Quiz

1. How long does the governor have following the adjournment of the legislature in which to act on bills?

a. 10 working days
b. one month
c. 20 calendar days
d. 90 days

2. Bills are often written by

a. the State courts
b. well-financed lobbyists
c. the executive agencies
d. journalists and bloggers

3. In the House of Representatives, a committee that considers legislation and recommends whether it does pass or does not pass is called a(n)

a. joint committee
b. interim committee
c. substantive committee
d. procedural committee

4. The House Speaker and Lt. Governor have numerous powers...match the specific power with its type:

1. Procedural
2. Administrative

a. recognizing members to speak during formal debate
b. serving on the Legislative Redistricting Committee
c. assigning bills to committee
d. appointing committee chairs
e. serving as the "vice governor"

5. Match the type of committee with a function or trait

1. These are convened between sessions
2. These are temporary, short term committees
3. Calendars and rules
4. House Higher Education, Senate Judicial Affairs

a. ad hoc
b. substantive
c. interim
d. procedural

6. The strongest legislative power of the governor is

a. special session
b. message
c. prorogation
d. vetoes

7. The comptroller of public accounts is constitutionally required to

a. certify all spending bills passed by the legislature
b. Require prisons to become self-supporting after they have been on welfare support for two years.
c. reduce spending for all programs except education and care for children and the elderly by 7 percent if the Welfare Fund gets within 30 percent of being empty
d. offer revenue bonds for sale when the state is out of money

8. This office manages food stamps and regulates pesticides

a. The Railroad Commission
b. The Agriculture Commission
c. The Land Office
d. The TX Dept. of Health

9. Which of the following is not correct regarding the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives? (you can choose more than one answer if possible)

a. He or she is vice chair of the Legislative Budget Board.
b. He or she refers bills to committees
c. He or she may appoint committee chairs in the House of Representatives
d. The office is filled by direct popular vote in the general election

10. The TX Governors "planning powers" are concentrated in

a. The Office of Budget & Plans
b. The Office of State/Federal Relations
c. Economic Development Fund
d. all of these

11. To pass, all constitutional amendment bills must be _____

a. identical in form (House and Senate versions)
b. approved by 2/3 majority
c. signed by the Governor
d. all of these
e. a and b only

12. This is largely considered the most powerful elective board. Hint: think economy

a. The Railroad Commission
b. The State Board of Education
c. The Board of Prisons and Parole
d. The Medical Examiners Board

13. match the Texas department or agency with the correct type designation

1. promotional
2. Administrative
3. regulatory
4. professional licensing certification
5. professional and licensing

a. The Texas Medical Board
b. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice
c. The Texas Commission on the Arts
d. The Public Utilities Commission

14. The 83rd Legislature has again wrangled with redistricting. Which statement best describes the pattern this function has followed for the past 2 decades?

a. Republicans on the redistricting committees successfully re-configure all the districts in need of adjustments
b. Democrats filibuster or block the redistricting bills
c. The Redistricting Board implements a compromise solution
d. Redistricting maps receive numerous legal challenges, thus are "fixed" in Federal District Court

15. Members of the Texas Senate serve 6-year, staggered terms in office

a. True
b. False

16. The duty of a coroner is to:( more than one choice possible)

a. Enforce the orders of a court.
b. determine the cause of death when a person died outside the presence of competent witnesses, or when circumstances suggested that unlawful means might have been used to induce death
c. perform autopsies on the bodies of all deceased persons
d. Make the official pronouncement of death at an execution.

17. The County _____ is more or less the chief executive, and does have overlapping duties in some legal and policymaking decisions

a. Sheriff
b. Attorney
c. Judge
d. Commissioner

18. When a piece of real property (land and its improvements) is transferred, who records the deed of transfer?

a. commissioner of the General Land Office
b. county auditor
c. county clerk
d. county tax assessor-collector

19. The instrument that formally accuses a person of having committed a high felony and orders that person to trial is a(n)

a. opinion
b. verdict
c. information
d. indictment

20. The term "court of record" means that

a. cases may not be appealed from these courts
b. The decisions are recorded.
c. The court's proceedings may be audiotape-recorded or videotape-recorded for later broadcasting to the public.
d. a transcript of court proceedings is made by a stenographer

21. A state trooper apprehends a motorist on Texas Highway 306 between the city of Spring Branch and the unincorporated village of Fischer in Comal County. The stop occurred outside the Spring Branch city limits. The officer accuses the motorist of operating his vehicle at a speed of 83 mph-13 mph over the posted speed limit. Where would the case be tried?

a. Spring Branch municipal court
b. a Comal County justice of the peace court
c. A Comal County Court
d. a New Braunfels municipal court

22. Appraisal Districts work in conjunction with the County Tax Assessor to determine the approximate amount of a property tax

a. True
b. False

23. Law made by judges and based on custom and usage going back several centuries is

a. statutory law
b. constitutional law
c. common law
d. administrative law

24. A case involving a business contract falls under which type of law?

a. civil
b. criminal
c. constitutional
d. admiralty

25. Match the description with the correct jurisdiction or type

1. Criminal
2. Supreme Jurisdiction
3. Limited
4. Civil Law
5. Appellate Jurisdiction

a. Texas municipal courts adjudicates these cases only _____
b. Texas Justices of the Peace hear both criminal and _____ cases
c. Civil cases less than 10,000 dollars are heard in courts of ______
d. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has ______ over capital cases
e. County courts have original and ______

26. match the correct term with concepts and definitions about state & local governments

1. Special District
2. State
3. Municipal
4. Independent School District
5. Counties

b. These governments are responsible for the essential functions of the state
c. Governments are created with Legislative approval of its' charter.
d. Palo Alto College is funded and directed by a ___government
e. These governments set property tax rates
f. ___government grants approval for home rule status

27. Match the definitions with the correct legal term, regarding municipal governments legal status

1. General law
2. Extraterritorial Jurisdiction
3. Annex
4. Home rule
5. Charter

b. these cities have extensive ordinance and tax authority
c. municipalities are created by legislative grant of a
d. cities under 5,000 population are classified as____cities
e. small towns (under 5,000) _____is limited to 1/2 mile
f. home rule status allows cities to ____10% of acreage per year