Texas Government Chapter 11 and 12 – Flashcards
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Prior to 2003, tuition for public colleges and universities in Texas was set by this group of ppl
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state legislature
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Following a legislative decision in 2003 to reduce state funding to higher education, which source of university revenue began to increase most rapidly?
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student tuition and fees
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Federal funds appropriated in Texas generally are concentrated to who?
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concentrated in a few state agencies
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Which phrase best characterizes Texas' reputation in terms of taxes and services?
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low service, low tax
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How does Texas spending on a per capita basis compare to the rest of the United States?
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much lower than the national average
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According to our text, what determines the amount of tax revenue generated from oil and natural gas produced in Texas?
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market price and the amount produced
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Overall, the tax system in Texas is generally considered to be regressive, which means what?
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the tax burden consumes a greater percentage of income received by lower income individuals.
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Who pays the greatest portion of their income in property taxes?
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poor homeowners and renters
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What are generally considered to be an example of regressive taxes or fees?
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sales and property taxes, auto registration and inspection fees, and excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes
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What would happen if Texas instituted a progressive income tax?
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low- income Texans would pay a lower tax rate than wealthy Texans.
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Texas will not implement a statewide income tax in the immediate future. Why not?
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The voters would not approve the measure
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Next to revenue generated by state taxes, the second-largest source of state revenue comes from this.
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oil production and regulation taxes
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What are federal matching funds?
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awarded to states that agree to fund a federal program on behalf of their own citizens
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Texas spends less on state-federal programs than most states do. True or False?
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true
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Texas has historically participated in matching funds at a relatively low rate. True or False?
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true
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What is the main purpose of the Permanent School Fund?
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fund primary and secondary schools in the state
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Which agency is responsible for managing the Permanent School Fund?
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The Texas Board of Education
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The funds generated by the Permanent School Fund are distributed to school districts across the state based on what?
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based on attendance rates
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The Economic Stabilization Fund is also known as the
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rainy day fund
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The Permanent University Fund was established in 1876 with a land grant of 1 million acres. It contributes to the support of this.
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the University of Texas and Texas A and M university systems
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Authorized by voters in 1991, the Texas state lottery generates a sizable sum for the state budget. Who plays the lottery?
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The lottery is played by large numbers of people from all social classes.
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One significant component of the budget process that is relatively unique to Texas is...
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the constitutional mandate that Texas legislators write a budget every two years.
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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 player(s) in the budget is/are
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the legislature
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The purpose of the Biennial Revenue Estimate is to provide this.
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a detailed forecast of total revenues that the state is expected to take in.
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Who certifies the state budget of Texas?
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the comptroller
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In Texas, the governor's line-item veto power is...
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very powerful because the governor can use it to limit expenditures
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The Texas legislature increased...... to help compensate for lower property tax revenues in the 2012-13 budget cycle.
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state corporate franchise taxes and cigarette taxes
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According to the text, just as the economy began to improve and state revenues started increasing, a new threat arose to threaten the newly balanced budget. It was it?
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increasing health care costs due to recent efforts to reform the health care system
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What is the Religious Viewpoint Antidiscrimination Act?
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ensured religious-oriented clubs the same access to school facilities and protected students who expressed religious beliefes.
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What came of the Gilmer-Aikin Laws?
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various bureaucratic institutions were established to be responsible for public education in the state of Texas.
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What also came of the Gilmer-Aikin Laws?
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the State Board of Education was established and became the policy-making body for public education in Texas.
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The three main issues that have shaped education policy in Texas during the last 50 years are....
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funding, desegregation, and educational excellence
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What was Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) about?
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validated state-imposed racial segregation in Texas public schools.
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Through what did the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Plessy v. Ferguson?
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Brown v. Board of Education
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In Brown v. Board of Education, segregated school districts were ordered to do this.
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desegregate their schools "with all deliberate speed"
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The district court in San Antonio v. Rodriguez delayed action because of this.
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thought the legislature would address the funding issue in the next legislature session
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In Edgewood ISD v. Kirby, what was the key constitutional issue?
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whether the phrase "an efficient system of free public schools" included school financing.
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Which statement is true regarding poverty in Texas?
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In Texas, the poverty rate among children is much higher than in the rest of the United States.
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In the 1960's, welfare policy in Texas reflected this.
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a policy of minimizing the cost to Texas while maximizing the use of federal dollars.
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What was the primary purpose of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families?
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make families self-sufficient by ending the cycle of dependency on government benefits
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Welfare reforms are measured along which two dimensions?
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the number of people on welfare and the success of getting people into the workforce
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In 1965, Congress created the Medicaid program, a state-federal program that does this.
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provide health care for the poor
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The single most important issue confronting Texas policy makers with regard to Medicaid is this.
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cost
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One of the controversies arising out of the Medicaid Women's Health Program in Texas involved this.
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the program and the costs of birth control, health screenings, and family exams.
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In legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court ruled like this.
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the tax penalizing people who failed to purchase medical insurance was constitutional.
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Describe the water policy in Texas.
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Water rights are a complicated matter balancing private property considerations and the public good
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The law of capture, as it pertains to water policy in Texas, essentially means this.
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the first person to capture the water by pumping it out of the ground owns it
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Two of the strategies that have been developed by the Texas Water Development Board to meet the long-term needs of Texas include...
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the focus on conservation and expanding and developing available surface water
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In the case of Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Burrell Day and Joel McDaniel (2012), farmers argued that...
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they had the rights to the water based upon their ownership of the land above it
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"No Pass, No Play" stipulated that students could NOT participate in extracurricular activities unless they met certain academic standards. True or False?
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true
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Which of the following is not generally considered to be an example of regressive taxes or fees?
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income taxes
