Deck 5: The Governor and Bureaucracy in Texas

Question 1

Rick Perry's numerous vetoes following the 2001 legislative session became known as

A) Perry's VJ-Day.
B) D-Day.
C) the Father's Day Massacre.
D) The Insult.
E) The Assault.

Answer 1

the Father's Day Massacre.

Question 2

Following the 2001 legislative session, Governor Perry set a record by vetoing

A) zero bills.
B) only one bill.
C) 78 bills.
D) 1,000 bills.
E) all but one bill.

Answer 2

78 bills.

Question 3

The governor serves a___________term.

A) 2-year
B) 4-year
C) 6-year
D) 3-year
E) 8-year

Answer 3

4-year

Question 4

The Texas Constitution designates the governor as

A) leader of the Senate.
B) Speaker of the House.
C) Guardian of the Laws.
D) chief counsel for the state.
E) chief executive officer.

Question 5

Clemency is the power of the governor to

A) overturn impeachment convictions.
B) overrule a legislative veto.
C) reduce the length of a person's prison sentence.
D) impeach members of the executive branch.
E) fire the comptroller.

Question 6

If the executive branch of Texas were reorganized into a cabinet system, the Governor's Office would be

A) strengthened.
B) further fragmented.
C) consolidated.
D) weakened.
E) obsolete.

Question 7

The executive officer responsible for managing and leasing the state's property, including oil, gas, and mineral interests is the

A) agriculture commissioner.
B) railroad commissioner.
C) natural resources commissioner.
D) land commissioner.
E) comptroller of public accounts.

Question 8

The primary responsibility of the Texas Railroad Commission is to regulate

A) railroads.
B) utilities.
C) the oil and gas industry.
D) trucking.
E) the flow of the Rio Grande.

Question 9

The part of government primarily responsible for implementation of laws is

A) the bureaucracy.
B) the Legislative Budget Board.
C) the judicial branch.
D) the legislative branch.
E) the ex-officio branch.

Question 10

Based on the Gubernatorial Appointments table (see p.152 in your text), which governor appointed the highest percentage of women and minorities?

A) Rick Perry
B) George W. Bush
C) Ann Richards
D) Bill Clements
E) Mark White

Question 11

The Texas secretary of state is responsible for

A) the state's diplomatic relations with other states.
B) the state's diplomatic relations with foreign nations.
C) amending the state's constitution.
D) maintaining the state's records.
E) hiring all administrative personnel in the state.

Question 12

Which of the following commissions is largely quasi-judicial?

A) Agriculture Commission
B) Public Utility Commission
C) Land Commission
D) Baseball Commission
E) College Football Commission

Question 13

A government regulatory agency is said to be captured when it consistently makes decisions favorable to

A) the private interests it regulates.
B) the dominant political party.
C) the executive branch.
D) government officials it regulates.
E) the governor.

Question 14

Public counsels are designed to protect

A) the public's interest against corrupted legislators.
B) the public's interest against corrupted executive commissions.
C) regulatory agencies' interests against the public.
D) the public's interest against captured agencies.
E) bureaucrats against lawsuits by interest groups.

Question 15

According to the Join the Debate feature, arguments in favor of allowing the governor to convene a cabinet include all of the below EXCEPT:

A) The governor must have tools with which to direct the executive branch.
B) The governor needs to be able to convene regular meetings of the heads of major agencies in order to ensure more uniform and consistent policies.
C) A coordinated executive branch will perform better for Texas than the chaotic and contradictory system of numerous independent executive officials.
D) Historically, governors in the past in Texas have had a Cabinet.
E) Texas has had a long history of support for big government and a strong executive.

Question 16

Most state agencies are organized according to a(n)

A) committee system.
B) partisan system.
C) board and commission system.
D) agency system.
E) revolving door system.

Question 17

The first analyses produced by the Sunset Advisory Commission supported the idea that

A) agencies had become captured agencies.
B) the executive branch had too much control over bureaucratic agencies.
C) the legislative branch had too much control over bureaucratic agencies.
D) private interests had very little control over agencies.
E) sunset review was unnecessary.

Question 18

The concept of good government includes the idea that agencies should be more open to

A) lobbyists.
B) the public.
C) senatorial recommendations.
D) executive recommendations.
E) corporate influence.

Question 19

Critics claim that the revolving door contributes to the

A) problem of territorial conflict between bureaucracies.
B) inability of the state government to maintain full-time equivalent (FTE) workers.
C) overrepresentation of public counsels in government.
D) overpopulation of Texas prisons.
E) problem of captured agencies.

Question 20

The top official of the executive branch in Texas is the lieutenant governor.

Question 21

The line-item veto in Texas was eliminated in 1866.

Question 22

Under the Republic of Texas, the chief executive officer was the president.

Question 23

Texas is one of the few states that does not have a line-item veto.

Question 24

Only one governor has been impeached and removed from office since the writing of the 1876 constitution.

Question 25

The speaker of the House succeeds the governor if the office becomes vacant midterm.

Question 26

When the governor acts in his or her role of chief of state, he or she is representing the state of Texas in its relationships with officials outside the state.

Question 27

The governor's message is delivered to the legislature.

Question 28

When considering tenure and appointment power, the Texas governor is one of the strongest governors in the United States.

Question 29

The governor appoints more agency heads today than ever before.

Question 30

Governors' appointees have tended to overrepresent Hispanics.

Question 31

Key appointments often go to the governor's largest campaign contributors.

Question 32

Texas governors must perform all of their official duties without the help of a staff.

Question 33

Public opinion leadership is particularly important to Texas governors because they are constitutionally weak governors.

Question 34

Texas is one of the few states with a plural executive.

Question 35

The governor appoints the comptroller of public accounts.

Question 36

The governor is the top political leader of the executive branch of Texas.

Question 37

Authority over public education in Texas is highly fragmented.

Question 38

Despite its vast amount of land and natural resources, Texas does not have a bureaucratic agency in charge of administering the state's environmental programs.

Question 39

The revolving door leads to a close relationship between members of legislative committees and the judiciary.

Question 40

What is the difference between a governor's role as chief of state and his or her role of chief executive officer?

Question 41

Discuss overrepresentation and underrepresentation among the governors' appointees.

Question 42

Explain the original goals of sunset and current criticism of sunset.

Question 43

What are executive orders and how have they been used by Texas governors?

Question 44

What are the important differences between the Texas governor and other governors?

Question 45

Explain the factors that contribute to the problem of captured agencies and discuss at least two historical examples of private interests capturing agencies. What legislation has Texas enacted to overcome the problem of captured agencies?

Question 46

List the elected officials of the executive branch and their functions. Describe the structure of the plural executive and explain how Texas's history has shaped the plural executive.

Question 47

Discuss the various powers (both formal and informal) that the governor uses when acting as a policy maker and political leader.

Question 48

Describe the structure of modern bureaucracy and explain its various functions. Illustrate your answer with examples.

Question 49

Explain how the State Board of Education can be viewed as an excellent example of the fragmentation of institutions and authority in Texas state government.