GOVT 2306: Exam 4

______________ refers to the idea that policy makers have formulated and implemented policies that address problems in an optimal or efficient manner.

Rationality

___________ calls for wealthy districts to transfer funds to poorer districts in order to equalize funds available to all public schools across the state.

The Robin Hood plan

Why is the San Antonio v Rodriguez case important?

The U.S. Supreme Court found that Texas can use property taxes to fund public education.

Which statement about the Texas prison population is accurate?

The number of people incarcerated in Texas state prisons is higher than any other state.

Which of the following statements about testing in Texas public schools is accurate?

The number of test students have to take has only grown over time and reached a new high in 2013.

The licensing of police officers in Texas is regulated by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. How are the nine members of this commission selected?

They are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

In large Texas counties, the ________ prepares the county budget.

auditor

The debate over preemption between local self-governance and control by the state government echoes which of the following:

debates between the state governments and the federal government about which level of government should make governing decisions

What happens when a city council uses single-member districts?

*Each member of the city council represents a specific "district" of the city and is elected by residents of that geographic area.

In Texas, felony juries are composed of _________ people and misdemeanor juries are composed of __________.

12; 6

What is the main difference between a home-rule city and a general-law city?

A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons.

If someone is granted probation, or community supervision, by a judge, what are the consequences of either compliance or violating the probation requirements?

A person in compliance will likely receive an early release of up to one-third of the term, while a criminal in violation may be sent to jail or prison for the remainder of his or her sentence. *A person in compliance will likely receive an early release of up to two-thirds of the term, while a criminal in violation may be sent to jail or prison for the remainder of his or her sentence, with an additional amount of time added to his or her initial sentencing,

Suppose you are arrested and taken to jail. After this happens you must appear before a judge and be told what charges you are being accused of and reminded of your right to an attorney and right to remain silent. What is this process called?

Arraignment

Which U.S. Supreme Court case overturned Plessy v Ferguson, ruling that state-imposed segregation in schools violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?

Brown v Board of Education

Suppose you are attracted by the curriculum offered at a charter school and decide to send your children to it rather than the existing public school in your neighborhood. What will be different about how the charter school is funded?

Charter schools are funded by tuition payments, not public funds like public schools.

How does being convicted of a felony in Texas impact your ability to vote?

Felons are allowed to vote upon full discharge of their sentences.

Individuals who cannot afford an attorney have a constitutional right to have one appointed to them. Which Supreme Court case was instrumental in guaranteeing this right?

Gideon v. Wainwright

The Sandra Bland Act requires which of the following?

Jail deaths must be investigated by an independent agency.

Texas determines which children are eligible for reduced-price or free lunch at school based on

federal poverty guidelines

What happens during the policy-making process?

governmental goals are identified, formulated, articulated into law, and evaluated.

If you live in a city that can set property tax rates up to $2.50 per $100 valuation and may have the power to annex land adjacent to the city, then you live in a city governed by

home-rule charter

The three main issues that have shaped education policy in Texas over the last 50 years have been

income taxes, federal regulation, and teacher salaries.

In the 1972 case of Ruiz v. Estelle, the U.S. federal court determined that

inmates' constitutionally guaranteed rights had been violated in Texas prisons

One goal of the deferred retirement option plan (DROP) was to

keep Dallas police officers and firefighters working on the job instead of retiring and collecting their pension after 20 years of service.

Which of the following is a challenge facing education policy in Texas?

low level of public spending per pupil

Unless legally exempt, in order to receive benefits through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, recipients must

make sure their children go to school, participate in an employment services program, attend parenting classes, get their children vaccinated, and agree not to use drugs or alcohol.

If you live outside city limits, water, sewer, sanitation, and electricity services are offered by

municipal utility districts (MUDs)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) was introduced by the federal government in 1972 to provide aid and assistance to which group or groups?

people who are disabled or the elderly with low incomes

A ___________ is a method commonly used by prosecutors to maintain high conviction rates.

plea bargain between the defendant and the state

Special districts in Texas are primary paid for by revenue generated by

property taxes and user fees

In 1965, Congress created the Medicaid program, a state-federal program, to

provide healthcare for the poor

In terms of per capita spending on education, Texas

ranks near the bottom in the country.

Welfare reforms are measured along which two dimensions?

the number of people on welfare and the success of getting people into the workforce

To whom are most county officials most responsible, and how?

the voters, through the electoral process

Mayors are elected using at-large elections because

they represent the entire geographic area of the city rather than one specific district.

Which of the following was one of the goals of the Affordable Care Act of 2010?

to ration expensive health care services in order to make health care more affordable for the country as a whole.

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was program that

used federal and state funds to assist children who met certain qualification standards and was replaced by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in 1996.

Which of the following arguments would a supporter of school vouchers for private school tuition make?

vouchers allow parents more choice for their children.

During the 1980s a growing number of critics alleged that welfare programs

were helping to create a dysfunctional underclass of people who depended upon them for survival.

Constitutional carry

would not require gun training classes or any licensing process before someone could legally carry a weapon in public.

Suppose you are trying to reform your city's government so that it better reflected the ethnic and racial diversity of your city and with leadership that is more accountable to voters. Which of the following forms of city government would most likely achieve these goals?

a council-manger from of government with a mix of single-member districts and at-large elections *a mayor-council form of government with a single-member districts

What is the composition of the county commissioner's court?

a county judge who is elected countrywide and presides over the meetings, and four county commissioners who are each elected to represent about one-quarter of the population of the county

Today, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the prison system. Who runs this agency?

a nine-member board that is appointed by the governor

A school district is

a special district

Lesser criminal cases are generally prosecuted by ___________, while the more serious criminal cases tend to be prosecuted by__________.

county attorneys; district attorneys

In National Federation of Independent Business v Sebelius (2012) the Supreme Court found that

states could not be forced to expand their Medicaid programs.

A person convicted of a third felony can be sentenced to life imprisonment based on

the "three strikes" provision

Efforts to expand the civil rights of women, African Americans, and other groups within Texas and the U.S. have been rooted in which part of the U.S. Constitution?

the equal protection clause in the 14th amendment

In a felony case, before a defendant goes to trial, who grants a verdict that there is sufficient evidence to begin prosecution and that a threshold of probable cause has been met?

the grand jury

In the commissioner form of government,

the legislative and executive functions are performed by the elected commission.