home rule cities
can adopt the form of government their residents choose, within certain limits
which best describes how the governments of most Texas independent school districts operate?
school boards depend on the superintendents for their agenda and information about school issues
which statement about the governing bodies of special districts is true?
their members can be elected or appointed
if a school district becomes highly politicized, dysfunctional, and incapable of carrying out its functions, the day-to-day management of the district can be taken over by the
Texas Education Agency
a builder is constructing houses just outside the boundaries of a city which power enables the city to force the builder to comply with city building codes
extraterritorial jurisdiction
if you plan to marry in Texas, where would you obtain a marriage license
county clerk
the primary function of a sheriff is to
provide law enforcement in unincorporated areas of counties
how are special districts often described?
as invisible governments
cities, with the approval of voters, can use______ for economic development projects within the city
a half- percent sales tax
which statement accurately describes the council-manager form of city government
the city council sets policy, and the city manager handles administration
the city of el paso were to turn garbage collection over to a private busines called south Texas Waste Management, it would be engaging in
privatization
what has happened to special districts in Texas over the last several decades
there has been a steady increase in the number of special districts
what did the U.S Supreme Court decide about county government in Texas in Avery v, Midland County (1968)
county commissioners must be from districts that were equal in population size
how does an aging Texas population affect teh financing of Texas Cities?
older citizens are entitled to expanded homestead exemptions that lower a city's revenue
if a city and county wished to merge their functions and integrate their governing bodies, what would these entities initially require?
a constitutional amendment providing permission to the county and city to consolidate
the______ is often perceived as the chief executive officer of the county
county judge
what are the lowest-ranking trial courts in texas?
municipal and justice of the peace courts
which is the primary trial court in Texas
district court
the texas supreme court _____
has jurisdiction over civil cases
which statement best describes Texas judges as of 2014?
Republican judges dominated the state's two highest courts
what happens if a member of the Texas court of criminal appeals resigns midterm?
the governor appoints a new judge who serves until the next general election
who is the chief prosecutor in a county?
district attorney
what is one difference between a grand jury and a petit jury
grand juries issue indictments, and petit juries issue verdicts
the intermediate courts of appeals _______
hear both civil and criminal appeals
what has been an important factor in increasing the number of minority judges in Texas?
gubernatorial appointments to midterm vacancies on courts
which governor appointed the first Hispanic to the Texas supreme court?
mark white
when was the first African american appointed to the Texas supreme court
2001
who was Sarah T. Hughes?
the first woman to be a district judge in Texas
what is a central criticism about the influence of money on the Texas judicial system?
the need to raise funds may undermine public confidence that the Texas judicial system is fair and impartial.
what is the merit selection plan?
gubernational appointment from a list created by nominating committees, followed by retention elections
what sort of tort reform has been enacted by the Texas legislature since 1987
enacting stricter limits on personal injury lawsuits and damage judgments entered by courts
which of the following best describes legal limits on contributions to Texas judicial candidates?
there are modest limits on how much money can be contributed to Texas judicial candidates
what is the miranda ruling?
a U.S supreme court decision requiring police to warn criminal suspects of their rights
for which one can the death penalty be imposed in Texas?
murder of two grovery store clerks
which statement is the most accurate characterization of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals handling of death penalty cases in recent years?
it upholds most death penalty convictions
which of the following tools is helpful in identifying miscarriages of justice?
DNA testing
what does the so=called robin hood law require?
wealthy school districts must share tax revenue with poor districts
what has been strengthened by two recent, major court decisions dealing with graoundwater
private property rights
which of the following people would need to seek permission from a texas judge
a minor seeking an abortion who did not want to inform her parents
bureaucracies contribute to the maintenance of democratic society through_____
uniformly applying rules and proedures designed to provide comparable treatment to everyone
what is one basic characteristic of a bureaucracy?
impersonal relationships
what function do rules serve in a bureaucracy
they reduce the need for continued supervision of employees
government workers in large bureaucracies are typically ______
specialists
how involved are bureaucracies in the policymaking process
bureaucratic agencies are involved in virtually every stage of the policy making process
which statement about policy implementation is true?
it requires a rule-making process that includes input from government officials and interest groups
which of the following makes it hard for the bureaucracy to implement policy effectively
lack of adequate funding
which process requires most state agencies to be periodically examined and recreated by the legislature or eleminated?
sunset review
what is one accomplishment of the process used in Texas to periodically evaluate how well state agencies are doing their jobs
modernization of state laws and procedures
a government employee who reports mistakes and intentional wrongdoing is called a _____
whistle-blower
what should you generally do when conducting ordinary business with a government agency?
know your rights and act on them
which statement about employees of large government agencies is true?
they may not be familiar with every service the agency provides
what is your last resort in seeking help from an uncooperative government agency
file a lawsuit against the agency
why did Texas start to use the merit principle for hiring state employees?
without a merit system. texas would have been ineligible for some federal grants
why is Texas's personal system fragmented and decentralized?
elected executive officeholders have considerable authority over their personnel systems and have jealously guarded this prerogative
in Texas, who has ultimate aithority for determining personnel practices?
the legislature
the licensing of doctors, nurses, and other professionals in texas i primarily a responsibility of ________
state regulatory agencies
which provess audits state agencies to determine ways to eliminate mismanagement and inefficiency
performance review
to what does co-optation refer?
influence on state agencies by the industries they are supposed to regulate
most public workers are______
specialists
what two qualities are particularly helpful in dealing with any bureaucracy
patience and tenacity
which of the following best describes the personnel system used by the Texas government?
a highly fragmented system with different agencies assigned various personnel responsibilities
which statement describes a major characteristic of the state bureaucracy
the pert-time legislature makes systematic review and oversight of the bureaucracy nearly impossible
the hiring of public employees based on personal relationships and friendships is known as_____
political patronage
how does a bureaucracy interpret a vaguely worded law?
using its discretion
even thou state agencies will not always respond to inquiries from ordinary citizens, they typically respond to inquiries from legislators. Why are they responsive to legislators
legislators enact the laws and set the budgets under which agencies operate
the legislative budget board is made up of the____
lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, and eight legislators
which statement about government employment in texas is true
there are more local government workers than state government workers
what term is used to describe the practice of leaving a government job for a more lucrative job with the industry the former government employee had regulated
the revolving door
what is one criticism of the privatization of government
it can result in employees who may not be as familiar with sate programs as teh state employees they replaced
what percentage of texasn live in urban areas
80 percent
three of the ten largest citites in the nation are located in texas. Which three cities are these
houston, San Antonio, and Dallas
which texas city has the highest percentage of hispanics
laredo
why is the population density of Texas cities relatively low?
there was plenty of available and inexpensive land during early growth periods of texas cities
what legal theory is articulated by the dillon rule?
local governments owe their existence and powers to the state legislature
general law cities are usually those cities with____
populations less than 5,000
what form of government do most of Texas's largest cities have
council-manager
which statement about at-large elections is true?
they are the most common form of election system in Texas cities
a law or regulation enacted by a higher level of government that compels lower governments to carry out a specific action is called a______
mandate
`which of the followinf would a texas city be most likely to do if it wanted to build an expensive public facility
issue general obligation bonds
which of the following is texas's most populous county
harris
which statement accurately describes county government in Texas
all counties have the same basic structure of government with similar officials
the county commissioners court has major responsibility for ______
road and bridge construction in the county
which county office has responsibility for determining the value of real estate
appraisal district
what is the primary function of a constable
serving as the administrative officer of a justice of the peace court
which of the following county-level reforms would advoates of good government be most likely to support
allowing for county home rule
what is the most significant criticism of special districts in Texas?
they receive very little publicity and most people do not know anything about them
why might a special district be created
to establish a taxing authority that provides public services
which of the following is an advantage of special districts
special districts can address problems that cross county and municipal lines
at the end of the nineteenth century, most Texas schoolchildren attended schools that were organized as _____
community schools
administrative policies and oversight of the daily operation of schools in texas are functions assigned to the______
independent school districts
which statement best describes school boards?
one of their most important tasks is to hire the superintendent
which statement about school superintendents is accurate?
they frequently have a strong influence on school board decisions
what reform could texas implement to make it easier to recruit citizens to run for the school board
pay school board members a living wage
extraterritorial jurisdiction powers refer to the____
ability of cities to control unincorporated territory near city limits
which change in county government would likely enable counties to better meet the needs of their citizens
increased county-level legislative authority
what are tax abatements
exemptions from property taxes on businesses to promote economic development
cities and counties have the authority to create jails to incarcerate prisoners convicted of crimes that fall under their jurisdictions. Duplication of these facilities is expensive, and exonomies of scale could be achieved if city and county jails were c
inter local contracting
why might privatization of local government functions save money
businesses are thought to be more efficient than governments
which of the following courts would be most likely to try a case involving an alleged class a misdemeanor
county court
an individual charged with a serious felony offense such as sexual assault or robbery, would be tried in which of the following texas courts?
district court
a texas district court convicts a man of capital murder and sentences him to death by lethal injection. to which of the following courts would an appeal initially be taken
texas court of criminal appeals
which of the following courts i the highest appellate court in the state of texas
texas supreme court
which of the following statements most accurately describes the process of judicial selection in texas
state judges are chosen through partisan election
a state district judge resigns one tear into a four year term. through what procedure is the vacany filled
the governor appoints a replacement who must stand for election at the next regular election
which of the following courts has the power to reverse a decision of the Texas court of criminal appeals
U.S Supreme court
an election system in which candidates run without party labels is known as which of the followinf
non-partisan election
which body sets the rules of administration and civil procedure for the state court system
texas supreme court
which of the following reforms would be most likely to increase the number of african american and latino state district judges
the adoption of single member districts for electing judges
what is one difference between a grand jury and a petit jury
...
Not including school districts, about how many special districts are estimated to exist in Texas?
2,600
How to special districts generally raise revenue?
Through taxation of the citizens in the district