Governing Texas: Chapter 12
Poverty in Texas
17.2% live under poverty lin in 2014. HHS developed poverty index in 1964. In 2016, the federal poverty line was $11,880. Definied as meeting basic needs. 200 HHS aimed towards poverty
Medicaid and Health Care Policy
19 or 17% uninsured compared to 10% of the Unitedd States. 58% Latino, 27% White, 10% AA
Water Law in Texas
1967 Water Rights Adjudication Act created water permit system. Houston v. East in 1904 ruled the law of capture for underground water. Texas Groundwater Act in 1949 created water districts. Today there are 99 districts
Federal Outleys in 2013
23% SS, 14% Medicare, 8% Medicaid, 18% Defense...
Water Policy
59% from aquifiers. Expected to increase 82% by 2060. Variety of scenarios. Aquifier is a body of permeable rock that contains or transmits groundwater. Resevoir is an artifical lake to store water.
Stages of Policy Process: Implementation
Agency and Enforcement (Incentives and Sanctions)
Historical Problems in Education: Desegregation
"Separate but Equal" in Plessy (1896). Overturned in Brown (1954). By 1960s legal segregation was gone. De facto segregation still occurs though....
Education Policy Intro
$43.1 Billion in General Revenu Funds of the state. 1,219 regular school districts with 8,646 public schools and 8.2 million students. 45th in student expenditures. 195 charter schools with 613 such campuses. 825 districts had less than 1,400 students. 18 districts have 62% of students. 342,000 teachers and 674,000 employees overall.
Texas' Immigration Policy by Alexander
Anti Immigration sentiment. Harshest in the nation with Senate Bill 4 the ban on sanctuary cities. Economic and labor importance.
Education Politics and Policy in Texas by Lowry
Education Governances in Texas is responsible for 1,000 school districts. Public unions are less powerful. Local property taxes are largest source of income. Charter schools has been delayed by democrats. Report cards for accountability.
Dependency and Welfare Reform in the 1990s
Family Support Act in 1988 mandated two-parent coverage. Problems with expansion grew till 1994 elections where George W. Bush proposed conservative reforms.
Increased Funding
For better teachers.
Stages of Policy Process: Problem Identification
Formulating a conceptual framework to understand the problem. Ideology impacts the outcome.
Barriers to rational policy making
Governments work incrementally (Growing constantly). Actors are not strictly rational or efficient (Limitations on knowledge, time and the brain)
Medicaid
Increase of 1 million between 2003 and 2013. Requirements: Availability accross the state, equity of services, any provider must be allowed, the services must be sufficiently reasonable. Waivers are permitted for customized programs. Managed Care Organization model programs provide mediator like service. Traditional Medicaid is noncapitated treatment.
Stages of Policy Process: Policy Legitimation
Legality and Constitutionality of the policy and the process to pass such a policy.
Challenges for Education Policy
Low levels of public spending per pupil. Changing demographics to minorities and disadvantaged. Dropoup rates was 6.6% in 2013.
Evaluating Welfare Reforms
Measured in number of people (Success if decrease) and transitioning people into the job market. 23% Latino, 22% AA and 10% white.
The Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and the Health Care and Reconcilitation Act of 2010. Expanded participation but was challenged in NFIB v. Sebelius. Decrease in insured as Texas rejected the ACA and doctors declined patients with Medicaid. Increase of 20% since 2013.
Medicaid Participation
Variety of groups. Eligibility changes when income or family changes. Participation as a whole has increased drastically (55% Female, 50% Latino, 20% White, African American 15%).
Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)
a federally and state-financed program for children living with parents or relatives who fell below state standards of need; replaced in 1996 by TANF
Health Care Policy in Conserivative State by Scotch and Sutton
12% of State gross product and 42% of budget. World renowned institutions. About as health as other states except higher rates of teen pregnancy and teenage obesity and highest percentage w/o health insuance. Medicaid covers 5 million texas of which 74$ are children. Over half of all medicaid funds are for elderly and disabeled children. Largest urban counties have public hospitals. Relatively weak regulation of the environment.
Medicare in 1965
A. Hospital care, B. Medically necessary services, C. Medicare Advantage Plans and D. Prescription Drug Coverage.
Roots of Education Policy in Texas
Constitution of the Republic of Texas required public education but the bill enacting that requirement did not happen until 1854. Special school fund but was used for other purposes until the Permanent School Fund in the Constitution of 1876 (which also had some special funding provisions for education). Board grew from 9 to 21 in 1949 and then to 24 in 1973 and 27 in 1981. Reduced to 15 in 1988.
Planning Authorities and Water Policy
Constitutional Amendment in 1904 for water planning. Worst drought from 1950 to 1956. New agencies in the 1960s later combined into the Texas Departent of Water Resources in 1977 with goals to help control water usage. 2012 State Water Plan emphasized conservation and developing available surface water. Historical Criterion overruled in 2012 case of Edwards Aquifier Authority v. Burrell Day and Joel McDaniel but users can recieve compensation whenever regulation damages the property. 2013 SWIFT or Rainy Day Fund to the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas and SWIRFT would build more infrastructure. Concerns of connections with the governor
Education Policy in New Era
Below average SAT scores. Dropout rate has declined.
Administration and Financing of Medicaid in Texas
Federal Portion determined by comparing average state per capita income to the average national per capita income so each state has a Federal Medical Assistance Percentage. The Children's Health Insurance Program gives coverage to wealthier families. 44% by Texas
Texas Environmental and Energy Politics by Newman and Forbis
Federal lands are extremely sparse. Railroad commission important. Fracking has revived oil industry. Fresh water are key challenge. Law of capture and biggest pump are also challenge. Development challenges land and wildlife. Wind and solar becoming increasingly important.
Stages of Policy Process: Policy Formulation
Clarifying the problem and developing strategies for the problem. Involves the legislative process. Agenda Setting.
Historical Problems in Education: Measuring Achievement and Upholding Accountability
Educational problems noted by 1983 report "A Nation at Risk". Legislature established SCOPE in 1983 with 22 members (Goals were funding and evaluating the education system in Texas). Perot reforms included tighter standards for students and teachers. Testing was also a big change under TEAMS in 1986 which was replaced by STAAR in 2011.
Stages of Policy Process: Evaluation
Metrics to determine effectiveness.
New Deal
President Franklin Roosevelt's 1930s programs ot stimulate the national economy and provide relief to victims of the Great Depression.
Welfare in Texas (1935-1996)
Social Security Act of 1935 (Old Age Insurance Unemployment Insurance, Aid for Dependent Children, Old Age Assistance, and Aid for the Blind). Department of Public Welfare established in 1939 with three members of 6-year terms. Minimize cost to state while maximizing federal dollars. Constitutional Ceiling. Programs like the AFDC were taken over by the Federal Government in 1972 through the SSI. In 1977, Department of Human Services and then Health and Human Services Commission in 2003. Participation and welfare expenditures in Texas grew dramatically between 1967 and 1973.
Edgewood ISD v. Kirby (1984)
Texas Supreme Court ordered general equality per pupil spending. Led to "Robin Hood" plan. In 2005, the Texas Supreme Court held that districts were forced to maximize the property tax to fund education and therefore lacked meaningful discretion. A final compromise included a new business and cigarette tax and cutting property taxes by 1/3. The 2016 (Morath v. Texas Taxpayer...) decision by the Texas Supreme Court stated the court cannot get too involved with financing thus taking the courts out of the process and then giving the legislative budgetary process the primary focus.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
a welfare program passed in 1996 to provide temporary assistance to families with needy children; replacing the AFDC program, TANF sought to make poor families self-sufficient and to give states greater flexibility in setting benefit levels, eligibility requirements, and other program details. For families where the parents are missing or disabled.
Broader Health Care Issues
The rules governing funding are controversial like the Medicaid Women's Health Program in 2012 as it offered abortion. Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt struct down anti-abortion laws.
San Antonio v. Rodriguez (1973)
The supreme court ruled that the San Antonio school district was not in violation of the 14th amendment equal rights clause. States like Texas were not required to redistribute wealth and subsidize poorer school districts.
Vouchers and Charter Schools
Vouchers provide competition but it could lead to discrimination. Charter Schools may help specific populations but could ignore others and draw funds away from public schools.
Medicaid
a federal and state program financing medical services to low-income people
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
a national welfare program passed in 1972 that provides assistance to low-income elderly or disabled individuals; replaced the federal-state programs that had offered assistance to the blind, the permanently and totally disabled, and the aged
Gilmer-Aikin Laws
education reform legislation passed in 1949 that supplemented local funding of education with public monies, raised teachers' salaries, mandated a minimum length for the school year, and provided for more state supervision of public education. Established bureaucratic institutions for public education.
Bounded Rationality
the idea in policy making that decision makers may seek satisfactory solutions to problems that are not necessarily optimal or efficient
Rationality
the idea in public-policy making that we have clearly identified goals and that we seek to achieve these goals in an optimal or efficient manner
Law of Capture
the idea that the first person "to capture" water or oil by pumping it out of the ground and using it owns that water or oil
