Chapter 10 – Public Policy – Flashcards
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How many state agencies in Texas are substantially independent from the governor?
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around 200
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Fragmentation of the Texas executive branch into independent agencies was done by various legislatures to
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avoid the issue of power becoming too centralized.
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State agencies within Texas were created by the
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Texas Constitution and Texas legislature.
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The mission of the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission is to
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recommend the merging, abolition, or continuation of state agencies
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State agencies are sometimes created as a result of
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citizen complaints and outrage over an issue.
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State agencies are occasionally reorganized, merged, or abolished under a process called
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sunset review.
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Three factors that are important in determining a state agency's success in achieving its policy goals are
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elite access, vigor and vision of their leadership, and resources.
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The ability of business leaders to meet directly with high ranking bureaucrats to resolve issues is called
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elite access.
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By 2012, how many employees did the state of Texas have?
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311,000
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The largest single employer in Texas is
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the state of Texas.
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Acquiring a government job based on political loyalty, without regard to ability, is called
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political patronage
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A system that hires employees based on their expertise and competency is called a
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merit system
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Which policy regarding state employees is set by the legislature?
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Salary and compensation
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The system that replaced the merit system in Texas was a
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centralized compensation and classification system.
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The approximate number of independent school districts in Texas is
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1,237
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Which of the following makes policies that affect independent school districts and approves textbooks for public schools?
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State Board of Education
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How many community college districts are there in Texas?
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50
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The two widely recognized ''flagship'' state universities in Texas are
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the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University College Station.
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The governance of Texas community colleges is performed mainly by
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local boards of trustees.
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Imagine you are a 19-year-old mother of one child, a recipient of public assistance, and a resident of Dallas County. Which of the following most threatens you?
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The cap on consecutive and lifetime receipt of cash public assistance benefits
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The Lone Star Card is used by a recipient of public assistance
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to obtain food items in a grocery store.
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The state-federal program that provides direct cash payments to poor children and their families is
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
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The purpose of the payroll tax collected by the Texas Workforce Commission is to
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provide unemployment compensation
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In Texas, education, health, and human services expenditures account for __________ of the state's budget.
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three-fourths
