Red Light Camera Controversy: Local Control In Texas

The state bureaucracy administers/implements the laws of Texas. It is run by executives whose job is to see that the laws of the state are implemented according to the will and intent of the Legislature. Ideally, these executive branch officials or bureaucrats are to administer their duties and implement the laws in a neutral manner, uninfluenced by politics. In reality, state bureaucrats are important players in not just implementation, but also policy making. In Texas, there is no overall central governing or controlling authority. Government authority in Texas is very decentralized, and rests within many independent state agencies.

In the State of Texas, the Council-Manager form of government is preferred by all of the major cities, except for Houston who prefer the Mayor-Council form of government. Under the Council-Manager form of government, the voters are at the top of the hierarchical structure. In this capacity, the voters elect a small City Council, including a mayor, who is the presiding officer over the City Council. Although the Mayor is symbolically the “Head of State”, he or she is not the head of government. The Mayor and City Council have the authority to appoint four of the city’s government officials: the City Manager, the City Attorney, the City Clerk and the Municipal Judge (some cities elect this position). Moreover, although weak in this form of government, the Mayor has a vote on many issues impacting the city; however, lacks any type of veto authority (except in a few cities), which means that laws are passed by on a majority-rule voting system of the total City Council Members, meaning all City Council Members must vote in order to pass a law. Most importantly, the Mayor and City Council primary role lies in the establishment of a strategic vision for the city. Once this is accomplished, the Mayor and the City Council are responsible for generating a strong mission statement that aligns with a set of clear goals, resulting in effective government policy guidance for execution by the City Manager to run the city. Collectively, the Mayor and City Council hire the City Manager who has full management authority, to execute the Mayor’s and City Council’s vision for the city. However, a City

Freedom of municipal law, when pertaining to the state government, has its pros and cons. One pro is the lack of necessary for the state to review every policy that the city makes. Another is that the cities could work on ways to solve their own problems and allow more of the community’s voices to be heard. A corresponding con is the lack of connection between the cities and states that could further lead to a misuse of power. Also, if the cities feel that there is little to no authority acting over them, they could become power hungry and try to push policies that their communities disagree with.

The social media and the public might want police body cam footage release but sometimes it might be to graphic or controversial. Police body cameras have been a topic since the incident with Michael Brown in august of 2014. Police shot and killed an unarmed individual in ferguson, MO, leading to many people wanting cameras on police. Whether the cameras are a good idea or not this paper will explore the facts and sides of police body cameras. Overall body cameras should be required Because they can save the lives of the innocent, keep innocent people from going to jail, and can help a case as more evidence.

The problem that we have is that sometimes-federal law and state laws are in conflict and are in direct opposition

Texas is the second most populous state as well as the second largest state in the United States of America (Brown, Langenegger, Garcia, Lewis, & Biles, 2014). With a huge number of people currently calling Texas their home, it would make sense to draw the conclusion that the Texas government must make this state a great place to live by serving its citizens to the best of its abilities. However, it is best not to make assumptions and in order to ascertain whether the local government actually fulfills this role we must look at multiple aspects of the government.

The relationship between a governor and its elected or appointed bureaucrats are important for a state bureaucracy. It is very likely that most – if not, all bureaucracies share the common agreement: that the executive and legislative bodies must work together fairly with state agencies to reach their goal, which is to establish, control, and enforce certain policies that help create a perfect society. However, in the bureaucracy of the state of Texas, that goal seems to be unachievable. There are two articles that exploits the struggles between the state’s agencies and the state legislature. One explains the issue of budgetary powers for a Texas governor, and the other describes the frustration of authority between the Texas legislative lawmakers and one powerful state agency. There seems to be a fragmentation within the Texas bureaucracy, which can be rooted to the “Plural Executive” form of government that’s established in the state’s constitution, and the influence of interest groups on the state legislature.

If issues are brought about, or arguments are carried out, then the Conference Committees are there to resolve these differences.

Amaya 2 Marlene M. Amaya Professor Sharifian GOVT-2306-73011 5 May 2018 The Committees I will be discussing the three committees that I would potentially serve in the Texas House and Senate; should I be elected for the position and or positions. There are several committees in the Texas House and the Senate that all play a significant role in the services and aid provided to the residents of each state; particularly speaking when it comes to the state of Texas. I will explain the functions of each committee and why my placement in such committees are justified. Additionally, the reason it serves my district’s needs, and how it emphasizes my experience and interests. As well as, the constituent service I would be most inclined to do, the type

As the largest state by area in the continental U.S. as the second most populous, Texas has its significant share of public policy challenges with which to contend. And as the discussion hereafter will show, many of these challenges serve as a microcosm of the broader pubic policy issues facing the United States. The issues addressed here below help to provide a better understanding of the complexities of public policy maintenance in a large and diverse state.

Gaurav Sharma Professor Sherry Sharifian Texas Government 2306 SLO#3 April 24, 2017 Local Control in Texas In Texas, there are very many functional Interest groups and lobbyists that operate effectively influencing the policy-making processes. The Interest groups and lobbyists are in close association with policy-makers whereby they act as negotiators of democracy to the citizens who cannot reach the legislatures (Texas Vox: 1). This has impacted local control in Texas greatly. However, the nature of laws that have been passed recently in Texas shows that the policy-makers are diverging from interest from the citizens and favoring individual groups and companies. The following essay will address the impact depicted by Interest groups and lobbyists

With the increasing emergence of traffic cameras around the nation, there has emerged a debate about whether the cameras are effectively functioning to keep drivers safe or whether they are just another source of revenue for cites. Facts have proven that the purpose for the traffic cameras is simply generating more money for the cities. The estimated amount of money that the city of Denver will be making in 2011 from these cameras (Kaminsky)—excluding the ones recently put up—a grand estimation total of seven million dollars… “According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety more than 550 communities in the United States use red light cameras.” (Urie) Research shows how the cameras are not improving safety for drivers, and for

The services they provide the community and the responsibilities they acquire differs in various ways . For instance the services that a community requires differs from each city, town or region causing different responsibilities amongst the government. Also, a municipal government is only the elected representative and the municipality administration. Whereas, a local government includes all sorts of other things because a municipality gives authority to the other organizations to do things. Thus, a local government is a municipal government in addition to agencies, boards and other corporations. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the differences between them as they are different in various aspects and have different responsibilities and provide various

It will also be helpful to modify the traffic lights to make them more visible. Upgraded speed cameras will control most people that speed by taking a picture of their license plate and vehicle and giving them a moving violation ticket. Control officers will catch any drivers who are not following traffic laws and will give them a ticket as well. Safety programs in vehicles will help people to do things more safely such as making a call or sending a message. An all-red clearance light will cause all the lights on the intersection to stay red for at least five seconds to ensure that vehicles on all sides are stopped. Making the traffic lights in Surprise more visible whether it be making the lights larger, or switching out the bulbs with stronger, more opaque lights, will also help reduce the number of traffic accidents. The cost for the speed cameras, control officers, dynamic message boards, and implementing an all-red clearance interval have been calculated, however the cost of safety programs in vehicles and modifying current traffic lights are to be determined.

A local government is expected to play the role of promoting the democratic ideals of a society and co-ordinating development programme at the local level. It is also expected to serve as the basis of socio-economic development in the locality.