Deck 13: Contemporary public policy issues in texas

Question 1

Which of the following is true regarding taxes in Texas?

A) There is no sales tax on luxury items.
B) Personal income is not taxed.
C) Ad valorem taxes are only collected on even years.
D) Property tax revenues are only used for bond payments.
E) Business income is not taxed.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Setting public policy usually involves questions of

A) who will benefit and will there be federal funding.
B) who will pay the bill and how will the money be collected.
C) which agencies do the taxing and who benefits.
D) which type of tax should be used and who will pay.
E) who will benefit and who will pay the bill.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Education costs

A) take up the largest percentage of state expenditures.
B) are roughly equal to those of law enforcement and prisons.
C) are directly correlated to classroom sizes.
D) have been used to justify cuts in health and human services.
E) are inversely correlated to business and economic development.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The Texas budget cycle forces agencies to

A) revise their budgets every six months
B) anticipate spending needs up to 1 year in advance
C) anticipate spending needs up to 3 years in advance
D) expect smaller budgets despite the potential for increased tax revenues
E) revise their budgets every three months years

Question 5

Which of the following is true of sales taxes?

A) Lower income families are more affected by increases.
B) They are considered progressive when food items are excluded.
C) Sales taxes are returned to the counties in which they were collected
D) They are unimportant to most Texans.
E) They are fair for all Texans.

Question 6

The second largest share of the state budget is for

A) education.
B) law enforcement and prisons.
C) highways.
D) health and human services.
E) business and economic development.

Question 7

A 2009 study found the wealthiest 1 percent of Texas families paid percent of their incomes in state and local taxes.

A) 33.5
B) 23.5
C) 13.5
D) 7.5
E) 3.3

Question 8

The last major change in the state's general tax policy occurred in 1961, when the legislature enacted the first

A) severance tax.
B) oil depletion allowance tax.
C) sales tax.
D) value added tax.
E) personal income.

Question 9

the authority to transfer funds to meet emergencies between legislative sessions.

A) Only the governor has
B) Only the legislative leaders have
C) The legislature and the Comptroller together have
D) No state government official has
E) The governor and legislative leaders together have

Question 10

During the last decade, the requirements of federally driven programs and mandates

A) have decreased over the last five years
B) have had little effect on state budgets
C) have created the largest burden on state tax revenues
D) have been outpaced by CHIP and local programs
E) have been outpaced by locally driven programs and mandates

Question 11

Public policy includes

A) providing indirect benefits, regulating commerce, and regulating the bureaucracy.
B) regulating the private sector, providing direct benefits, and regulating the bureaucracy.
C) affecting the way government operates, providing direct benefits and regulating commerce.
D) providing benefits for the public good, regulating the private sector, and effects of the governmental process.
E) providing indirect and direct benefits, and regulating the bureaucracy and government agencies.

Question 12

Which of the following best captures Thomas Dye's definition of public policy?

A) Only policies which were adopted by the government and placed into law are included
B) Only actions taken by the government are included.
C) It is simply whatever governments choose to do or not to do.
D) Public policy is decisions regarding who gets what, when, and why.
E) It is whatever the public chooses to do or not to do.

Question 13

In 2012-2013,_____percent of the Texas budget was devoted to education.

A) 11
B) 51
C) 31
D) 21
E) 42

Question 14

Which of the following statements is correct regarding regular sessions of the Texas legislature?

A) A one-year budget must be written.
B) A two-year budget must be written.
C) Sessions may be canceled if the first year budget produces a surplus.
D) Budgets are not discussed in regular sessions.
E) A three-year budget must be written.

Question 15

With each financial crisis, it becomes______ for the legislature to raise the sales tax rate.

A) less politically difficult
B) more politically difficult
C) much easier
D) m??? ???t?n?
E) more economically difficult

Question 16

____________ would be considered a dedicated fund.

A) A fund that has money set aside to it through a constitutional requirement
B) A program that must be funded annually and can be done from any number of sources
C) A fund that can be used at any time for any purpose by the state government
D) A program that can receive additional funding from charitable donations
E) A fund which receives its money through aid provided by the federal government

Question 17

The activities of the implementation phase of the policy process include

A) interpretation, organization, and application.
B) evaluation, formulation, and adoption.
C) identification, representation, and evaluation.
D) formation, legitimation, and evaluation.
E) identification, formulation and application.

Question 18

The first stage of the policy process is

A) formulation.
B) identification and formation of an issue.
C) evaluation.
D) adoption or legitimation.
E) implementation.

Question 19

Texas' pay-as-you-go spending rules are best summarized as

A) a direct debt limit set at $2 billion.
B) a direct debt limit of $500,000 for individual line items.
C) a general prohibition of deficit financing.
D) a limit on spending of federal funds.
E) a prohibition of deficit spending.

Question 20

At the state level, a cluster of __________ would be considered an iron triangle of government.

A) legislators, the governor and justices of the Supreme Court
B) legislators, high level bureaucrats and representatives of interest groups
C) high level bureaucrats, the governor and business leaders
D) interest group representatives, corporate leaders and the press
E) high level bureaucrats, members of the press and legislators

Question 21

In the decades following the Ruiz decision, Texas dealt with the problem of its overcrowded prisons by

A) increasing its parole rate, even to the point of paroling violent offenders.
B) accepting convicted felons at state prisons so that county jails did not have to house them.
C) doubling the size of the prison system.
D) tripling the size of the prison system.
E) early release programs for nonviolent drug offenders.

Question 22

Texas taxpayer dissatisfaction and anger in recent years has been mostly due to

A) an increase in grocery sales tax rates.
B) the addition of ad valorem property tax.
C) increases in ad valorem property tax rates.
D) additional municipal taxes.
E) the severance tax.

Question 23

In an attempt to give the best students from poor and minority public school districts an equal footing in university admissions, the legislature enacted a 1997 law that guaranteed automatic admission to state universities for a high school graduate who finished in the top percent of his or her class.

A) 1
B) 5
C) 10
D) 15
E) 20

Question 24

The new business tax was instituted to make up for lower ____ ordered by the Texas Supreme Court.

A) county property taxes
B) school property taxes
C) city property taxes
D) personal income taxes
E) sales taxes

Question 25

The most controversial provisions in the 1984 education reform law were

A) a literacy test for teachers and the "no pass, no play" rule.
B) a requirement that students pass a basic skills test before graduating.
C) limited class sizes and free pre-kindergarten classes for disadvantaged four year olds.
D) a new three-track system that placed students in college prep, technical, or remedial classes.
E) tutorials for failing students and limited class sizes in high schools only.

Question 26

In early 1997, Attorney General Dan Morales interpreted the Hopwood ruling as prohibiting all Texas universities from using race or ethnicity as a preferential factor in

A) all admissions decisions.
B) undergraduate admissions.
C) housing.
D) promotions.
E) grading systems.

Question 27

House Bill 72 is best described as

A) a reduction in taxes to boost educational spending.
B) a bill that reduced teacher pay.
C) an attempt to overhaul public education and limit class sizes.
D) an attempt to overhaul public education by doubling class sizes to increase efficiency.
E) a bill to fund free higher education.

Question 28

Why did Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock actively campaign for a state income tax in 1991?

A) He believed that it could be used to replace the estate tax as a major source of revenue.
B) He sought for it to be an alternative to the proposed state franchise tax.
C) He believed in conjunction with other unpopular taxes, it could create a budget surplus.
D) He believed it was the only way to meet the state's needs fairly and adequately.
E) He sought to use it to replace local school property taxes.

Question 29

In 1997, lawmakers dedicated lottery revenue to

A) the general fund.
B) public education.
C) public universities.
D) children's health insurance.
E) health and human services.

Question 30

The franchise tax, formerly the state's main business tax, was replaced in 2006 with

A) a broader-based business tax that applied not only to corporations but also sole proprietorships.
B) a broader-based business tax that applied to business services as well as corporations.
C) a broader-based business tax that applied not only to corporations but also to professional partnerships.
D) a value added (VAT) tax that taxed the manufacture of all goods and services produced in Texas.
E) a narrower-based business tax that only taxed corporations that did not have their corporate headquarters in Texas.

Question 31

The 1980 Ruiz v.Estelle federal court case dealt with the issue of

A) affirmative action.
B) the death penalty.
C) educational funding.
D) prison reform.
E) air pollution.

Question 32

Texas officials ignored deteriorating state prison conditions until a 1980 ruling by ______, which declared the Texas prison system unconstitutional.

A) federal Judge William Wayne Justice
B) the Texas Supreme Court
C) Attorney General Dan Morales
D) the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
E) U.S. District Judge Lucius Bunton

Question 33

As the state's economy shifts more and more to services, sales tax revenue

A) is automatically reduced to keep tax dollars constant.
B) does not automatically grow.
C) automatically grows with the economy.
D) becomes less important to the state. ?. ??????? ???? ????????? ?? ??? ?????.

Question 34

Sin taxes

A) are used to directly fund public healthcare initiatives.
B) do not exist in Texas.
C) are only imposed on tobacco and alcohol producers.
D) are imposed on tobacco products and alcohol.
E) are used to increase consumption of luxury goods.

Question 35

The Texas lottery was the first lottery in the U.S.to

A) be deemed a success by most outside observers.
B) collect over 4 billion dollars in its first year.
C) fully fund all state education programs.
D) collect over 8 billion dollars in its first year.
E) not be criticized as another regressive state program.

Question 36

Why did Texas pass a constitutional amendment to legalize state lottery ticket sales in 1991?

A) In 1990, Texans overwhelmingly voted by referendum do legalize such sales.
B) The U.S. Supreme Court had deemed that restrictions on such sales was unconstitutional.
C) It was an attempt to compensate for revenue lost due to a variety of causes.
D) A major source of revenue, casinos, had threatened to leave the state if sales weren't legalized.
E) It was intended to create an immediate budget surplus that was needed to fund several projects.

Question 37

The 1984 education reform law did not change the basic education finance system, an omission resulting in

A) Edgewood v. Kirby.
B) Midland v. Avery.
C) Del Rio v. Smith.
D) Mumford v. Bush.
E) Smith v. Allred.

Question 38

While little changed in minority enrollments at many Texas Universities after the Hopwood decision, ______ and University of Texas at Austin, the two largest saw a huge drop-off as they had formerly used race as a factor in admissions.

A) Tarleton State University
B) Texas Tech University
C) Lamar University
D) Texas A&M
E) University of North Texas

Question 39

In 1989, the Texas Supreme Court said the existing education finance system violated a state constitutional requirement for

A) an equal system of public education.
B) an open system of public education.
C) an efficient system of public education.
D) a quality system of public education.
E) a fair system of public education.

Question 40

According to some experts, state bond interest can the cost of a construction project.

A) double
B) cut in half
C) triple
D) cut off a third of
E) quadruple

Question 41

A 2010 University of Texas/ Texas Tribune poll found that ____ percent of Texans strongly supported the death penalty.

A) 23
B) 63
C) 53
D) 83
E) 93

Question 42

In 2010, nearly________ of Texas children didn't have health insurance.

A) one-half
B) three-fourths
C) one-third
D) one-fifth
E) one-tenth

Question 43

In 1999, _____ became the nation's "dirtiest air" city.

A) Houston
B) Dallas
C) El Paso
D) Del Rio
E) San Antonio

Question 44

In 2003, the U.S.Supreme Court, in a ruling in a Michigan case, upheld the Hopwood decision by holding that universities can't use affirmative action in admissions policies.

Question 45

Texas government made a commitment to modernize the state criminal justice system starting in the 1950s.

Question 46

Texas has both poor school districts struggling to maintain minimal educational programs and wealthy school districts with enough money to fund the best of educational and extracurricular programs.

Question 47

Businesses do not pay personal income taxes.

Question 48

Many Texas political figures still debate the _____ of Global Warming despite a 2009 report by
Texas A& M scientists

A) extent; declaring that it is not an issue for Texas.
B) actuality; advising the legislature that it really exists.
C) reach; declaring that it does not actually exist.
D) veracity; warning of disastrous threats to the Texas Gulf Coast.
E) actuality; claiming huge benefits for Texas.

Question 49

According to the 2010 American Community Survey, which is the correct statement regarding poverty in Texas?

A) Poverty is considered to be an acceptable consequence of immigration.
B) Poverty is not a concern to Texans living in rural counties.
C) 34.1 of Texans live in poverty.
D) 16.3% of Texans consider themselves poor.
E) 17.9% of Texans live in poverty.

Question 50

By 2007, out of all fifty states, Texas

A) was responsible for more carbon dioxide emissions than the number one and two states.
B) ranked within the top five in the nation for cleanest air and water.
C) ranked in the top ten for state government enforced environmental protections.
D) ranked first in the nation in protecting natural resources, particularly water supplies.
E) was the only state to have not enforced any federal conservation laws.

Question 51

Program assessment and evaluation seldom become the basis for future policy and funding decisions.

Question 52

The franchise tax applies to law firms as well as corporations.

Question 53

Texas Southern University is located in Houston.

Question 54

What is the purpose of CHIP?

A) It is a charitable organization that assists Medicaid recipients with purchasing prescription pills.
B) It provides insurance to families of state government employees.
C) It provides insurance for children of working parents who earn too much for Medicaid.
D) It provides insurance to children of Texas State National Guard Veterans.
E) It is a state organization dedicated to assisting families with children in providing preventive care.

Question 55

People have to identify a problem before they can expect the government's help in resolving it.

Question 56

In 2003, the Texas legislature ordered a major reorganization of the state's health and human services agencies, supported heavily by the in the legislature.

A) Republicans
B) Democrats
C) Independents
D) Greens
E) Tea Party

Question 57

Why were efforts to privatize applicant eligibility for public services with Accenture unsuccessful?

A) Within a year, the state had concluded that it could perform the same services cheaper.
B) The company was found to have embezzled over $100 million from the state of Texas.
C) Accenture raised its rates for performing the work by 150% by the end of the first year.
D) The Texas Supreme Court ruled that such services must be handled by an American company.
E) The company proved incapable of handling the work leading to numerous problems.

Question 58

According to the text, health and human services are the areas where state governments consider compassion versus the cold realities of the budget, and where Texas has historically been

A) stingy.
B) compassionate.
C) sympathetic.
D) evenhanded.
E) unbiased.

Question 59

Regressive taxes are those that disproportionately affect lower income groups.

Question 60

Revenues from gambling in Texas have helped justify lower tax rates.

Question 61

Has public education in Texas improved in the last two decades? Detail in what ways progress has been made.

Question 62

Elected officials have been actively involved in addressing automobile pollution problems in major Texas cities.

Question 63

State officials recognize that in trying to fight criminal behavior, both alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs are important.

Question 64

In what way was tuition deregulation in Texas regressive?

Question 65

A state commission has considered the possibility that executed inmate Cameron Willingham was innocent of the crime for which he was put to death.

Question 66

Explain how the Texas constitutional requirement for a balanced budget shapes the budgetary process.
Would you recommend any changes in the process? If so, what changes would you make and why? If not, why not?

Question 67

Briefly define dedicated funds and give at least two arguments for and against them.

Question 68

What criteria would you use to evaluate the fairness of the state's tax structure? Explain why you chose those criteria and predict what such an evaluation would reveal about the fairness of the Texas tax structure.Based on that hypothetical evaluation, what changes in the tax structure (if any) would you recommend?

Question 69

In 2011, the Texas Water Development Board found that Texas has more than enough water to meet the needs of its people and industry for the next decade.

Question 70

Welfare reform laws in the mid-2000s emphasized education and job training for welfare recipients but imposed no limits on how long they could collect benefits.

Question 71

In 2010, nearly one-fifth of Texas children had no health insurance.

Question 72

Describe the stages of the policy process.In your opinion, which stage is most crucial to successful public policies? Justify your answer.

Question 73

What have been some of the inequities in the funding of state institutions of higher learning and how will the Hopwood ruling affect those inequities?

Question 74

Why has there been so much resistance in Texas to the personal income tax and the corporate income tax?

Question 75

How would you evaluate the success of education reform after Edgewood v.Kirby?

Question 76

Briefly describe how federal court intervention (Ruiz v.Estelle) in the state's prison system affected inmate housing.

Question 77

An order by Judge Justice limited the population of prison units to 85 percent of capacity in an effort to guard against the recurrence of rioting and other ills in the system.

Question 78

The ultimate political problem is neither who will benefit from specific policy decisions nor who will pay the bill, but rather the fear all politicians have of being defeated in the next election.

Question 79

Fifty-three percent of Texans strongly support the death penalty.

Question 80

Texas has a large share of the nation's oil refining and chemical manufacturing industries.