Exam 2 - reading quizzes History

The power of recognition allows the Texas Speaker of the House to....

determine who will get to speak and how long a legislative debate will last.

In the Texas legislature, the House has _____ members and the Senate has _____ members.

150; 31

Which statement about the constituencies and methods of selection for Texas senators and representatives is correct?

Although Texas senators represent a larger number of Texans than Texas state representatives, both are selected via popular elections.

Which of the following is true about bicameralism in the Texas legislature?

Since bills must be passed by both chambers, the process requires compromise, but also allows individual members of the legislature the ability to block passage of bills.

Which process is used to set the agenda for special sessions of the Texas legislature?

The governor has sole authority to determine what both chambers will focus on during the special session.

____ bills must be first introduced in the Texas House of Representatives.

Revenue

Suppose there is a bill introduced in the Texas legislature that would allow a county to establish a new community college. What type of bill would this be?

local bill

Which of the following statements about simple resolutions of the Texas legislature is correct?

They do not require the signature of the governor

Constituent services have the most to do with which of the following?

a legislator working to create personal relationships with constituents

The Texas legislature is most clearly exercising its “directive and supervisory powers” when it.....

reviews the scope, budget, and purpose of a state agency such as the Texas Workforce Committee.

The first four steps in the process for a bill to become a law in the Texas legislature are:

introduction, referral, consideration by standing committee, and floor action.

Which of the following rules applies to the filibuster in the Texas Senate?

The senator who has control of the floor must always speak in an audible voice, so that he or she can be heard and understood.

The Texas legislature can use which three types of resolutions?

concurrent, joint, and simple

What is the purpose of a conference committee in the Texas legislature?

It is a committee designed to make differing House and Senate versions of the same bill identical.

In Texas, the governor’s State of the State address is an example of the __ power.

message

The Texas Speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor are often seen as holding some of the most powerful positions in Texas’s state government. Why is that so?

They can exert significant influence over which legislation is passed by the legislature.

What is the importance of the Supreme Court’s decisions in Reynolds v. Sims and Baker v. Carr?

They introduced the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote.”

Why does the Texas legislature use resolutions?

 

Resolutions are an expression of an opinion on an issue that is of interest to the legislature.

One of the powers of both the Speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor is the appointment power. Who can they appoint?

They can assign members to standing committees and appoint the chairs to those committees.

What happens if the governor takes no action on a bill (neither signing nor vetoing) within 10 days of it arriving on his or her desk?

It becomes law without the governor’s signature.

How is executive power in Texas structured?

 

It is divided among multiple officials, each elected by the people, to ensure that no one person has too much power.

If the governor of Texas is impeached and convicted, then he or she....

cannot subsequently hold any other state office.

Which of the following most clearly demonstrates the Texas governor using “message power”?

The Texas governor raises and emphasizes legislative and budgetary priorities in the State of the State speech.

Which of the following most accurately describes the groups and regions that have given Governor Abbott the most support in recent elections?

Abbott has a large base of support spread across most suburban and rural areas of the state.

Who was the first woman to be governor of Texas

Miriam Ferguson

The governor of Texas may be removed from office only by impeachment with conviction by the....

Texas Senate.

__ is the only Texas governor to be both impeached and convicted)

James Ferguson

The governor appoints people to office, but the Texas __ must also confirm them.

Senate

Which of the following is the best example of the Texas governor’s military powers?

The governor can declare martial law during a natural disaster.

Which statement about special sessions and their agendas is most accurate?

The governor alone is empowered to call a special session and set the agenda for that session.

Which statement best describes why Texas’s Constitution of 1876 established a plural executive?

 Following Texas’s colonial and post–Civil War experiences, there was a general wariness for an overly strong executive officer.

What is the primary task of the Texas secretary of state?

to handle elections and voter registration

Which of these elected officials have the main responsibility for collecting child-support payments?

Texas attorney general

Which power of the Texas comptroller exerts the greatest degree of control over policy decisions made in the state?

The comptroller provides the legislature with estimated amounts of revenue that the state will collect in the coming years.

When we talk about “bureaucracy,” we are referring to....

the formal rules, tasks, official structure, and organizational principles that allow large organizations to accomplish their goals.

Which of the following officeholders is not directly accountable to voters?

a member of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission

The position of state treasurer in Texas was eliminated in 1996. Which office took over the treasurer’s responsibilities, including being responsible for the safety of the state’s money and for investing the state’s money?

comptroller of public accounts

What happens if the Texas governor wants to remove one of their appointees from a board or commission, but that individual refuses to resign?

Two-thirds of the Texas Senate must approve of the removal.

Who has the power to pardon people in Texas?

the governor, but only on the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles

Which of the following is a consequence of elections for governor and other members of the plural executive being held in “off-years” (years when there is not a presidential election)?

Voter turnout tends to be lower.

Most federal expenditures in Texas go to education and health and human services. However, in order to receive these funds, Texas must....

spend state money in these areas first

Which statement about the Texas budget is true?

It covers a two-year period.

The ____ serves as Texas’s primary operating fund and is used to cover most discretionary spending that the legislature can direct.

general revenue fund

When the federal government reimburses Texas for monies spent in programs such as Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, these reimbursements go into which fund?

Federal Funds

Which of the following sources of revenue would most properly be classified as an “other fund,” according to the Texas state budgeting process?

state highway fund

When compared to other states in the United States, which of the following best describes Texas’s current approach to spending and revenue?

Texas collects relatively few taxes per person and, as a result, does not offer as many social programs as other states with higher taxes

Which statement about progressive taxation is most accurate?

Individuals with a lower income pay less in taxes because of a lower tax rate than those with a higher income.

Why is the price of oil important for the budget of the State of Texas?

Texas collects tax revenue on all oil removed from the ground based on a percentage of the market value of a barrel of oil. Higher prices raise more revenue, and lower prices less revenue.

Compared to other states, Texas tends to spend a relatively small amount of money on programs that are jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Because of this,

the amount of money that Texas receives in matching funds and grants from the federal government is relatively low as compared to other states.

When looking at geographic location and how a state cast its electoral college votes in the 2024 election, which statement most accurately describes the tax burden of a given state?

Southern states that Trump won in the 2024 presidential election tend to have a lower tax burden.

The Permanent School Fund (PSF) was established to provide funds for on the basis of .

primary and secondary schools in Texas; student attendance

The Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) of Texas is also known as the....

Rainy Day Fund.

What does the existence of dedicated funds (such as the Permanent University Fund, the State Highway Fund, and the State Parks Account) say about how Texans view the role of government in the budgetary process?

Texans are generally apprehensive about the state government spending money, so the dedicated funds are a way to limit the role of the legislature in directing funds.

Universities that are not eligible to receive funding from Texas’s Permanent University Fund (PUF), are eligible for funding from the....

Higher Education Fund (HEF)

In 1978, the Texas Constitution was amended (Article 8, Section 22), so that if the economy of the state shrinks,

appropriations have to shrink as well.

What does the Texas legislature’s appropriation process do?

It authorizes a government agency to spend a particular amount of money.

The Legislative Budget Board of Texas is chaired by....

the lieutenant governor.

The purpose of the Biennial Revenue Estimate is to provide....

a detailed forecast of total revenues that the state of Texas is expected to take in over the next biennium

What is the purpose of the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF)?

If there is a budget deficit, or a budget shortfall develops during a biennium, monies from the ESF can be used to fill these gaps if approved by a 3/5 vote of members of both houses of the legislature.

What happens in Texas when the price of natural gas decreases?

The amount of severance taxes Texas receives drops.

What types of cases does the Texas Supreme Court hear?

 civil appeals

Which court in Texas has automatic jurisdiction over all death penalty cases?

the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Courts of appeal have the authority to do what?

review the decisions of lower courts to determine whether legal principles and court procedures were followed correctly

To help ensure that Texans have relatively easy access to justice, the Texas Constitution requires each county in Texas to have how many district courts?

at least 1

District courts in Texas usually have __ jurisdiction, meaning that they hear a broad range of civil and criminal cases.

 general

Where are county courts located?

mostly in rural parts of Texas

Courts that can review matters relating to probate, which is the disposition of estates and property of deceased people, are referred to as what?

statutory probate courts

In Texas, a justice of the peace court would be the appropriate venue for a case that....

involves a defendant accused of running a red light.

Suppose you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident with a large tractor-trailer and have filed a civil suit against the driver and trucking company. You’ve hired an attorney to represent you in this lawsuit, and your attorney will only get paid if you win the case. You’ve hired an attorney on a ____ basis.

contingency fee

What is tort law?

A branch of civil law dealing with harm done by one party to another where the remedy is economic payments to the injured party.

In Texas, plea bargains are used to get convictions approximately ____ of the time.

97 percent

The Texas governor can most impact the Texas judiciary by exercising the power to....

address vacancies in district and appellate courts by appointing judges who will serve until the next election.

What impact did the end of straight-ticket voting have on judicial candidates in Texas?

Little difference; voters still chose judges based on party affiliation even without the option to vote for one or the other party’s complete slate of candidates.

Why is it difficult for voters to learn about judicial candidates in Texas?

Voters are called upon to vote for too many different judicial races in a single election.

As of 2021, what percentage of appellate judges in Texas were women?

49

Why was straight-ticket voting a concern with respect to judicial selection in Texas?

When voters use straight-ticket voting, judges with years of experience can be voted out of office based on nothing but party affiliation.

According to the Texas Judicial Campaign Fairness Act, individuals can donate a maximum of ____ to candidates running for statewide judicial positions.

$5,000

Why is civil forfeiture controversial?

Since civil forfeiture involves a lawsuit filed against the property and not the owner, the guilt or innocence of the owner of the property does not matter and it is up to the owner to prove that they have legal and legitimate claims to the property.

In terms of standards of evidence, if a “contention is highly probable,” this relates to the....

“clear and convincing evidence” standard

What is barratry?

the illegal generation of litigation by attorneys

Which of the following is a primary function of counties in Texas?

Counties provide the main form of government in rural areas.

Which office should you work with if you want to obtain copies of a legal document such as your marriage certificate, your child’s birth certificate, or your grandfather’s death certificate?

the county clerk who oversees the area where the marriage, birth, or death occurred

In Texas, lesser criminal cases are generally prosecuted by ____, while the more serious criminal cases tend to be prosecuted by ____.

county attorneys; district attorneys

In Texas, who collects the taxes owed to the county?

county tax assessor-collector

Who is responsible for the construction and maintenance of Texas’ county roads and bridges?

county commissioners

To whom are most county officials most accountable, and how?

the voters, through the electoral process

In large Texas counties, the ____ prepares the county budget.

auditor

What is preemption?

the legislature’s power to overrule ordinances or actions of local home-rule cities

A mayor and city council work together to debate and make policy decisions. These decisions are then handed off to another (often unelected) person who works to carry them out. Which term best describes this form of city government?

council-manager

In a mayor-council form of government, the mayor ____ while the city council _____ .

serves as chief executive officer of the city; serves as the legislative body for the city

What is the level of popularity of the commissioner system of city government in Texas today?

No city in Texas today has a pure commissioner system, but a handful claim a variation of the system.

Which of these examples best illustrates the concept of preemptionin Texas politics?

The Texas state legislature passes a zoning law that requires local governments to revoke (or cancel) building permits that a city had recently approved.

Community college districts and fire-prevention districts are examples of....

non-school special purpose districts.

A municipal utility district (MUD) is a type of special purpose district that provides utilities (like electricity or water) to which group of people?

residents who live outside city limits

In Texas, ____ create(s) special purpose districts.

Texas voters in the areas that will be covered

Special purpose districts were initially designed to help develop poor and rural areas of Texas. However, many people are now concerned that the system is being abused because....

real estate developers have figured out a way to develop the infrastructure for new developments but pass the costs on to future owners of the property.

Which of the following policy changes would result in easing some of the financial burdens faced by many state-run employee pension plans in Texas?

increase the retirement age to delay the point at which an employee can start collecting this benefit

Who is the primary record-keeper of documents generated by district courts?

the district clerk

How can private citizens be involved with councils of government (COG)?

While two-thirds of the membership of COGs must be composed of elected local officials of cities and counties, private citizens can also be members.

What is a user fee?

a fee paid for a particular good or service, such as water service