Texas Government Exam 2

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

Bicameral

One of the first of its kind in the nation, Texas passed which of the followg

Acts that requires 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 which 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 amendment 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 consist 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 Representatives

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 applies only 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 of the Governor?

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 the Legislative Budget Board, elected to 4 years terms by the public with no term limits.

Lieutenant Governor

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

Signing or vetoing bills passed by the Texas Legislature

In Texas, local governments, including school districts, cities, counties 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 the 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 an initial draft of the budget is shared by the governor, through the Governor's 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 comptroller's 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 Revenue Estimate

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 that authority is exercised (theoretically possible, but unlikely), it may override 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

Which of the following is identified as an ongoing issue in state financing in

Texas? Check all answers that apply.

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