Unit 4 Texas gov test

If you were wrongfully convicted and exonerated, the Timothy Cole Act requires that the state pays you __________________ per year you wrongfully spent in prison.

$80,000

According to Texas Constitution (Article 3, Section 51a), Texas cannot spend more than of the state budget in any two-year period to help needy dependent

1 percent

In 2016, approximately what percentage of Texans lived below the poverty line?

15

In the 1960s, welfare policy in Texas reflected

A policy of minimizing the cost to Texas while maximizing the use of federal dollars.

In 1978, the Texas Constitution was amended (Article 8, Section 22), so that if the economy of the state shrinks,

appropriations have to shrink as well

The Constitution of 1876 created a Permanent University fund (PUF) from the sale of what?

certain public lands

Federal funds appropriated in Texas generally are

concentrated in a few state agencies

It is often quite difficult for people to readjust to life after prison because

family members may have moved, died, or cut off communications, thereby removing a support network.

If sentenced by a judge to probation, you would most likely have to do which of the following?

have a steady job, report to your probation officer on a regular basis, abstain from drug and alcohol use, and pay any fines or restitution

A is a tax on the market value of oil produced in the state

Severance tax

Texas has university systems.

Six

According to the Texas Forensic Science Commission, which of the following is junk science and should not be used as evidence in a criminal trial?

Testimony that connects a bite mark to a specific defendant's teeth

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

provide health care for the poor

Around three-quarters of individuals on Medicaid in Texas are

under age 20

Grand juries do not find people guilty of a crime but instead will

vote a "true bill"

How do policy-makers define poverty?

when an individual or family does not have the resources necessary to meet their basic needs including food, shelter, health care, transportation, and clothing

If there is a budget deficit during the biennium, money can be used from the Economic Stabilization Fund

with the approval of three-fifths of the members of both the Texas House and Texas Senate.

Although the use of toll roads allowed roads and highways to be built ,they are

without raising taxes; very unpopular with voters

If you are convicted of a misdemeanor in Texas,

you retain your right to vote and possess a weapon.

Drug and alcohol treatment programs throughout the criminal justice system in Texas began during the administration of which governor?

Ann Richards

In an attempt to stem the rising tide of illegitimacy rates and single-parent families among the poor, which act mandated two-parent coverage for all state AFDC programs?

Family Support Act of 1988

A serious criminal offense that subjects a person to state prison punishment is a(n)

Felony

The Available School Fund, the State Instructional Materials Fund, and the Foundation School Fund are parts of which category of the Texas budget:

General Revenue Funds

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

In 1949, which law increased state funding and established the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which carries out the state's educational program?

Gilmer-Aikin Laws.

One effective way to improve public education in Texas that a majority of Democrats, Republicans, and Tea Party supporters would accept is

Increasing pay for teachers.

Texas has a reputation of being a state

Low service, low tax

Authorized by voters in 1991, the Texas state lottery generates a sizeable sum for the state budget. Which of the following statements regarding the Texas lottery is true?

The lottery is played by large numbers of people from all social classes

Normal schools were established in order to

Train teachers

How are tuition and fee schedules set at public universities in Texas?

University presidents submit requests to their system's Board of Regents who set the tuition and fee schedules.

After you are arrested and taken to jail, 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 before a judge

According to the Federal Highway Administration, 19 percent of the 53,000 bridges in Texas are rated as

being "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete."

In Brown v. Board of Education, segregated school districts were ordered to

desegregate their schools "with all deliberate speed"

In 2016, the Texas Supreme Court held that the existing system for funding public schools met the minimum constitutional provisions for

general diffusion of knowledge.

Most of the water in Texas is for

irrigation

Federal money for Medicaid programs

is accompanied by federal rules and regulations which states must comply with to maintain federal funding of the program

Seven states, including Texas, sued the federal government in May 2018 arguing that DACA was unconstitutional because

it violated the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government described in the U.S. Constitution.

In the 2017 legislative session,

legislation was passed that would grade schools on three dimensions: student progress, student achievement, and a "closing the gaps" measure.

Due to the structure of the budget and the constitutional requirement to balance the budget,

legislators have only a few choices in terms of the budgeting process

In theory, Texas has a dual-budget system, meaning the budget authority is shared by the governor and the legislature; however, in practice, the primary players) in the budget is/are

legislature

In order to use testimony from a jailhouse informant, prosecutors will now have to

share with the defense attorneys the criminal history of the jailhouse informant and anything offered to the informant in return for his or her testimony.

Among the most important findings of the 1983 report A Nation at Risk were that

test scores were declining and functional illiteracy was increasing

Compared to other states, Texas tends to spend a relatively small amount of money on programs that are jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Because of this,

the amount of money that Texas receives in matching funds and grants from the federal government is relatively low as compared to other states.

The 2012 State Water Plan discussed strategies to address both the short- and long-term water needs in Texas including

the focus on conservation and expanding and developing available surface water.

In 2018, the Trump administration announced a "zero tolerance" policy designed to deter people from crossing the southern border illegally. Which of the following was a consequence of this policy?

the separation of minor children from their parents for extended periods of time

In addition to federal monies, which two other sources in recent years have had a major impact on monies flowing into the state budget?

the state lottery and the settlement the state reached with tobacco companies

Overall, the tax system in Texas is generally considered to be regressive, which means that

the tax burden consumes a greater percentage of income received by lower-income individuals

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

the three-strikes provision

Monies from the Available University Fund (AUF) can be used for which of the following purposes?

to guarantee a bond issued by the University of Texas System to build a new dormitory on the campus of one of its system schools