Texas Govt Test 2

The structure of the Texas Legislature is defined with which of the following

Bicameral

One of the first of its kind, Texas passed which of the following acts that required a periodic review of state agencies?

Sunset Review Act

A legislative agency that prepares the two-year budget and appropriations bill for the Texas Legislature is the

Legislative Budget Board

The basic business of the Texas Legislature in reviewing and shaping bills submitted is the work of the following

Committees

Who can introduce bills for consideration by the Texas Legislature

Only legislators

Which of the following is NOT an option for the Governor once a bill has been passed by the Texas Legislature?

Amend it

Floor action in the Texas Legislature refers to which of the following in the legislative process?

Review, debate and amend by a chamber

Which of the following is NOT a qualification for being elected to the Texas House of Representatives?

having already served at least two terms in the Legislature

The Texas Legislature consists of 150 members in the House of Representatives and ____ members in the Texas Senate?

31

Your reading identified five basic steps for a bill to become a law. Which of the following is NOT a step in that process?

Budget Board Approval

Which of the following is a requirement for serving as Governor of the State of Texas?

resident of the state for at least 5 years

Which of the following is NOT a member of the plural executive in Texas?

Speaker of the House of Representative

Texas elects governors every four years during _______ national elections

midterm

Which part of the executive branch of government in Texas oversees the day to day operations of government programs and services in the state?

State boards and agencies

Appointment power is one of the most significant powers given to the Governor of Texas by the State’s Constitution. Which of the following is a type of appointment the Governor can make?

Officials and members of state boards, commissions, and councils

Texas has a ________ system which limits the power of the Governor. Except for the Secretary of State, all executive officers are elected independently making them directly answerable to the public, not the governor.

Plural executive branch

The Governor of Texas has line-item veto power, which only applies to which of the following within bills?

only items that are spending measures

The Governor of Texas can accomplish much in office by using informal powers. Which of the following is considered an informal power?

developing strong relationships with other elected officials

Which of the following members of the plural executive is the presiding officer in the Texas Senate, first in line of succession for Governor, member of the Legislative Redistricting Board, Chair of Legislative Budget Board, elected to 4 year terms by the public with no term limits.

Lieutenant Governor

Which of the following is a frequently used duty of the Texas Governor?

Signing or vetoing bills passed by the Texas Legislature

In Texas, local governments, including school districts, cities, and special districts, are financed through ________ taxes, which multiply the appraised value of the property by a tax rate set by the governing body of local government.

Ad valorem

The largest source of revenue for the State of Texas is:

Federal funding

The largest source of funding from state taxes in Texas is:

Sales Tax

The two largest areas of state spending are which of the following?

Health services and Education

Responsibility for preparing the initial draft of the budget is shared by the governor, through the Governors Office of Budget, Planning, and Policy (GOBPP) and the legislature through the Legislative Budget Board (LBB)

True

While the draft budgets are being prepared, the comptrollers office prepares the ______, a detailed forecast of the revenue that the state is expected to take in over the next biennium, with a defined ceiling on what the Legislature can spend

Biennial Revenues estimate

Which of the following is identified as an ongoing issue in state financing in Texas? Check all that apply.

Stability of oil and gas industry, Cost of higher education, Healthcare, Pressure on allowance of casino gambling and recreational marijuana, Financing public education

The Texas Constitution gives the Governor line-item veto authority — the authority to veto individual items in the appropriations bill. If the Legislature is still in session when the authority is exercised (theoretically possible, but unlikely), it may over-ride any vetoed line-items by a

two-thirds majority vote in each chamber

The _____ tax burdens low-income families more than higher-income families, since it is based on how much each family spends. Low-income families typically spend three-quarters of their income on things subject to the ____ tax, middle-class families spend less than half of their income on items subject to ___ tax, and the richest families spend one-quarter or less of their income on ____ taxable items.

sales

The budget passed by the 88th Texas Legislature this year for the coming biennium (two year cycle) was just over ______ billion

$320

________ is the power for a higher court to review a lower courts decision

Appellate jurisdiction

Civil cases involving more than $200 and criminal cases for which the penalty can involve the state prison system or the death penalty begin with a trial in

State district court

Which type of law in Texas overrules all other types of laws?

Constitutional law

The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court is required by law to report on the state of the Texas Judiciary every

regular session of the Texas Legislature

The two highest state courts in Texas are the Supreme Court and the

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

While Constitutional County courts are the governing body of the county, the court also has some judicial responsibilities including

holding hearings on beer and wine license applications

Justice and Municipal Courts do not require an elected judge to have experience practicing law. Which County-level court does not require a license to practice law to serve?

Constitutional county courts

Municipal Court judges are the only judges not elected by the citizens

True

One major argument against the election of judges is that

judicial elections require a growing amount of fundraising in election campains

Most judges in Texas are selected through

Partisan elections