Texas Government Final
Which of the following in the policy-making cycle occurs last?
Policy evaluation
A ________ is a tax on the market value of oil produced in the state.
Severance tax
Which government entity administered and determined the benefit levels for Aid for Dependent Children, Old Age Assistance, and Aid for the Blind?
State
When thinking about the total number of people in state prisons across the United States, which of the following is true?
Texas has more people incarnate in its states prison than any other state
Which program provides coverage for children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid?
The Children's Health insurance program
The origins of modern welfare policy lie in
The New Deal of 1930s
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
Texas determines which children are eligible for reduced-price or free lunch at school based on
Federal Poverty Guidelines
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
In 1949, which law increased state funding and established the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which carries out the state's educational program?
Gilmer Akin Act
Why must the Texas legislature maintain a balanced budget?
It is required by the constitution
Texas ranks _________ in terms of state spending per capita, and it ranks _________ in terms of how much money it gets from the federal government per capita.
Low ; high
Which of the following made it unlikely that Texas will enact a personal income tax in the near future?
The Texas Constitution was amended in the 1990s to require that the voters approve of the creation of a state income tax, and that any money generated from it be used to support public education.
When it was originally established, which institutions in Texas could receive funding from the Higher Education Fund (HEF)?
The Texas State Technical College, universities, and health-related institutions that are not eligible for or included in PUF funding could get funding from the HEF
One significant component of the budget process that is relatively unique to Texas is
The constitution mandate that texas legislators
What happens if money needs to be transferred from one agency to another and the legislature is not in session to authorize this transfer?
The governor can propose the transfer and the LBB can approve the proposal.
What is the process for granting clemency in Texas?
The governor must follow the recommendations of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
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
In 2013, voters in Texas approved a constitutional amendment that dealt with water policy. What was included in this amendment?
The voters approved the creation of a dedicated water fund, known as the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT), through a transfer of $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund.
Why did Texas build reservoirs through the state?
They are used to help control flooding and to better distribute water during droughts.
Which agency is responsible for monitoring land crossings between Texas and Mexico?
U.S. Border Patrol
Jurors determine a guilty verdict in criminal cases
With a Unanimous vote
The Water Rights Adjudication Act created
a unified permit system related to surface water and well-defined underground streams.
The Texas Water Development Board is responsible for
administering the Texas Water Bank.
While the Texas Constitution does require that the state maintains a balanced budget, the state is allowed to carry debt as long as the debt service payments
are not more than 5 percent of the state's revenue
The Select Committee on Public Education (SCOPE) presented 140 recommendations to the legislature in 1984, including one known as "no pass, no play" which stated that
students who did not pass a class with a grade of 70 could not participate in extracurricular activities for the next six-week grading period.
A person convicted of a third felony can be sentenced to life imprisonment based on
the 3 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
Normal schools were established in order to
train teachers
Around three-quarters of individuals on Medicaid in Texas are
under the age of 20
For which type of offenses are Texas prison inmates most likely to be imprisoned?
violent
The three main issues that have shaped education policy in Texas over the last 50 years have been
funding, desegregation, and educational excellence
In order to become a naturalized citizen, you must
have entered the United States legally, been a resident of the United States for at least 5 years, and be able to demonstrate good moral character, knowledge of American government, and a basic command of English.
The Robin Hood plan was found unconstitutional because it required
it required local voter approval of property tax levies and it prohibited a state property tax.
The first publicly supported junior college in Texas was established in
1922
A(n) ________ is a lawyer who is appointed by a judge to represent an individual who can't afford legal representation.
Assigned counsel
Which U.S. Supreme Court case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, ruling that state-imposed segregation in schools isolated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
Brown vs Board of Education
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles makes recommendations about
Clemency and parole
Taken together, the sprawling cities and ________________ make it difficult to develop public transportation in most areas in Texas.
car-centric culture
_________________ occurs when public policies are reviewed to determine if they are effectively meeting their goals.
evaluation
Who pays the greatest portion of their income in property taxes?
poor homeowners and renters
If sentenced by a judge to probation, you would most likely have to do which of the following?
report to a probation officer on a regular basis, holding a steady job, paying fines or restitution, and abstaining from alcohol or drug use.
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
Having a widespread public transportation system is challenging for Houston because
the city has over 1,200 square miles of territory and it would be expensive to have bus or rail service for this large of an area.
The law of capture, as it pertains to water policy in Texas, essentially means that
the first person to capture the water by pumping it out of the ground owns it.
Which of the following helps explain why the push to use testing and accountability as tools to reform the educational system in Texas was successful?
the influence of business groups in the political culture of Texas
