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121 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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The powers of the House presiding officer includes
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appointing a president pro tempore.
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The lieutenant governor of Texas does NOT
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serve at the will of the Senate.
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The dominant consideration for lawmakers when deciding on legislation is to
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get reelected.
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The work of the Texas legislature is given extensive coverage across the state.
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False
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The legislative process is designed to institutionalize
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conflict.
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The Texas Senate influences policy by
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approving or rejecting appointments made by the governor.
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Lieutenant governors get most of their power from rules set by the senators, not from the constitution.
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True
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Apportionment and redistricting address fundamental questions of who should be represented and
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how they will be represented.
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The presiding officer of the House, elected by the members, is the
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speaker of the house.
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The most meaningful threat that the governor can hold over a legislator is
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the possible veto of legislation of importance to the legislature.
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Only one type of bill must originate in the House of Representatives, bills that
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raise revenue.
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The governor can use the line-item veto to veto specific spending provisions from
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appropriation bills.
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The lieutenant governor and the speaker do NOT have the power to
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appoint state wide officials.
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The most important power of the speaker and lieutenant governor is
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the appointment House and Senate committee members.
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The Texas legislature is
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bicameral, part time, and has 31 senators.
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The Texas legislature
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sets priorities through the budgetary process.
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The closing weeks of the regular legislative session can
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be derailed by a filibuster in the Senate.
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In addition to the formal rules of the legislature, there are unwritten rules that shape legislators' behavior called
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norms.
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In the context of political science, the development of a legislative body into a formally structured system with stable membership, complex rules, expanded internal operations, and the delineation of staff functions is known as
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institutionalization.
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The legislature in Texas can be described as
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part time with low pay.
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If a bill passes both the House and Senate but in different forms, the bill is sent to
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a conference committee.
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To curb lawmakers' power, the Texas constitutional framers limited the regular legislative session to a maximum of 180 days every other year.
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False.
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Special sessions of the legislature are NOT
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limited in the number that may be called.
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The _____ cannot vote on legislation unless there is a tie.
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lieutenant govenor.
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The backbone of the legislative process is
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the committee system.
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_____ committees are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker to study major policy issues.
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Select.
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When a governor gets a bill, he may
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sign it, veto it, or let it become a law without his signature.
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Equity in redistricting finally came to Texas as a result of
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federal court intervention by the one person, one vote decision, in Reynolds vs. Sims, enforced in Texas in 1965.
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At the inception of each regular session, the governor summarizes his legislative priorities in a
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State of the State Address.
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The growth and development of the legislative staff reflects
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an emerging professionalism in law making.
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Under the Constitution of 1876, the governor of Texas was given the ability to appoint the
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secretary of state.
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The secretary of state
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administers state election laws.
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The comptroller of public accounts is
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the state's primary tax administrator, accounting officer and responsible for issuing revenue estimates.
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The top appointed official in the executive branch is the
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secretary of state.
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The governor has the authority to veto a bill for up to
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10 days during session and 20 days after adjournment.
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Effective use of the mass media in the policy-making process involves much more than getting on the evening news.
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True.
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Potentially, the governor has a vast number of formal resources that can be used to shape public policy.
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False.
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According to the text, one indication of a strong governor is the power to
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hire and fire those responsible for implementing policy.
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The most visible office in the state is that of the
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governor.
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The governor's power in Texas compared to other states is categorized as
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moderate.
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The governor is legally responsible for ordering state officials to carry out extradition requests.
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True.
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The Texas attorney general is
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mainly a civil lawyer.
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The Texas governor has line-item veto power over all state bills.
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False.
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In Texas, there is no single elected official ultimately responsible for the executive branch of state government.
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True.
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The powers of the governor do NOT include
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formally appointing a cabinet.
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The lieutenant governor of Texas
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is elected separately from the governor and can be from a different party.
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Texas retains ownership, including mineral rights, to approximately 22 million acres of land, which are managed by the
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Commissioner of the General Land office.
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The governor's main constitutional powers over the legislature include
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the veto and the authority to call and set the agenda for special sessions.
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Senatorial _____ is an unwritten norm that allows a senator to block the governor's nomination of an individual who lives in the senator's district.
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courtesy.
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The military authority given to the governor by the state constitution includes
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his role as commander in chief of the state, the ability to appoint an adjutant general and to mobilize the Texas National Guard to protect lives and property in the state.
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A fragmented system of authority under which most statewide, executive officeholders are elected independently of the governor is known as a
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plural executive.
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Governors have the opportunity to outline their legislative priorities at the opening of each regular legislative session through the
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State of the State address.
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To override a governor's veto requires a
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two-thirds vote in both chambers.
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The governor's budgetary power is limited because both he and the _____ submit a budget to the legislature.
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legislative budget board.
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Under the plural executive, it is difficult to obtain
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a coordinated integrated policy.
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In Texas, the power of lieutenant governor is primarily
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legislative.
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Financially, Texas operates under
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a pay-as-you-go principle.
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The state's chief legal officer is
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an attorney general.
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Most members of state boards and commissions are appointed to
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six year staggered terms.
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A governor can be removed from office through impeachment proceedings initiated in the
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House and conviction of the Senate.
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The more than 1.3 million Texans now employed by
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the bureaucracy.
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State and local governments are collectively called
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the bureaucracy.
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Which of the following is NOT correct regarding government in Texas?
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Attempts to limit government growth and spending have been very successful.
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Implementation is the conversion of policy plans into
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reality.
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Each agency is subject to sunset review every
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12 years.
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Many industries try to influence and control the government agencies that are supposed to regulate them. This is called
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co-optation.
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The legislature permitted performance reviews in order to promote
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efficiency and reduce waste.
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Which part of government generally broadly defines a program?
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the legislature.
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The legislature has empowered the _____ to conduct performance reviews of state programs.
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Legislative Budget Board.
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Legislators depend on administrative agencies for counsel and advice when they draft public policies.
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True.
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The bureaucracy has the primary responsibility for carrying out the policies adopted by
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the legislature.
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To better serve the public, some reformer advocates pushed for a
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merit employment system based somewhat on U.S. Law.
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According to whistle blower laws, public employees are required to report wrongdoing within their agencies.
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False.
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The two ways that the legislature can use budgetary control over bureaucracies are by
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amount of funds allotted and approval of line items in agency budgets.
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State and local governments can also regulate by offering operating subsidies to businesses, including
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tax breaks that are subject to limitations imposed by the legislature.
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Which of the following is the LEAST likely obstacle to policy implementation in Texas?
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The governor does not choose to manage the agency in charge.
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In Texas, the role of the bureaucracy is enhanced because
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the governor has limited powers over the bureaucracy.
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In recent years, the bureaucracy has grown because
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citizens expect a wide range of public services, federal mandates require more funding and personnel, and interest groups have successfully implemented new programs.
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Every _____ the legislature sets budgets for state agencies.
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two years.
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Each one of us comes into regular contact with organizations that can be defined as bureaucracies.
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True.
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Which part of government generally fills in the details of a program?
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the bureaucracy.
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When a person in an agency reports an agency for costly mistakes or waste or an endangerment to the public, they are protected by the
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whistle blower protection act.
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Bureaucracies are NOT characterized
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as being chaotic.
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The process of moving from governmental regulation of an industry to lobbyist for the same industry has often been called
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a revolving door.
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Hiring a person on the basis of a personal relationship is called
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political patronage.
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The legislature usually defines a program and gives a state agency detailed instructions for carrying it out.
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False.
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Texans have come to expect good roads and schools, safe drinking water, and a host of other public programs.
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True.
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Within governmental organizations, specific positions are assigned specific responsibilities or given authority in a hierarchical arrangement.
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True.
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In per capita spending in the areas of public health, education, and welfare, Texas ranks
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below most states.
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The legislature delegates a great deal of authority for carrying out state policy to
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regulatory agencies.
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Performance reviews to limit mismanagement and inefficiency are conducted on state agencies and_______ by the
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school districts; the Legislative Budget Board.
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At the highest appellate level, Texas has a bifurcated court system sending criminal and civil cases to the same court.
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False.
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The existence of two courts at the highest level of the state judiciary is referred to as a
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bifurcated court system.
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_____ is considered the most serious crime in Texas.
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Capital Murder.
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The primary trial court in Texas is the county court.
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False.
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Criminal cases range from traffic offenses, punishable by fines, to capital murder, punishable by life in prison.
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False.
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Justice of the peace courts
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have original and criminal jurisdiction, and function as small claims courts.
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In criminal cases in which the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the judge must
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declare a mistrial.
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The lowest courts in Texas are the
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justice of the peace and municipal courts.
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The Court of Criminal Appeals
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hears only criminal cases.
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The authority of a court to try or resolve a civil lawsuit or a felony prosecution being heard for the first time is known as
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original jurisdiction.
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A nine-member court with final appellate jurisdiction over civil cases is the Texas
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Supreme Court.
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Unlike federal judges, who are appointed by the president to life terms, state judges in Texas, except for those on municipal courts, are
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elected to limited terms in partisan elections.
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District court judges
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hear cases involving divorce, slander, and election disputes.
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Under the _____ ruling, police are required by the courts to inform us of our rights.
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Miranda.
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Under both the U.S. and Texas Constitutions, a person charged with a crime is
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presumed innocent until the state can prove guilt beyond a presumable doubt to a judge or a jury..
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The Texas judiciary, particularly in urban areas, has become overloaded by
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criminal cases.
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As in other states, Texans are not subject to the jurisdiction of both state and federal court systems.
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False.
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The Texas Supreme Court does NOT
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have disciplinary authority over Texas federal judges.
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Over time, the U.S. Supreme Court has gained compliance with the law by applying the Fourteenth Amendment
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principles of equal protection and due process.
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At the appellate level, rather than juries hearing cases, judges
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review the procedures and decisions of the lower courts to determine conformance to constitutional and statutory law.
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Grand juries
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are each made up of twelve people selected by a district judge.
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Civil lawsuits involve conflict
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between two or more parties.
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Most criminal activities are defined and their punishments established in the
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Penal Code.
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Most municipal courts and all justice of the peace courts are
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not courts of record.
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The primary trial court in Texas is the
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district court.
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The Texas _____ must try to balance the constitutional rights of convicts against the public welfare.
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Court of Criminal Appeals.
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Some courts have only original jurisdiction, meaning they can only try cases heard for the second time.
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False.
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Constitutional county courts hear cases on appeal from
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municipal courts and justice of the peace courts.
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A panel that reviews evidence submitted by prosecutors to determine whether to indict an individual with a criminal offense is called the grand jury.
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True.
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The Texas Supreme Court is the court of last resort for all cases in the state of Texas.
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False.
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