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Texas bureaucracy Essay

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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.
A bureaucracy is a way of administratively organizing large numbers of people who need to work …show more content…

The first solution that seems to fix a problem is often the solution picked. When bureaucrats pick the first expedient it is called a satisfice. Kerwin notes that along the way rules and regulations may slow the process and possibly prevent organizations from making decisions.
The executive branch consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. Texas has a plural executive branch system, which limits the power of the Governor. Except for the Secretary of State, all executive officers are elected independently, making them directly answerable to the public but not the Governor. The executive branch also includes several boards and commissions that are made up of a mixture of elections and gubernatorial appointments confirmed by the Senate. In addition, there are many independent boards, commissions, and agencies that operate independently of the governor. Power is decentralized among many officials. Although the governor appoints over 3,000 individuals to 285-plus state boards and commissions, he has very limited removal authority and thus, has little control over the executive branch. Even with the Governor appointing several members of boards and commissions, the overall effect is a large network of administrative groups that neither the

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