court may sit ____, that is, the entire panel will set together.

Ethics Commission

The 1991 Texas Ethics Law created the ______.

exclusive jurisdiction

____ is the right of a court to have sole authority over a certain area of the law.

Legislative Redistricting Board

The ______ is composed of 5 ex officio state officials (holding other state offices)

Fair Defense Act

Under the ______, counties must provide poor defendants with an opportunity to meet an attorney.

Texas Campaign Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1973

The ____ did not impose limits on campaign contributions.

fees

Because taxes are unpopular, states have increasingly relied on _____, a sum paid in direct exchange for a service.

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996

The ____ provided time limits to welfare assistance as well as federal and state funding of job training.

special election

The purpose of the ____ is to fill vacancies in Congress.

fiscal year

The time period for the Texas government for the budget, the ____, runs from September 1 to August 31.

formal qualifications

_____ are qualifications for holding public office specified by the law or the constitution.

general election

In a _______, voters choose state and national executives and legislators.

general sales tax

The largest of the state taxes, as a %, has been the ____.

minimal

In Texas, government expenditures are relatively _____.

grand jury

A ___ is a body of citizens who determine whether their is sufficient evidence to warrant a felony trial and issue indictments.

Health and Human Resources

33.9% of the state's budget is allocated to ____.

Higher Education Assistance Fund

______ (HEAF) was established to provide capital funding for public colleges and universities not part of the UT or A&M system.