Tx Govt. Exam #2

Rural

More liberal urban voters have shown a higher level of comfort with
government regulation and authority that _________________ voters generally
oppose.

Limiting

Preemption laws are state laws ___________ the powers of local governments.

5,000

Cities can be organized in two basic ways, depending on their size. Cities with a
population of less than ______________ people can only exist as general law cities. A
general law city has only the powers specifically granted by the legislature, which do not
include broad annexation or regulatory powers.

5,000

Cities with a population greater than ____________________ may elect home rule status.
Home rule cities can do virtually anything they want that isn’t prohibited by the
legislature

Cities

Counties are general-law forms of government, created specifically by the state,
whereas ______________, on the other hand, are created by their citizens, who apply for
a charter to create one.

County judge

Each of Texas' 254 counties is run in part by a five-member Commissioners court
consisting of a ________________, elected at-large, and four county commissioners
elected from each of four precincts.

Water district

Which of the following is an example of a special district in Texas?

Special

_________________ districts are governmental entities with specific geographic
boundaries that are created to provide specific services such as drainage,
water and sewer service, or firefighting.

Strong mayor

Cities in Texas can be organized in a variety of ways. The most common structure is the
council-manager form of government. Some large cities in Texas have a
_____________________ system

County

____________ officials are elected in partisan elections

Appellate jurisdiction

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

State district court

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

Constitutional law

Which type of law in Texas overules all other types of law?

Regular session of the Texas Legislature

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

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

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

Holding hearings on beer and wine license applications

While Constitutional County Courts are the governing body of a county, the
Court also has some judicial responsibiliites including

Constitutional county court

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?

True

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

judicial elections require a growing amount of fundraising in election
campaigns

One major argument against the election of judges is that

Partisan elections

Most judges in Texas are selected through

Ad Valorem

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.

Federal funding

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

Sales tax

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

Health services and education

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

True

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).

Biennial revenue estimate

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.

✓Stability of the oil and gas industry
✓Cost of higher education
✗Implementation of a state income tax
✓Health care
✓Pressure on allowance of casino gambling and recreational marijuana
✓Financing public education

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

Two-thirds majority vote in each chamber

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

Sales

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.

$320

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

Resident of the state for at least 5 years

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

Speaker of the House of Representatives

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

Midterm

Texas elects governors every four years during _________________ national
elections.

State boards and agencies

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

Officials and members of state boards, commissions, and councils

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?

Plural executive branch

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

Only items that are spending measures

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

developing strong relationships with other elected officials

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?

Lieutenant Governor

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.

Signing or vetoing bills passed by the Texas Legislature

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

Bicameral

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

Sunset review act

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?

Legislative budget board

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

Committees

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

Amend it

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

Review, debate and amendment by a chamber

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

Having already served at least two terms in the Legislature

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

31

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

Budget board approval

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