| *Home* *POLS-2301* *Previous Page* Page R3_2 |
| (copy/paste this to micro.word if you want it to print nicely) Review for Test 3, cont. Chapter 4 1. Areas interest groups attempt to influence and why: *Legislative-look at and push laws that will help them, and help defeat laws that will hurt them *Judicial- if a bad law gets passed, they can still fight w/interpretation *Executive-follow closely the decisions of state agencies, through the way laws are implemented -comptroller�s office, public utilities commission, etc. *Constitutional- some things are so important, they want it in the constitution *Public Opinion-go straight to the people -develop advertising campaigns designed to influence public opinion 2. Types of interest groups in TX *Business-try to run govt by the amount of $ they put into the campaigns, esp. state races *Professional- again, large amount of $, keep an eye on legislation -let members know what�s coming and try to influence -teachers, trial lawyers, medical associations *Agriculture- once had a big impact (LaGrange), but not so much anymore *Labor Unions-vote is most important in Houston, Bmt, PA (w/the refineries) -not too important on the statewide level *Civil Rights/Ethnic Groups- NAACP (Nat Assc for the Advancement of Colored Ppl), -LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), -MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense Fund) -key to their political influence is voter registration and turnout *Other interests- NRA (Nat Rifle Assc), abortion, environmental, public interests 3. �Getting on the late train�-- ??? 4. ? (pg 59) 5. Why interest groups are so powerful in TX: * salary- lower pay for legislators, more susceptible to bribery * session- length of session, frequency, no ability to dig, they rely more on lobbyists for info & bills * staff- small, poorly paid staff rely more on lobbyists * turnout- low is good for them b/c they vote & will have more influence * constitution- legal framework restricts govt, but less regulation on them -no limit on $ they can give to candidates * political parties- interest groups do better in states w/out competition 6. (pg 62) Roles of Political Parties in TX: * nominate & elect members to office * develop issues or a philosophy (ex: liberal, conservative) * mobilize voters by encouraging participation * run the govt, from courthouse to the white house ** Political Parties give labels to ppl voters have never heard of! ***Most important ? 7. �Shivercrat Movement� 1950s Democrat Governor, Shivers, supported Republican President. 8. �Presidential Republicanism� same thing, people supporting him 9. Many former officials are professional lobbyists. Restrictions: ?? 10. Regulation on PACs: TX law sets no limit on the amount of money a PAC can give to candidates. How well regulated are they?? Chapter 8 1. There are 254 counties in TX 2. Functions of County Govt: -collecting certain taxes & fees -administering & financing state elections -enforcing state laws (sheriffs) -maintain records for the state -some criminal courts (@county level) -road & bridge work (historically very important, now mostly taken over by the state) -registering automobiles 3. Commissioners� Court- legislative officials - policy making body for the county. 4. Presiding over the commissioners� court is the County Judge. 5. There are 4 commissioners in the court. 6. County Commissioners� responsibilities: -setting the tax rate -adopting the budget -providing for construction of bldgs & facilities required for county operations -establishing electoral districts, draws boundaries for precincts based on appx equal population 7. County Judge�s responsibilities: -filling vacancies on commissioners� court -preparing a proposed budget for approval by commissioners� court (sometimes assumed by the city auditor) -handling certain election tasks -serving on or appointing members to serve on certain county boards 6&7 basically set rates and spend money 8. Other officers in county govt: -sheriff -constable-general law enforcement -tax assessor-collector -county auditor (optional) -county clerks & district clerks -justices of the peace-hear cases -county & district attorneys (district=more serious cases) 9. City Elections: At-Large: the whole city picks officers District: (wards) each district picks member 10. Switched to Districts b/c At-Large weren�t letting minorities be represented & lawsuits were being filed 11. Types of Municipal Govts: * Mayor-Council form- oldest form- mayor elected by city @ large, council elected diff ways -mayor = �CEO of the city� Strong Mayor type- strong official, extensive appt powers, fulltime, high paying, hire-and-fire, set overall policy Weak Mayor type- mayor has few powers, almost same power as any other member * Council-Manager form -govt should be run like a business -city council acts like a board of directors -hires a city manager to run the city day-to-day -tries to take the politics out of day-to-day operations +++most common * Mayor Manager form -city manager works for mayor instead of the council * Commission form -city run by 5-7 commissioners elected city wide to set & administer policy -each commissioner heads a different department 12. Special Districts: �hidden,� �invisible� govts- single purpose govts local unit performs certain service in specific area, sometimes cross districts -created by voters within an area (ex: flood control, fire control, utility) -School districts- provide public education 13. Councils of Government: entities created to coordinate activities of govt for economic development 14. # of Local Govts in TX: ? 15. Result of Avery vs Midland, 1968: Ruled in Avery�s favor I'm tired, read your book. |