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POLS 207 > Exam 3 Review Sheet > Flashcards

Exam 3 Review Sheet Flashcards

1
Q

Lieutenant Governor

A

Performs duties comparable to those the vice president of the U.S. does for the president; In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the governor, standing in for that officer when they are absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated. In the event a governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor typically becomes governor; President of the Texas senate

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2
Q

Attorney General

A

Has more real powers and responsibilities than the lieutenant governor. He defends the laws and constitution of Texas, represents the state in litigation, and approves public bond issues

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3
Q

Comptroller of Public Accounts

A

As the state’s cashier, the Comptroller’s office receives, disburses, counts, safeguards, records, allocates, manages and reports on the state’s cash. In addition, the Texas Comptroller chairs the state’s Treasury Safekeeping Trust, which invests, manages and oversees more than $50 billion in assets; treasurers, auditors, and comptrollers

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4
Q

Secretary of State

A

chief elections officer, the protocol officer for state and international matters, and the liaison for the governor on Mexican and border matters; interprets elections laws and issues guidelines for local officials

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5
Q

Land Commissioner

A

responsible for managing lands and mineral rights properties that are owned by the state

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6
Q

Agriculture Commissioner

A

responsible for matters pertaining to agriculture, rural community affairs, and related matters

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7
Q

-Texas Railroad Commission (3 members)

A

agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and surface coal and uranium mining. Despite its name, it no longer regulates railroads

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8
Q

State Board of Education

A

Devises policies and sets academic standards for Texas public schools, as well as overseeing the state Permanent School Fund and selecting textbooks to be used in Texas schools

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9
Q

What are the different powers of the Texas governor

A
  • the constitutional position of governors relative to others
  • their powers to fill vacant positions via appointment and removal over state officials
  • their ability or inability to succeed themselves
  • their powers over the state budget
  • signing or vetoing bills passed by the Legislature
  • their position in their own party and its position in state politics
  • authority to appoint judges to appeals courts
  • grant reprieves and pardons
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10
Q

Post-Adjournment Veto

A

Governor can veto a bill after a session has been adjourned and legislature can’t do anything about it

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11
Q

Pocket Veto

A

A type of veto occurring when congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president and the president simply lets the bill die

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12
Q

Line-item veto

A

Can reject particular items in a bill

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13
Q

Legislative veto

A

Vote in congress to override a presidential decision

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14
Q

What is the role of governors in the budget process?

A

They write and propose a budget, then veto or sign it when passed as a law by the legislature

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15
Q

What are executive orders?

A

A rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law; Executive orders do not require any action by the Congress or state legislature to take effect, and the legislature cannot overturn it.

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16
Q

Why is the post-adjournment veto so powerful?

A

Governor can veto a bill after a session has been adjourned and legislature can’t do anything about it

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17
Q

What is the budget process in Texas?

A

Texas’ budget covers a two-year period, or biennium, that begins September 1 after each regular legislative session; Four steps: Planning and proposal, Legislative action, Review and approval by comptroller and governor, and Implementation and monitoring

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18
Q

What is No Child Left Behind Act?

A

states are required to test students in reading and math in grades 3-8 and once in high school;
Testing
*Federal Funding is tied to test scores
*Failing Schools get less money
*Teachers end up teaching for the tests and nothing else

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19
Q

What is gross domestic product?

A

The total value of all the goods and services produced in the United States in a year; a measure of the size of the US economy

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20
Q

What are progressive taxes?

A

-Higher income, higher percent of taxes
-Low income, lower percent of taxes

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21
Q

What are regressive taxes?

A

-Higher income, less tax percentage
-Less income, higher tax burden
-Flat rate taxes are considered regressive

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22
Q

What are the different sources of tax revenue for both state and local governments?

A

-Sales tax
-Property tax
-Income tax

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23
Q

Why do states look to keep their corporate taxes low?

A

States look to keep their corporate taxes low in order to help attract new businesses. With new businesses come many new jobs, as well as an influx of money.

24
Q

Which taxes are considered regressive?

A

sales taxes, payroll taxes, excise taxes, and property taxes

25
Q

What are excise taxes?

A

a tax is imposed on the sale of specific goods or services, or on certain uses; implemented to govern behavior; Examples of federal specific excise taxes include those imposed on cigarettes, beer and gasoline.

26
Q

What is meant by tax burden?

A

Taxes as a percent of a person’s income; the larger the proportion of the income paid in taxes, the larger the tax burden

27
Q

Which level of government is affected the most by limitations on taxation?

A

Local

28
Q

How do most Americans feel about taxes?

A

They are too high

29
Q

What are the merit and spoils systems?

A

-Merit: getting a job based on your ability to do the job
-Spoils system: not about what you know but who you know

30
Q

What is outsourcing?

A

Hiring people from a different company instead of people within

31
Q

General Obligations Bond

A

a common type of municipal bond in the United States that is secured by a state or local government’s pledge to use legally available resources, including tax revenues, to repay bond holders); more secure so lenders are willing to accept lower interest rates; municipal bonds which provide a way for state and local governments to raise money for projects that may not generate a revenue stream directly;exampls is construction of public schools

32
Q

Revenue Bonds

A

atype of municipal bond issue by governments for specific projects and back only by whatever revenues the projects generate; lenders face greater risks and require higher interest payments; examples are toll roads, highways, and local stadiums

33
Q

How is the academic performance measured?

A

-Educational Attainment
-Standardized Testing
-Dropout rates

34
Q

What are magnet schools?

A

Public school offering special instruction and programs not available elsewhere designed to attract a more diverse student body from throughout a school district

35
Q

What are charter schools?

A

-Schools operated with public funds by private community groups under a charter from public school districts or other granting agency
*Could be church based, a private investment firm, etc.
*Gives an alternative to the normal K-12 decision

36
Q

What are vouchers?

A

A government-funded voucher redeemable for tuition fees at a school other than the public school that a student could attend free; States offer school voucher programs as a way to give parents choices in what school their child attends. Parents receive funds to use toward the cost of private school. (Not all states allow vouchers to be used at schools affiliated with a religion, however.)

37
Q

When can money be given to a religious educational institute?

A

-If it passes the Lemon Test:
*Must have a secular purpose
*Must never advance or inhibit religion
*Must not entangle government with religion

38
Q

How do states ensure local compliance with state educational policy?

A

-Bureaucratic oversight
-Involvement of state boards of education, state commissioners, and state
-Financial control through state allocation of funds to local school districts

39
Q

What body typically controls education within a state?

A

State Boards of Education

40
Q

Where do most schools get their revenue from?

A

Local property taxes as well as grants from the state and federal government

41
Q

What do superintendents do?

A

They run the day to day operations of the schools

42
Q

Why is zoning important?

A

Inequalities among school districts - funding usually linked to property taxes, which vary widely

43
Q

Who is responsible for public welfare?

A

Federal government

44
Q

Payroll tax

A

a tax paid on the wages and salaries of employees to finance social insurance programs like Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance.

45
Q

What has been the effect of Social Security?

A

It has removed people in whole or in part from welfare dependency, thus reducing overall welfare problems

46
Q

What changes occurred with the introduction of the TANF program?

A

-Federal government still paid for it but power back to the states and allowed them to set criteria
-Replaced the AFDC federal entitlement program

47
Q

What is Medicare?

A

Provides prepaid hospital insurance for the aged and low-cost voluntary medical insurance for the aged under federal administration

48
Q

Which public assistance program do states spend the most on?

A

Medicaid

49
Q

Roles of the Governor

A
  • Chief Administrator: coordinates state bureaucracy, supervises major state programs, oversees preparation of state budget, resolves conflicts within the administration, is responsible for the financial structure of the state
  • Chief Legislator: initiates major statewide legislative programs, serves as the “initiator” of public policy decisions by sending bills to the legislature, Maintains relationships with legislators as well as lobbyists, can use message power and the veto, can also call special sessions of the legislature
  • Ceremonial Head of State
  • Crisis Manager
50
Q

Impeachment

A

a political process, not a legal one; Impeachment typically initiated in lower house, tried in upper house, requires two-thirds vote to convict

51
Q

What type of budgetary process does Texas have?

A

In theory, Texas has “dual-budget” system; budget is primarily the responsibility of the legislature; budgetary process involves two stages:
* Development of a draft budget by the Legislative Budget Board
* The legislative process, by which appropriations bills make their way through
the committee process

52
Q

Official Poverty Rate

A

The percentage of the population whose annual cash income falls below that which is required, according to the federal government, to maintain
a decent standard of living

53
Q

Episodic Poverty

A

Poverty conditions that are temporary; hard times occurring for a brief time

54
Q

Chronic Poverty

A

Permanent, persistent poverty conditions.

55
Q

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

A

Federal aid for state
programs of cash assistance to poor families. It replaced the AFDC federal entitlement program

POLS 207 (2 decks)

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