Chapter 8 - The Executive Department and the Office of the Governor Flashcards
Appointment powers
Power of the chief executive to appoint persons to office
Attorney General
Elected state official
Serves as the state’s chief civil lawyer
Clemency
Acts regarded as merciful
Leniency or moderation in the severity of punishment due
Comptroller
Elected state official
Directs the collection of taxes and other revenues, and estimates revenues for the budgeting process
Impeachment
Process of formally accusing an official improper behavior in office, followed by a trial
If official is convicted, removal from office
Land commissioner
Elected state official
Manger of the most publicly-owned lands
Incumbent
Person who is currently holding office
Usually used in times of reelection
Lieutenant governor
Second highest elected official in the state
President of the state senate
Line-item veto
Power that enables the governor to strike out parts (lines) of an appropriations bill rather than the whole bill
Martial law
Power to suspend civil government temporarily and replace it with government by the state militia and/or law enforcement agencies
Message power
Formal means of the governor to expressing policy preferences in the “State of the State” message
Biennial budget message, emergency messages
Patronage
Practice of rewarding political supporters
Often through appointments to office
Plural executive
Executive power divided among several other officials
Secretary of state
State official
Appointed by governor
Primary responsibility is administering elections
Senatorial courtesy
Senate’s tradition of honoring the objection of a senator from the same district as the nominee
Session power
Governor’s ability to call the legislature into special session
Limited to no more than thirty (30) days
May call unlimited number of sessions
State Board of Education
Elected body
Responsible for setting the goals, adopting policies, establishing the standards for education programs in the Texas public school system
Sunset review
Process by which the sunset advisory commission reviews the state agencies
If the legislature does not pass a law for the agency’s continuance, it is abolished
Sunshine laws (Texas Open Records Act)
Laws that requires the public, including the media, to have access to a wide variety of official records and to most public meetings of state and local agencies
Texas Railroad Comission (TRC)
Oversees the supply of oil and gas from Texas
Has enormous impact on state revenues and national energy
One of the most powerful regulatory agencies in the state
Veto power
Governor’s power to turn down legislation
Can be overridden by a 2/3 vote of both House and Senate
Which executive branch official is appointed by the Governor
Secretary of State
Most executive offices in Texas report to the voters, not the governor. This is known as
Plural executive
The state budget considered by the legislature each session starts with a draft prepared by
The Legislative Budget Board
Vetoes by Texas governors are rarely overridden, largely because
The governor can veto most bill after the legislature has adjourned
Length of term for Texas Governors
4 years
A Texas governor can remove individual spending items from an appropriation bull through
Line item veto
The Texas Railroad Commission is primarily charged with regulating
Oil and gas
Before a state budget can take effect, it must be certified by
The Comptroller
Before serving as governor, Greg Abbott serves as
Texas Attorney General
The first female to serve as governor was
Miriam Ferguson
