POLS 207 Final Exam Review

Know the executive positions in Texas.

* Governor
* Lieutenant governor
* Comptroller of public acccounts
* Land commissioner
* Attorney general, agriculture commissioner
* Texas railroad commission
* State board of education
* Secretary of Statevery

Know the different powers of the governor in Texas

Informal powers: stemming from personal strengths/characteristics

Formal powers: granted by constitution; power to appoint and remove officials from office.

* Very minimal powers
* No pocket veto

Know the different types of vetoes.

* Pocket veto: governor cannot do this, indirect veto of a legislative bill by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late to be dealt with. (10 days)
* “Regular” veto: legislature rejects a bill
* Line-Item veto: rejection of specific items within a bill
* Post adjournment veto: absolute, the legislature cannot override the veto, it is a veto that occurs after the legislature admires so the legislature cannot override it.

What is the role of governors in the budget process?

Create a draft of the states general appropriations v bill, which will provide state agencies and institutions with funding for the following two fiscal years. Must be confirmed by the electorate. He works at the edges of the process - he submits the budgets at the beginning and at the end has the opportunity to veto the budget

What are executive orders?

A rule of order issued by the president/governor to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.

Know the different executive positions across the states (lieutenant governor, attorney general, etc.)

Lieutenant governor is the strongest position but in other states attorney general is the most powerful. The Secretary of State is the chief elections officer.

Lieutenant governor:

* Perform duties comparable to those the VP of the US does for the president.
* Power comes from the legislature
* Strongest position in Texas state politics as presiding officer over the Senate.

Attorney General:

* Has more real power and responsibilities than lieutenant governor
* Strongest position in most other states
* Represent Texas in civi matters
* Power comes from opinion writing to send to the courts of the legislature who makes the law.

Treasurers, Auditors: decide how budget money is spent

Comptrollers: chief financial officer of the state, all help to control the public purse

Secretary of State:

* Chief custodians of state records in 35 gates, chief elections officer
* Keep records (marriage licenses, etc.)

Why is the post-adjournment veto so powerful?

It is absolute, the legislature cannot override it.

Know the budget process in Texas.

Legislature must write a 2-year budget and meets only once every 2 years; agencies are forced to project budgetary needs without clear knowledge.

What is the No Child Left Behind Act?

Supported standards-based education reform based on the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve education.

What is gross domestic product?

The total value of all of the goods and services produced in the United States in a year.

What are progressive taxes?

The more you make (the higher your income is), the more you are taxed

What are regressive taxes?

When your income goes up, you pay less of percentage of tax

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

* **Local property taxes:** largest source of revenue for local governments; usually regressive
* **State sales tax:** most important source of revenue for state governments, regressive 
* **Selective Sales (Excise) tax:** cigarette, alcohol, gas
* **State income tax:** may be progressive or flat
* **Corporate tax:** popular with voters but may cause businesses to relocate

Why do states look to keep their corporate taxes low?

It could run all of the businesses out of the state or local area

Which taxes are considered regressive?

The state and local taxes, largely attributed to the state and local government reliance on sale and property taxation; taxes that falls more heavily on the low income groups

What are excise taxes?

Taxes paid when purchasing a specific good (gas, tobacco, etc)

What is meant by tax burden?

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

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

Local government

How do most Americans feel about taxes?

They believe taxes are too high

What are the merit and spoils systems?

* **Merit system:** The process of promoting and hiring employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections
* **Spoils system:** bases hiring, selection, and hiring off of personal relationships and network building

What is outsourcing?

Obtain (good or service) from an outside or foreign supplier, especially in a place of internal source or taking something from the public sector and putting it to the private sector

Know the different types of bonds.

* **Revenue bond:** a bond backed by a specific revenue stream; issued by the government for specific projects and backed only by whatever revenue it generates 
* **General Obligation Bond:** a bond that can be paid through a variety of tax sources; holders are relying on the full faith and credit of the issue municipality: pledges the full taxing powers of the government to pay both the principal and interest due to bonds

How is academic performance measured?

Educational attainment (percentage of the population with diplomas, etc), the dropout rate, and standardized testing

What are magnet schools?

Schools emphasizing instruction in particular areas in an effort to improve quality and attract students

What are charter schools?

Schools operated with public funds by private community groups under a charter from public school districts

What are vouchers?

A government funding voucher redeemable for tuition fees at a school other than public school that a student could attend free

When can money be given to religious educational institutions?

The Supreme Court is willing to permit some forms of aid to parochial schoolchildren that indirectly aids religion, so long as it is not directly used for the teaching of religion

**THE LEMON LAW:**

* 3 criteria:
* money has to be for a secular (not religious) purpose (chairs, furniture, etc)
* the money cannot advance nor inhibit the religion
* the money has to avoid any excessive government entanglement)

How do states ensure local compliance with state educational policy?

Financial control through state allocation of funds to local school districts

What body typically controls education within a state?

State boards of education: control everything from teacher certification to textbook selection; mostly elected by governors, but voted on by the people in Texas

Where do most schools get their revenue from?

State and federal assistance, private funding, property taxes, and bonds that are issued to pay for special projects

What do school superintendents do?

Responsible for the management of public schools, set the agenda for school board decisions, makes policy recommendations, and implements board decisions

Why is zoning important?

Proper land uses

Who is responsibility for public welfare?

Federal government

What is the payroll tax?

Taxes imposed on employers or employees, usually calculated as a percentage of the salaries that employers pay the staff; a tax that an employer withhold from an employee's salary; how we pay for unemployment compensation

What has been the effect of Social Security?

It started after the Great Depression, it established the Social Security Trust, if you reach a certain age but can't work anymore, you get SS, not based on income, based on criteria

What changes occurred with the introduction of the TANF program?

Federal aid for state programs of cash assistance to poor families

What is Medicare?

It is a government-funded program for the elderly, it is an entitlement program, meaning you get it once you hit a certain age; funded 4x more than Medicaid

Which public assistance program do states spend the most on?

Medicaid