In Texas, the role of the bureaucracy is enhanced because
the governor doesnt have that much power. bureaucracy has more power
in the early part of the 20th century, _____ regarded bureaucracies as efficient means of organizing large numbers of people to accomplish a given task
Max Weber, a german sociologist
From 1972 to 2010, the size of the state and local bureaucracy in Texas
increased
During the 2010-2011 biennium, the legislature appropriated almost
$182 million
What resulted from the 2003 restructuring of health and human service agencies toward increased privatization?
thousands of children dropped form medicaid and the children's health insurance program, to the dismay of health care advocates
In 2010, Texas rnaked ____ in per capita spending by state government alone
last
In 2010, the state of Texas spent approximately _____ per capita
$3,703
How successful has Texas been in curtailing government growth and spending?
Texas efforts to curtail government growth and spending have met marginal success
82% of state government eployees in Texas work in areas of higher education, public safety and corrections, and ___
social services
Why has the bureaucracy in Texas grown in recent years?
citizens expect a wide range of public services, federal mandates require more funding and personnel and interest groups have successfully implemented new programs
About 38% of city employees in Texas are engaged in ____
fire and police protection
about 50% of special district employees in texas work in ______
social services, including public hospitals
Generally, the _____ broadly defines a program, and the _____ fills in the details of it.
legislature; affected agency
Implementation is the conversion of policy plans into
reality
When things go wrong in state government and problems go unresolved, there is a tendency to blame bureaucrats for
excessive red tape, inefficiency, mismanagement, or incompetence
Which of the following is the least likely obstacle to policy implementation in Texas?
the governor doesn't choose to manage the agency in charge
_____ would be considered co-optation
influence and control over state regulatory boards by the industries they are supposed to regulate, often to the detriment of the general public
What can happen to legislative policies upon implementation by the bureaucracy?
may be misdirected, with little potential for producing the intended results
_____ demanded that the Texas department of Health crack down on deplorable conditions in nursing homes
Governor Ann Richards
Ever _____ the legislature sets budgets for state agencies
2 years
The 2 ways that the legislature can use budgetary control over bureacuracies are by
the amount of funds allotted and approval of line items in agency budgets
In 2003, after a series of budget disputes, performance reviews were transferred
fromt eh computer's office to the Legislative Budget Board
How can teh Legislative Budget Board work to limit mismanagement and inefficiency of a state agency?
limited budgetary oversight, performance reveiws, sunset legislation, and restrictions on the "revolving door" between government and industry employment
How successful has the sunset process been in Texas?
few agencies have been abolished, but the review has produced some significant structural and policy changes in teh state bureacracy... it has also expanded employment opportunities for lobbyists
Each agency is subject to sunset review every
12 years
If law makers fail to approve a sunset bill by Sept 1 of teh year teh agency is scheduled for review, the agency will be phased out of existence over
the next year
The ____ is exempt from sunset review
courts and state agencies created by the consitution
Why is the revolving door viewed in a negative way?
because it enabled professionals to avoid certain regulations in thier jobs, sort of corruption
______ was early step in restricting the reovlving-door phenomenon
the Public Utility Commission
Why did the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly sanction Texas Suprme Court Jusitces C.L. Ray and William Kilgarlin in June 1987?
because of alleging improper contact
Why did the Supreme Court Chief Justic John L. Hill resign from teh court in 1988?
for changing the judicial selection method
in 1998, the Republican Party won _____ seats on teh Texas Supreme Court
the majority of the
Legislation enacted in 1987 aimed at bringing about tort reform attempted
to put some limits on personal injury lawsuits and damage judgments entered by the courts
Which of teh following was appointed U.S. attorney general after serving on the Tx Supreme Court and as Tx secretary of state?
raul a gonzalez
gonvernor ____ appointed the first African American to the Tx Court of Criminal Appeals
Bill clements
What effect did Leage of United Latin American Citizens et al v mattox et al have on the Tx judicial system?
its bumpy journey through the judicial process highlights th epolitical staked involved in the issue
What benefits do a nonpartisan election system for judges, which some advocate be used in Tx, offer?
guard against partisan bickering on the multimember appellate courts and eliminate the possiblity that a poorly qualified candidate could be swept into office by one-party, straight voting ticket
Under both the US nd Tx Constitutions, a person charged with a crime is presumed
innocent until the state can prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to a judge or a jury
Over time, the US Supreme Court has applied the Bill of Rights to the states by way of the ____ clauses of the 14th Amendment
due process of law" and teh "equal protection of law
Under the ____ ruling, police are required by the courts to inform us of our rights
Miranda
In a criminal case, when a jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict and the judge must declare a mistrial,
the prosecution has to seek a new trial with another jury to drop the charges
____ is considered the most serious crime in Texas
Capital murder
Why dit the US supreme court halt executions in all states in 1972?
because it would be applied in a discriminatory fashion
_____ is a first-degree felony
Aggravated sexual assault or murder
People sentenced to life in prison can be considered for parole after serving
40 years
the Texas ___ must try to balance the constitutional rights of convicts against the public welfare
Court of Criminal Appeals
Throughout much of its history, the Texas ____ has been accused of excessive convern for legal_____
Cour tof Criminal Appeals; techincalities that benefit convicted criminals
What was the result of the Texas Supreme Court ruling the 1989 Edgewood school case?
basic changes in the financing of public education to provide more equity between rich and poor school districts
In 1994, the Texas Suprme Court held that parents
are required to comply with all state public education rules
The basic structure of the Texas Judicial system, with more than 2700 courts,
is so soutdated that many experts believe it should be overhauled
The Texas judiciary, particularly in urban areas, has become over loaded by
criminal cases and an increasingly litigious approach to civil disputes or civil cases
The federal judiciary has ordered sweeping improvements in
the state prison system
More than _____ of all litigation is based on state laws or local ordinances
95%
Civil law suits involve conflict
between two or more parties
Most criminal activities are defined and their punishments established in the
Penal Code
_____ typically handle cases converning things such as traffic tickets
municipal courts and justice of the peace courts
The authority of a court to try or resolve a civil law suit or a felony prosecution being heard for the first time is known as
original jurisdiction
The authority of a court at the highest level of the state judiciary is referred to as a
bifurcated court system
Unlike federal judges, who are appointed by the president to life terms, state judges in Texas, except for those on municipal courts, are
elected to limited terms in partisan elections
The prevailing constitutional theory on the relationship of local governments to the state is the _____ system
unitary
the _____ rule is the prevailing theory defining the relationships of states and local governments, a relationship in which local governments are fundamentally administrative subdivisions of teh state and have no rights except for those granted to them by
Dillon
State governments grant to local governments
thier powers, functions, and responsibilities, and no local government has sovereign powers
The two major limit-setting authorities over cities, counties, school districts, and special districts are the
legislature and the Texas Constitutions
The state has granted Texas cities _____ range of discretionary power over organizational structure and local public policy
home rule authority
What characterizes the history of most cities in Teas with respect to their government?
Many of teh larger cities in Texas have gone through a succession of different forms of governments, and there are local histories behind these changes
The majority of cities in Teas are ____ cities wile the most common form of city government is ____
weak mayor; mayor-council form
In the mayor-council form of government,
the legislative function of the city is vested in the city council, and the executive fuction is assigned to the mayor... this type of govt is based on the seperation of powers principle, which also characterizes the state and federal govts
____ would be considered an aspect of a strong mayor
appointive and removal powers over city agency heads
Why is the strong mayor form of government found in only one major city in Texas?
the strong mayor may be unpopular in the state bc it often was associated with urban political machines, ward politics, and political corruption. Also, the fragmentation of authortiy and responsibility in local govt parallels that found in state govt is a
Why did the commission type of city govt come about in 1900 in Galveston?
the origin of the city commission usually is traced to the tx island city of galveston. after a hurricane and subsequent flooding devastated most of the city in 1900, the govt then in office proved incomptenent and incapable of responding. the crisis prom
the greatest flaw with teh commission form of city govt is
the lack of a single chief executive, so that no one is in charge
the commission form of govt combines the ___ functions
executive, administrative, and legislatvie
in a council-manager form of govt
the city council is chiefly responsible for developing public policy
the ____ is usually a voting member of city council but has few other duties in the council-manager form of city govt
mayor
which is a factor that ehlps to determine th eoverall effectiveness of city manager?
thier relationships with their city councils, thier ability to develop support for their recommendations within the council and teh community at large wihtout appearing to hve gone beyond the scope of their authority, and teh overall perception of their f
almost every texas city elects its council in ___ elections
nonpartisan
the type of election used in most cities has historically benefited
higher social and economic groups
a notable feature of city elections in texas is the use of
citywide or at-large elections
in a place system, candidates
file for specific council seat and run citywide for places, or positions
what are texas cities primarily dependent on for revenue?
regressive texas, usch as property taxes and a one-cent sales tax. other revenue sorces include franchise fees, court fines, hotel occupancy taxes, taxes on amusements, fees for various permits, and transfers from revenue generated by city-owened utilitie
citizens can petition their city council for a rollback election
to nullify any tax increase of more than 8% in a given year
although cities are requrired by law to balance thier operating budgets, many municipal construction projects are financed by loans through the issuance of
general obligation bonds which are subject to voter approval
the bonds that are sued by a city are secured by its ____
city's taxing powers
____ can provide funding for revenue bonds a city can use
income-producing facility
the population characteristics of Texas cities change over time, and major metropolitan areas have experienced a ______ to the suburbs
white flight
a law or regulation enacted by a hiher level of government that compels a lower level of government to carry out a specific action
mandate
what characterizes the organizational structure of Texas county governtment?
the organizational structure of county government is highly fragmented, reflecting the principles of Jacksonian democracy and the reaction of late-nineteenth century Texans to Radical Reconstruction
The presiding officer of teh commissioners court is teh ____ who is joined by ___ county commissioners
county judge; four
The tx consitutuion gives the county judge some judicial duties but
does not require the officeholder to be a lawyer
House bill 72 is best described as
a landmark school reform law enacted in 1984. among other provisions, it reduced class sizes, required teachers to pass a literacy test to keep thier jobs; and imposed the no pass, no play rule
the most controversial provisions in the 1984 education reform law were
a literacy test for teachers and the so-called no pass, no play rule, both of which were to contribute to White's reelectio ndefeat in 1986
the 1984 education reform law did not change the basic education finance system, a no mission resulting in
Edgewwod vs. Kirby
in 1989, the Texas Supreme Court said the existing education finance system violated a state constituional requirement for
an efficient system of public education
in early 1997, attorney genral dan morales interpreted the Hopwood ruling as prohibiting all Texas universities from using race or ethnicity as a preferential factor in
admissions, scholarships, and other student programs
in an attempt to give the best students from poor and minority public school districs and equal footing in university admissions, the legislature enacted a 1997 law that guaranteed automatic admission to state universities for a high school graduate who f
10
while little changed in minority enrollements at many Texas Universities after the Hopwood decision, _____ and University of Texas at Austin, the two largest saw a huge drop-off as they had formerly used race as a factor in admissions
Texas A&M
In 1980 Rick vs. Estelle federal court case dealt with the issue of
prison system
Texas officials ignored deteriortign state prison conditions until a 1980 state ruling by ____, which declared the Tx prison system unconstitutional
federal judge William Wayne Justice
In the decades following the Ruiz decision, Texas dealt with the problem of its overcrowded prisons by
doubling teh size of the prison system
A 2010 University of Texas/ Texas Tribune poll found that ____ percent of Texasns strongly supported the death penalty
53
According to the txt, health and human services are the areas where state governemnts consider compassion versus teh cold realities of teh budget, and where Texas has historically been
stingy
According to a 2010 Ameriacn Commmunity Survey, which is the correct statement regarding pverty in Texas?
Approx 4 million of Texans, 17.9% of the state's poulation live in poverty, especially children an dminorities
What is the purpose of CHIP?
CHIP is for for the children of working parents who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but do not have insurance through their jobs and cannot afford to purchas private insureance
In 2010, nearly ____ of Tx children didnt have health insurance
16.8% or 1.2 million
In 2003, th eTexas legislature ordered a major reorganization of the state's health and human services agencies, supported heavily by the ____ in the legislature
Republican leaders
Why were efforts to privatize applicant eligibility for public services with Accenture unsuccessful?
bec delays in processsing claimsa nd lost paperwork
by 2007, out of all the fifty states, Texas
was responsible for more carbon dixide emission than the number two and three states - Califronia and Pennsylvania combined
In 1999, ____ beame the nation's "diritest air" city
Houston
Many Texas political figures sitll debate the ____ of Global Warming despite a 2009 report by Texas A&M scientiests
dangers
Which of the following best captures Thomas Dye's definition of public policy?
whatever governments choose to do or not to do
Setting public policy usually involves questions of
who will benefit adn who will pay the bill
public policy includes
providing benefits for the public good, regulationg the private sector, and effects of the governmental process
the first stage of the policy process is
identification and formation of an issue
the activities of the implementation phase of the policy process include
interpretation, organization, and application
at the state level, a clster of ____ would be consdiered an iron triangle of govt
members of the house and teh senate and thier staffs, high level bureaucrats, and representatives of interest groups
Texas' pay as you go spending rules are best summarized as
prohibits deficit financing
explain education costs in Tx
the local source of revenue is the property tax, and the money it raises is determined by the value of the property that is taxed and the tax rate that is imposed on that property, or $8908 per student
in 2012-2013, ___ percent of the Tx budget was solely devoted to eucation
42%
The second largest share of the state budget is for
health and human services
Sustained population growth in Tx has
rods and highways in urban and suburban areas are clogged, and air pollution is an ever-present problem for many communities
bcause the got impacts on our lives daily,
we all have a stake in waht it does
which of the following 3 cities are among the 10 largest citis in teh US?
Houston, SA, dallas
Organizing disputes, creating fair procedures for competing interests to communicate thier needs, and managing budgets to decide who will benefit and who will cover th costs is called
govt
the regressive tax system in tx has resulted in
failures to raise enough revenue to meet public needs
most scholars believe that the tx constitution si
obsolete
which of teh following best charcterzies Texans' attitudes toward govt?
many are suspicios fogovt
the 2001 implsoion of Houston based Enron Corp and subsequent loss of jobs revealed
the failure of staete and federal gvts to adquately regulate the energy industry
What has been the role of the battle of the Alamo in creating its seperate unique political order in Tx?
serves to identify the common experiences of independence. no other ste was a republic prior ot joining the Union, and several schoars argue that independence and "going at it alone" from 1836 to 1845 resulted in a cultural experience that distinguises th
The cowboys ragged individualism symbolizes a political culture that
does not like to look to govt as a solution to many of its problems
why hav ethe Texas myths primarily been the myths of Anglos and not of other gourps?
because they have limited relevance to the cultural and historical experiences of many African Americans and Hispanc Texas. from the 1840s to the mid 1960s, these latter groups were ecluded from full participation in Tx poliitics and the state's economica
political culture can best be defined as _____ that vie order and meanting to political process
a set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments
Why does the individualistc subculture hold that govt should be limited?
bc in this view the govt should interfere as little as possible in the private activities of its citizens and ensure the stability of a society so that individuals can pursue their own interests
the moralistc subculture believs that public policy initiatives can come from
officeholders as well as thoform those outside the formal gvernmental structure
the ____ subcultures dominate general views in Texas of what govt should do, who should govern, and what consitutes good public policy
individualistic and traditionalistic
the consitution of Coahuila and Tejas
adopted in 1827 while Tx was still a part of mexcio, the constitution recognized that Tx as a Mexican state with coahila
Which governor of Tx refuesed to leave office although he had lost reelection/
Edmund Davis
a constitution reflects the way society structures conflict through its
institutional arrangements
Which of the following statements is true about Tx govt under the constutuion of 1876?
adopted at teh ened of reconstruction and amended 474 times since, this is the constitution under with Texas currrently functions. highly restrictive and antigovt, this consitution plaes strict limitations on the powers of the governor, the legislature, a
the purpose of saturoy law
consituions should provide a basic framerwrofk for gvt and leave the details to be defined by statutory law.
the first tx consituion was adopted in
1827
Scholars believe that above all consitutions hsould
be concise and contain unversal principles
a constitution does not
define who can hold office
scholars believe that constitutions should
be brief and should include general principles rather than specific legislative provisions
how does the constitution of tex resemble those of other former confederate states?
they are the only states whose consitutions formally acknowledge the supremacy oft eh US constitutions
under the first tx consitutions, the governor
enforced the law, led the milita, and granted pardons
elements of ____ can still be found in tx in teh 21 century in teh form of property rights, water rightstand community property
mexican legal system
during the late 1820s and early 1830s, tensions between angos and the mexican govt often centered around conflicts over different
cultures,, legal traditions, and econimc interest that sparked open rebellion by the colonists
in 1835, santa anna
began to suspend the powers of the mexican congress and local govts
according to a2007 census, tx had around _____ govt units
4,836 individual
___ is a system in which each member govt is considered sovereign, and the national govt is limited to powers deleagted to it by its member govts
confederation
the 3 fundamental systems for structuring govt are
unitary, confederation, and federalism
in relation to local govts in tx there is no such thing as
the sovereignty of local govt in tx
the organizaiton and operation of our federal system of govt is a system
of many shared fuctions and responsibilites
a systematic transfer of authority from the federal govt to the states would be considered ___ in teh US
federalism
most oficial proceedings concering our daily livescome form ____ govts
state and local
the ___ clause of the US constitution impoies tha twhen there i s a power struggle between the federal ggovt and the state govt, the federal govt triumphs
supremacy
the US consitution limits the powers of teh states and teh national govt through ___ powers
denied
the ability to ___ is a concurrent powershared by the national and state govts
raise tadxes, develop and implemetn public policies, spend money, borrow money, and establish thier own court systems
the US consitutions provedes for the return of persons accused of a crime . this process between the staets is called
extradition
because the writeisrs of the US constituion forewsaw the necessity to organize fomral agreements between the states, they provided for ___ compacts
intersate
___ are issues betwen the states that are often resolved by the US spreme court
licensing fees that affect interstate banking, boundary disputes and tax jurisdiciotn
in virtually every area of public policy, govts must
coordinate, collaborate, and cooperate
what effect dahs the supreme court Marbury v. madison had on teh US political system
establish the doctrine of judicial review and the power of the court ot be chief interpreter of all the constituion
it is estimated that ____ of Americans belong to some type of organization
74%
People who join interest groups do so for a variety of reasons, including
the personal and material benefits that can be derived from the interest groups, social benefits and personal satisfactions or a sense of purpose form belonging to a group that he or she believes has a worthwile cause or objective
in Federalist Papers, _______ poisted the idea that the 2 basic problems with frctions are that they impose their will on others and they harm the long-term interests of the nation
James Madison
______ believe that numerous and diverse interest groups competing for political influence in an environment of limited resources checks the oopportuinty for anyone group to have an overabundance of power
Pluralists
How does group interaction benefit the outcomes of conflict resolution in a pluralistic society?
politics is a group interactions. they have conflicts over limited resources and public policy is the resolution to these conflices.
the waves that David Truman spoke of are periods
in american political history in which groups proliferate rapdily in response to economic, social, or political change
in a pluralist society, public officials are expected to be
responsive to the needs and interests of a greater diversity of Texans than ever before
____ believe that a few individuals still control enormous resources
elitist
michel's iron rule of oligarchy was applicable to any organization and was a _____ law applied to all social systems
universal
in the days of one-party Democratic politics in Tx, the _____ was a loosely knit condition of Anglo business and oil company executives, bankers, and lawyers who controlled state policy
establishment
according to candler davidson, the extremely wealthy
constitute "an upper class in teh precise meaning of a term a social group whose background and effective control of wealth bring them together politically
evidence suggests that the source of political power and influence lies somewhere between the _____ positions
elitist and pluraslit
the rapid expansion of interest groups in tx and accross the nation is believed by many scholars to have produced a system of _____, leading to increased political gridlock in the policymaking process
hyperpluralism
the theory that all demands by every group are legitimate and that govt should attempt to meet each adn every one was descrbied by Theodore Lowin
The End of Liberalism
iroin triangles consisiting of ____ can often lead to such close relationships taht regulation becomes diffficult
interactions among the interest groups, the administrative agencies, and legislative committees
in order to be covered by the media events or subjects must
1. have siginificant impact on its audience 2. needs to be something that generated considerable interests 3. familiarity 4. an event that occurs in proximity to readers and viewers 5. should be timely
in some cases wehre the public interest is aroused, many experts extend the ageda-setting role of the media to agenda
building
the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund _____, which forced the media to take notice of the issue.
won a state court judgment declaring the school finance system unconstitutional
teh ____ is a pattern advanced by Anthony Downs that descrbies the stages of increasing and waning news coverage and public interest as an issue
issue-atttention cycle
the media's role in agenda setting or agenda building is minimized by
a climate created for political action by shaping the atmosphere in which these issues will be debated and their solutions bated
how has teh expansion of mass media into new formats such as Twitter and Youtube changed teh way campaigns are conducted?
the media have displaced the political party as the major information link between the voter and those in govt
most traditional journalists believe thier job is to be as ____ as possible when reporting the news
objective
Campaign strategy for most major candidates includes scheduling daily appearances such as visiting a school with ____ in mind, despite it only providing superficial coverage
television newscasts
in gneral elections, studies ahve indicated that party indentification
help determine voters' choices
why is the "horse race" approach to covering a campaign often criticized?
some critics argue that reporters often neglect candiddates' positions on substantive policy issues in favor of stories about how much money candidates are reaising, their stable of consultatnts, campaign strtegies, tactics, and personalities
_____ is an example of a "feel good" advertisement spot out by a cmapaign
portraying the candidate in teh best possible light-playing with children, visiting a hospital, or shaking hands with teh current president
TV has often been criticezed for putting _____, a problem that candiddates who are more interested in winning rather than reforming the system are willingly perpetuating
style over substance adn orchestrated events over thoughtful debates of teh issues
most tx voters get to know a candidate through
television
how have wealthy candidates such as bill clements and clayton williams used their money on tleevesion to advance their campaigns?
bill clements spent millions of dollars of his own fortune on televesion advertisements in 1978 to become the first republican to caputer governor's office in modern times. clayton williams spent more than $21 million, including $8.4 million from his own
in the 2002 governor's race, tony sanchez spent _______ of his own money
$56.7 million
simply stated, political parties link diverse segments of the population governemnt and thus contribute to the stability and ______ of govt
citizens feelings of being cheated
the most important institution for mobilizing voters for specific candidates is called ____
parties
in tex, about ______ % of the pople idientify w one of the major parties
60%
political parties help to bridge the inherent conflict _____ branches of govt
between executive and legislative
how is the partisan nature of teh tx state legislature changing?
party caucuses now appear to be more influenctial in defining policy positions and legislative strategies, and ther has been less willingness to compromise on major issues
public policy is the result of groups organizing around issues and keeping pressure on
elected offficials to respond
since teh 1970s, ____ helped to bring an end to one party politics in tx
social and economic changes
writer VO Key presents a provocative theses in sSouthern Politics in which eh says tx politics can be better understood in terms of
modified class politics
in tx, 2 dominant forces merged about 80 years ago, consolidated political power, and merged the politics of race adn teh politices of
economics
tx elits were able to maintain their control through a number of practices, including
adoption of constitutional restricitions and the enactment of legislation
what role did governoer edmund davis play in tx become a one-party emocratic state by teh 1870s?
generated strong anti-republican feelings, and the republican party was perceived to be the party of conquest and occupation
what effect did the jim crow laws have on tx politics in teh 20th century?
a one party democratic system dominated by influential conservatives
under franklin d roosevelt, govt became a buffer against
economic downtowsn as well as postiive force for change
what impact did the administration of president franklin d. roosevelt have on tx politics?
democratic party maintained its monopoly
what was the significance of teh 1944 us supreme courts ruling i n Smith v . Allwright?
declared teh white primary unconstitutional
several reasons ahve been given for ____ in tx. some texans only care about their own selfish needs; others feel a sense of disenchantment, disillusion, or downright alienation; and still others care, but feel that a single vote is not enough to make a di
voters
according to the text, some observers believe that th real brokers of politics and public policy in tx are
interst groups, lobbyists, and "fat cats" who contribute large sums of money to candidates or parties
in the most basic sense, elections serve to
assure popular support and legitimacy for those who make governmental decisions
though elections provide broad statemetns ofte voter's expectations,
for future public policy and a prospective judgment on the performance of elected officials, they seldom articluate or direct precise programs
elections enable voters to replace public officials or force officheolders to
change their policies
in a democracy, elections enable individuals to
contorl its leaders and provide a retrospective judgment of the past actions of elected officials
what is teh effect of dividing election cycles so that state and local elections are seperate?
it contributes to "voeter fatigue", reduced voter turnout
______ helped lead tx to adpoting the primary in 1903. prior to this, political porties nominated candidates in party conventions
primary elections
if no candidate in a primary election recevies an absolute majority of the votes cast,
the two top vote getters must face each other in a runoff election
why have minority groups such as Hispanics and African Aemercans criticized the current primary system in tx?
minority groups have argued that the absolute majority requirement discriminates against African American and Hispanic candidates
_____ is the responsibility of a party's county chariman and county executive committee
printing the ballots, locating polling places, providing for voting machines, hiring the lection judges and clerks, and canvassing the election returns
for ideological reason, primaries can result in an unbalanced ticket that has limited appeal in a general election and essentially produces a weak candidate. How is this possible?
primary ocontests can be vicious with personal attacks between candidates
teh ____ is responsible for the administration of the general election in November
county
if 3rd party candidates wish to have their names included on teh ballot, they must collect petitions bearing teh names of registerd voters equal to ____% of teh vote in the last gubernatorial election
1%
___ are partisan and held in november of even numbered years
statewide general elections
in 2003, the first republican house speaker since reconstruciton was
tom craddick
what was the primary reason for legislative partisanship in tx in 2003?
fight over the drawin of congressional districts
which of the following best characterizes the tx state legislature?
the tx legislature falls somewhere between those state legislatures that can be classifiedd as highly prfessional and those that can be classified as amateur or citiczen law making bodies
the texas senate influences policy by
confirming or rejecting the governor's appointees to hundreds of state boards and commissions that administer public programs
in the context of political sicence, the development of a legislatve body into a formarlly structured system which stable, membership, complex rules, expanded internal opersations, and the declination of staff functions is known as
institutionalization
the tx legislature is
the chief policymaking brranch of the state govt
the base pay of house and senate members' is ___ per year
&7,200
when the legislature is in session, access to the floor of each chamber on teh second floofr of the capitol is restricted to
lawmakers, certain other state officials, some staff members, and accredited media representatives
in recent years, the legislature has increasingly become dominated by business owners asnd attorneys because
low pay and increasing demands on legislator's time, even wehn they are not fomrally in sessoin, preclude many salaried people from serving
what are the primary causes of legislative turnover in teh ex legislature?
turnover is due to the low pay and the personal costs involved in running for public office
apportionment and redistricting address fundamental questions of who should be represented and
how they will be represented
as a result of ____, equity in redistricting was extended to tx under the idea that state legislative districs had to be apportioned on the "one person, one vote" principle
reynolds vs. sims
the speaker of the house is
elected by the House from among its members
the powers of the house presiding officer includes
appointing a president pro tempore
why is teh office of the lieutenant governor considered by some to be the most powerful office in tx state govt?
it offers the opportunity to use a statewide electoral base to develop a dominant legislative role
the most visible office in the state is that of the
governor
a plural executive is a
fragmented system of authority under which most statewide, executvie officeholders are elected independently of the governor
what led texans to work to limit the power of the governor wiht th econstitution of 1876?
radical reconstruction policies adn the abuses of emdund dvais's administration
the governor's power in tx compared to other states is categorized as
moderate
because of the plural executve, it is difficult
to develop coordinated policies
to run for governor, the constitution says a candidate must be
at least 30 years old, a us citizen, and a resident of tx for at least 5 years
the first woman elected governor in tx was
miriam a "ma" ferguson
what effect has the increasing cost of cmapaigns had on the gubernatorial election?
the loss of good candidates due to teh burden of rasising funds
a governor can be removed from office through empeachment proceedings initated in teh
house and conviction by the senate
why was governor James. e. ferguson impeached and convicted in1917?
misuse of public funds
a special session is a
period when teh body covenes outside of the normal legislative sessoin
the governor has teh authority to veto a bill for up to
10 days during a session adn 20 days after adjournament
if teh governor neither signs nor vetoes a bill during the allotted time, it
becomes a law without his signature
to override a governor's veto requires a
2/3 vote of both the house and the senate
though historical records on gubernatorial vetoes are not complete, so far goveronor _______ , having vetoed 259 bills, seems to hold the record
rick perry
the governor's budgetary power is
limited because both he and th legislative budget board submit a budget to the legislature
what characterizes the governor's appointive powers?
the power to hire and fire those resonsible for implemetning policy
how do the staggered terms of the state boards and commissioners affect the governor?
it takes a new governor at least 2 yeares to get majorities favoring his or her policies on most boards. registratoin or deaths of board memeber may speed up the process, but a governor cannot remove a predecessor's apointees
senatorial _____ is an unwritten norm that allows a senator to block the governor's nomination f an individual who lives in the senator's distirct
courtesy