Question 1

Each of the following is a source of revenue for Texas except

Accepted Answer

A)  gambling casinos. 
B)  the state lottery. 
C)  federal matching funds. 
D)  lawsuit settlements with tobacco companies. 
E)  oil and gas taxes. 
A)  gambling casinos. 
B)  the state lottery. 
C)  federal matching funds. 
D)  lawsuit settlements with tobacco companies. 
E)  oil and gas taxes.

Question 2

The largest expense in the Texas budget is transportation costs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Assess the welfare policies Texas has adopted. What effect did the federal welfare reform of the mid-1990s have on Texas? Have these reforms been successful, according to experts? Explain why or why not.

Accepted Answer

Texas has adopted various welfare polici

Question 4

What is the greatest source of revenue for Texas?

Accepted Answer

A)  taxes 
B)  federal matching funds 
C)  licenses and fees 
D)  tobacco company settlement money 
E)  stimulus money 
A)  taxes 
B)  federal matching funds 
C)  licenses and fees 
D)  tobacco company settlement money 
E)  stimulus money

Question 5

As it pertains to Texas, what is the Robin Hood plan?

Accepted Answer

A)  a law that demands that anyone found guilty of a property crime involving more than $1,000 must spend at least five years in jail 
B)  a program designed to equalize school funding by transferring funds from wealthy to poor schools 
C)  a new state welfare policy that imposed a tax on all businesses that lay off more than ten workers 
D)  a program that sends the top 10 percent of graduates from any Texas high school to any Texas state university 
E)  a policy that requires lottery winners to pay a portion of their winnings to charity 
A)  a law that demands that anyone found guilty of a property crime involving more than $1,000 must spend at least five years in jail 
B)  a program designed to equalize school funding by transferring funds from wealthy to poor schools 
C)  a new state welfare policy that imposed a tax on all businesses that lay off more than ten workers 
D)  a program that sends the top 10 percent of graduates from any Texas high school to any Texas state university 
E)  a policy that requires lottery winners to pay a portion of their winnings to charity

Question 6

Describe the process by which Texas develops a budget. How does the Texas constitution constrain spending? What are the roles of the Legislative Budget Board and the state comptroller? Why is Texas often called a low-tax, low-service state?

Accepted Answer

The process by which Texas develops a bu

Question 7

Texas has one of the lowest rates of incarceration in the nation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

The policy on criminal offenders in Texas favors

Accepted Answer

A)  rehabilitation programs. 
B)  imprisonment of only violent offenders and use of probation and community service for nonviolent offenders. 
C)  imprisonment of both violent and nonviolent offenders. 
D)  using early pardons and suspended sentences to reduce the prison population. 
E)  a focus on probation and community service. 
A)  rehabilitation programs. 
B)  imprisonment of only violent offenders and use of probation and community service for nonviolent offenders. 
C)  imprisonment of both violent and nonviolent offenders. 
D)  using early pardons and suspended sentences to reduce the prison population. 
E)  a focus on probation and community service.

Question 9

Hispanics currently make up the majority of Texans living below the poverty line.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is best described as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  unfunded mandate. 
B)  block grant. 
C)  revenue enhancement package. 
D)  in-kind benefit. 
E)  unsuccessful program. 
A)  unfunded mandate. 
B)  block grant. 
C)  revenue enhancement package. 
D)  in-kind benefit. 
E)  unsuccessful program.

Question 11

The rate of graduation in Texas high schools falls in the top 50 percent in the country.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

What limits does the Texas constitution place on welfare spending?

Accepted Answer

A)  No more than 1 percent of the budget may be used for welfare spending. 
B)  The ratio of federal dollars to state dollars must be set at no less than 4 to 1. 
C)  The legislature cannot appropriate more than 10 percent of the budget for welfare. 
D)  All welfare spending must be paid for through property taxes, with tax levels set by each county. 
E)  There are no limits on welfare spending in Texas. 
A)  No more than 1 percent of the budget may be used for welfare spending. 
B)  The ratio of federal dollars to state dollars must be set at no less than 4 to 1. 
C)  The legislature cannot appropriate more than 10 percent of the budget for welfare. 
D)  All welfare spending must be paid for through property taxes, with tax levels set by each county. 
E)  There are no limits on welfare spending in Texas.

Question 13

What was Texas's response to the federal government's order to desegregate schools in the 1950s?

Accepted Answer

A)  Texas launched an immediate, statewide resistance to desegregation. 
B)  Some school districts quickly desegregated, while others resisted integration well into the 1960s. 
C)  Unlike much of the Deep South, Texas integrated its schools with little trouble. 
D)  Texas school districts have never been legally segregated. 
E)  Texas immediately rejected the order and the U.S. National Guard had to be brought in to enforce it. 
A)  Texas launched an immediate, statewide resistance to desegregation. 
B)  Some school districts quickly desegregated, while others resisted integration well into the 1960s. 
C)  Unlike much of the Deep South, Texas integrated its schools with little trouble. 
D)  Texas school districts have never been legally segregated. 
E)  Texas immediately rejected the order and the U.S. National Guard had to be brought in to enforce it.

Question 14

What are the two most important agencies or offices responsible for preparing the Texas state budget?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Legislative Budget Board and the comptroller 
B)  the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee 
C)  the governor and the Senate Finance Committee 
D)  the Speaker of the House and the governor 
E)  the governor and the Legislative Budget Board 
A)  the Legislative Budget Board and the comptroller 
B)  the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee 
C)  the governor and the Senate Finance Committee 
D)  the Speaker of the House and the governor 
E)  the governor and the Legislative Budget Board

Question 15

During the 1980s, what controversial policy did the education committee SCOPE, headed by H. Ross Perot, recommend?

Accepted Answer

A)  a "no pass, no play" policy for student athletes 
B)  the equity-in-school-funding plan known as Robin Hood 
C)  quicker desegregation of the schools 
D)  more decentralization in school administration 
E)  No Child Left Behind 
A)  a "no pass, no play" policy for student athletes 
B)  the equity-in-school-funding plan known as Robin Hood 
C)  quicker desegregation of the schools 
D)  more decentralization in school administration 
E)  No Child Left Behind

Question 16

Which of the following is the best definition of a dedicated fund?

Accepted Answer

A)  money that is given to a state or local government through citizens donating extra tax dollars for specific projects 
B)  the type of funding that requires a state agency to make biannual budget forecasts, rather than just yearly ones 
C)  spending priorities that are beneficial to specific interest groups, which always have groups of politicians backing them 
D)  portions of the state budget that are mandated to be spent in specific ways, such as for Medicaid payments 
E)  money set aside specifically to pay off the state debt 
A)  money that is given to a state or local government through citizens donating extra tax dollars for specific projects 
B)  the type of funding that requires a state agency to make biannual budget forecasts, rather than just yearly ones 
C)  spending priorities that are beneficial to specific interest groups, which always have groups of politicians backing them 
D)  portions of the state budget that are mandated to be spent in specific ways, such as for Medicaid payments 
E)  money set aside specifically to pay off the state debt

Question 17

What was the effect on Texas prisons of the Supreme Court case Ruiz v. Estelle?

Accepted Answer

A)  Texas was compelled to suspend the death penalty during the 1980s. 
B)  Texas's prison system was declared unconstitutional, and the federal courts stepped in to oversee its administration. 
C)  The Texas policy of leasing prisoners as workers to private companies was declared unconstitutional. 
D)  Death by hanging was declared constitutional. 
E)  Execution via electric chair was declared unconstitutional. 
A)  Texas was compelled to suspend the death penalty during the 1980s. 
B)  Texas's prison system was declared unconstitutional, and the federal courts stepped in to oversee its administration. 
C)  The Texas policy of leasing prisoners as workers to private companies was declared unconstitutional. 
D)  Death by hanging was declared constitutional. 
E)  Execution via electric chair was declared unconstitutional.

Question 18

Which programs in Texas receive the largest amount of federal matching funds to supplement state tax dollars?

Accepted Answer

A)  education 
B)  transportation 
C)  health and human services 
D)  public housing 
E)  welfare 
A)  education 
B)  transportation 
C)  health and human services 
D)  public housing 
E)  welfare

Question 19

In the mid-1990s, growing discontent over welfare policy across the country encouraged many states, including Texas, to seek ______ so that they could experiment with welfare reform.

Accepted Answer

A)  block grants 
B)  grants-in-aid 
C)  preemption 
D)  waivers 
E)  funded mandates 
A)  block grants 
B)  grants-in-aid 
C)  preemption 
D)  waivers 
E)  funded mandates

Question 20

When people with lower incomes pay a lower tax rate than those with higher incomes, it is called

Accepted Answer

A)  progressive taxation. 
B)  regressive taxation. 
C)  compensatory spending. 
D)  mandated spending. 
E)  unfunded taxation. 
A)  progressive taxation. 
B)  regressive taxation. 
C)  compensatory spending. 
D)  mandated spending. 
E)  unfunded taxation.

Exam 27: Public Policy in Texas

Each of the following is a source of revenue for Texas except

The largest expense in the Texas budget is transportation costs.

Assess the welfare policies Texas has adopted. What effect did the federal welfare reform of the mid-1990s have on Texas? Have these reforms been successful, according to experts? Explain why or why not.

What is the greatest source of revenue for Texas?

As it pertains to Texas, what is the Robin Hood plan?

Describe the process by which Texas develops a budget. How does the Texas constitution constrain spending? What are the roles of the Legislative Budget Board and the state comptroller? Why is Texas often called a low-tax, low-service state?

Texas has one of the lowest rates of incarceration in the nation.

The policy on criminal offenders in Texas favors

Hispanics currently make up the majority of Texans living below the poverty line.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is best described as a(n)

The rate of graduation in Texas high schools falls in the top 50 percent in the country.

What limits does the Texas constitution place on welfare spending?

What was Texas's response to the federal government's order to desegregate schools in the 1950s?

What are the two most important agencies or offices responsible for preparing the Texas state budget?

During the 1980s, what controversial policy did the education committee SCOPE, headed by H. Ross Perot, recommend?

Which of the following is the best definition of a dedicated fund?

What was the effect on Texas prisons of the Supreme Court case Ruiz v. Estelle?

Which programs in Texas receive the largest amount of federal matching funds to supplement state tax dollars?

In the mid-1990s, growing discontent over welfare policy across the country encouraged many states, including Texas, to seek ______ so that they could experiment with welfare reform.

When people with lower incomes pay a lower tax rate than those with higher incomes, it is called

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