CGFM - Exam 1: Government
Environment Questions and Answers
Government Sovereignty - Answers -Nat'l government can't be sued by states or by
citizens w/out its permission.
Government Authority - Answers -Derived from constitutions or charters (local versions
of a constitution), statutes, executive orders & regulations.
3 Levels - Answers -1) National
2) State
3) Local
The primary purpose of each is to provide services to citizens. Separate and distinct, yet
they may coordinate their efforts.
3 Branches - Answers -1) Legislative
2) Executive
3) Judicial
Separation of Powers - Answers -Feature of the Constitution that requires each of the
three branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—to be relatively
independent of the others so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among
the three branches of government.
Checks and Balances - Answers -Constitutionally-mandated system that allows each
branch of government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one
branch from exerting too much power.
Intergovernmental Contracts - Answers -1st form of intergovernmental financing.
Voluntary arrangements entered into for the mutual benefit of both entities.
Revenue Bond - Answers -Supported only through revenues generated by projects that
are funded with the help of the original bond issue. Secures principal and interest
payments on gov't debt. More risk, higher interest rates.
Bond Insurance - Answers -Helps lower interest rates and reserves; may assist in
issuance of bonds.
Debt Guarantee - Answers -Guarantee that, should a state's local entity default on
interest or principal payments, the state will use its full financial resources to fulfill the
obligation.
,Judicial Review - Answers -Power given to the judicial branch in order to sustain checks
and balances. Courts can overturn laws passed by the legislature & signed by the
president/governor if courts deem them unconstitutional. Enables judges to question the
legality and reasonableness of a gov't manager's administrative actions. (Test question)
Federalism - Answers -U.S. system of gov't. Power is distributed among different levels
of gov't and no one level of gov't has complete authority over all areas of public policy.
No centeralized system of gov't in U.S.
Popular Sovereignty - Answers -Basic concept of the Constitution. The idea that
ultimate authority belongs to the voting people and even a sovereign gov't is
accountable to citizens.
Legal Constraints - Answers -Derived from constitutions, statutes, and ordinances. They
can include limits on the type of tax, rate of tax, and tax collection purposes.
Purpose
Term
Amount
Process - Answers -Ways in which constitutions and charters specify whether the
government can incur debt and limit government borrowing. (PTAP)
Reserved Clause - Answers -Stems from the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Powers not delegated to the Nat'l gov't, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the
states and the people. Nat'l gov't can influence lower levels, but can't dictate the manner
in which state & local gov't will operate.
Areas of Overlap in Governmental Responsibilities - Answers -Nat'l and state gov'ts
exercise authority in civil defense and the Nat'l Guard. For example, during peacetime,
Nat'l Guard units fall under the direction of state governors and meet the needs of the
state. During nat'l emergencies, these units are under command of the President,
Commander in Chief. State and local gov'ts have some responsibility for traffic safety.
All 3 levels impact public education.
Grants - Answers -Money that is distributed to lower-level governments with the
purpose of funding special projects.
Laboratories of Democracy - Answers -Nickname given to state and local governments
because they experiment with policies and procedures that are later adopted at the nat'l
level.
Performance Reporting - Answers -Example of upward influence (laboratory of
democracy). U.S. gov't requirement created in the 90s for federal agencies . Process of
collecting and distributing performance information; includes status reporting, progress
measurement, and forecasting.
, Legislative - Answers -Passes laws. House of Representatives and Senate form
legislative branch of Nat'l gov't. Includes Congressional Budget Office, the Library of
Congress, Gov't Accountability Office, and Architect of the Capitol.
Executive - Answers -Administers laws. Executes gov't programs. Includes the U.S.
Departments of Education, Interior, and Defense.
Judicial - Answers -Interprets laws and exercises judicial review over actions of the
other branches.
Municipal Governments - Answers -The lowest level of government and exercises
authority over a municipality (i.e. city, town, village). Usually, the scope of its powers are
determined by its delegated authority from the level of government that creates it and
the laws it passes are called ordinances.
U.S. Constitution - Answers -A set of principles (guidelines) that describe the duties and
powers of the U.S. government. Written in 1787 and ratified in 1791. Has been
amended 27 times. The first 10 amendments form the Bill of Rights. Comprised of
seven articles.
Article I - Answers -Defines powers of the legislative branch. Power to enact law, collect
taxes, coin money, raise armies and declare war.
Article II - Answers -Defines the role and power of the presidency and executive branch.
Power to command armed forces, grant pardons for offenses against the U.S., and to
appoint ambassadors and Supreme Court judges with the advice and consent of the
Senate.
Article III - Answers -Defines power of judicial branch. Power over legal cases arising
under the U.S. Constitution and related to treaties and ambassadors; controversies
between two or more states; and controversies between citizens of different states.
Line-Item Veto - Answers -Executive power to strike, or remove, specific items from a
spending bill without vetoing the entire package. Many state constitutions allow
governors to enact this power. U.S. presidents have wanted similar authority. In 1996,
Congress passed this act, President Clinton used it in 1997. His actions were
challenged and it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1998.
(Budget) Appropriation - Answers -A part of the congressional budgeting process that
involves determining how many dollars will be spent in a given year on a particular set
of gov't activities.
Government Commissions - Answers -Special-government components that may be
permanent or temporary and make regulations (limitations or restrictions on the
behavior of an individual or a business); they are bureaucratically determined
Environment Questions and Answers
Government Sovereignty - Answers -Nat'l government can't be sued by states or by
citizens w/out its permission.
Government Authority - Answers -Derived from constitutions or charters (local versions
of a constitution), statutes, executive orders & regulations.
3 Levels - Answers -1) National
2) State
3) Local
The primary purpose of each is to provide services to citizens. Separate and distinct, yet
they may coordinate their efforts.
3 Branches - Answers -1) Legislative
2) Executive
3) Judicial
Separation of Powers - Answers -Feature of the Constitution that requires each of the
three branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—to be relatively
independent of the others so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among
the three branches of government.
Checks and Balances - Answers -Constitutionally-mandated system that allows each
branch of government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one
branch from exerting too much power.
Intergovernmental Contracts - Answers -1st form of intergovernmental financing.
Voluntary arrangements entered into for the mutual benefit of both entities.
Revenue Bond - Answers -Supported only through revenues generated by projects that
are funded with the help of the original bond issue. Secures principal and interest
payments on gov't debt. More risk, higher interest rates.
Bond Insurance - Answers -Helps lower interest rates and reserves; may assist in
issuance of bonds.
Debt Guarantee - Answers -Guarantee that, should a state's local entity default on
interest or principal payments, the state will use its full financial resources to fulfill the
obligation.
,Judicial Review - Answers -Power given to the judicial branch in order to sustain checks
and balances. Courts can overturn laws passed by the legislature & signed by the
president/governor if courts deem them unconstitutional. Enables judges to question the
legality and reasonableness of a gov't manager's administrative actions. (Test question)
Federalism - Answers -U.S. system of gov't. Power is distributed among different levels
of gov't and no one level of gov't has complete authority over all areas of public policy.
No centeralized system of gov't in U.S.
Popular Sovereignty - Answers -Basic concept of the Constitution. The idea that
ultimate authority belongs to the voting people and even a sovereign gov't is
accountable to citizens.
Legal Constraints - Answers -Derived from constitutions, statutes, and ordinances. They
can include limits on the type of tax, rate of tax, and tax collection purposes.
Purpose
Term
Amount
Process - Answers -Ways in which constitutions and charters specify whether the
government can incur debt and limit government borrowing. (PTAP)
Reserved Clause - Answers -Stems from the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Powers not delegated to the Nat'l gov't, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the
states and the people. Nat'l gov't can influence lower levels, but can't dictate the manner
in which state & local gov't will operate.
Areas of Overlap in Governmental Responsibilities - Answers -Nat'l and state gov'ts
exercise authority in civil defense and the Nat'l Guard. For example, during peacetime,
Nat'l Guard units fall under the direction of state governors and meet the needs of the
state. During nat'l emergencies, these units are under command of the President,
Commander in Chief. State and local gov'ts have some responsibility for traffic safety.
All 3 levels impact public education.
Grants - Answers -Money that is distributed to lower-level governments with the
purpose of funding special projects.
Laboratories of Democracy - Answers -Nickname given to state and local governments
because they experiment with policies and procedures that are later adopted at the nat'l
level.
Performance Reporting - Answers -Example of upward influence (laboratory of
democracy). U.S. gov't requirement created in the 90s for federal agencies . Process of
collecting and distributing performance information; includes status reporting, progress
measurement, and forecasting.
, Legislative - Answers -Passes laws. House of Representatives and Senate form
legislative branch of Nat'l gov't. Includes Congressional Budget Office, the Library of
Congress, Gov't Accountability Office, and Architect of the Capitol.
Executive - Answers -Administers laws. Executes gov't programs. Includes the U.S.
Departments of Education, Interior, and Defense.
Judicial - Answers -Interprets laws and exercises judicial review over actions of the
other branches.
Municipal Governments - Answers -The lowest level of government and exercises
authority over a municipality (i.e. city, town, village). Usually, the scope of its powers are
determined by its delegated authority from the level of government that creates it and
the laws it passes are called ordinances.
U.S. Constitution - Answers -A set of principles (guidelines) that describe the duties and
powers of the U.S. government. Written in 1787 and ratified in 1791. Has been
amended 27 times. The first 10 amendments form the Bill of Rights. Comprised of
seven articles.
Article I - Answers -Defines powers of the legislative branch. Power to enact law, collect
taxes, coin money, raise armies and declare war.
Article II - Answers -Defines the role and power of the presidency and executive branch.
Power to command armed forces, grant pardons for offenses against the U.S., and to
appoint ambassadors and Supreme Court judges with the advice and consent of the
Senate.
Article III - Answers -Defines power of judicial branch. Power over legal cases arising
under the U.S. Constitution and related to treaties and ambassadors; controversies
between two or more states; and controversies between citizens of different states.
Line-Item Veto - Answers -Executive power to strike, or remove, specific items from a
spending bill without vetoing the entire package. Many state constitutions allow
governors to enact this power. U.S. presidents have wanted similar authority. In 1996,
Congress passed this act, President Clinton used it in 1997. His actions were
challenged and it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1998.
(Budget) Appropriation - Answers -A part of the congressional budgeting process that
involves determining how many dollars will be spent in a given year on a particular set
of gov't activities.
Government Commissions - Answers -Special-government components that may be
permanent or temporary and make regulations (limitations or restrictions on the
behavior of an individual or a business); they are bureaucratically determined
