GOVT 2306 Exam 4 Flashcards (ACC, Rios)

Interest group

A group seeking to influence public policy based on a common interest.

Business interest group

An interest group that represents businesses or industries in the policy process.

Professional association

An interest group made up of individuals in the same profession, such as nurses, engineers, or lawyers.

Labor group

An interest group that represents workers and advocates for wages, benefits, and workplace protections.

Racial and ethnic interest group

An interest group that advocates for people based on racial, ethnic, or minority status.

Public interest group

An interest group that claims to represent the general public or a broad public cause.

Lobbying

Attempting to gain access to public officials and inform or persuade them about policy issues.

Direct lobbying

Direct contact between lobbyists and government officials.

Grassroots lobbying

Mass mobilization of ordinary people to pressure public officials.

Electioneering

Interest group activity involving campaign contributions or election support.

Litigation

Using the legal system to create, block, or change public policy.

Amicus curiae brief

A “friend of the court” brief filed by outside groups to influence a court case.

PAC

Political Action Committee; an organization that raises and spends money to influence elections.

Texas Ethics Commission

The state agency that handles lobbyist registration and investigates ethics issues.

Free rider problem

The problem that people may benefit from an interest group’s work without joining or contributing.

Material benefit

A practical benefit from joining a group, such as discounts, information, wages, or services.

Solidary benefit

A social benefit from joining a group, such as friendship, connection, or belonging.

Purposive benefit

The satisfaction of supporting a cause or purpose.

Agenda setting

The process of deciding which issues government should address.

Agenda building

The process by which groups help push issues onto the public or governmental agenda.

Program monitoring

Interest groups watching how government programs are implemented.

Representation

Interest groups speaking for members or causes in the political system.

Captured agency

A regulatory agency that becomes too closely tied to the industry it is supposed to regulate.

Revolving door

Movement of people between government jobs and private lobbying or industry jobs.

Iron triangle

A close relationship among interest groups, bureaucratic agencies, and legislative committees.

Texas lobbying influence

Texas is known for heavy spending on lobbying and strong interest group activity.

Texas top interest groups

Examples from the slides include Texans for Lawsuit Reform and Texas Realtors.

Lobbying ethics

Concerns about gifts, campaign money, access, and whether lobbyists have too much influence.

Public policy

Government action or inaction used to address public problems.

Policy process

The steps of agenda setting, policy making, implementation, and evaluation.

Policy outcome

The real-world result of policy, including how resources are distributed or redistributed.

Incrementalism

A policy approach where government usually makes small changes instead of dramatic reforms.

Policy making

The stage where officials create and approve laws, rules, or programs.

Policy implementation

The stage where agencies put public policy into action.

Policy evaluation

The stage where officials judge whether a policy worked.

Political actors

Powerful individuals or groups who influence public policy.

James Leininger

Example of a wealthy political actor discussed in the public policy slides.

Bob Perry

Political donor mentioned in the slides as giving heavily, mostly to Republicans.

Charles Wilson

Political actor mentioned in the public policy slides.

Education policy

Government policy dealing with public schools, higher education, funding, and school rules.

Texas Education Agency

The state agency involved in overseeing Texas public education.

School board

A local governing body with authority over many school district policies.

Public school funding

Funding for public education comes from state, local, and sometimes federal sources.

Higher education funding

College funding usually comes from tuition, legislative appropriations, federal government, and private sources.

Community colleges

Nearly half of Texans in higher education attend community colleges.

Hopwood v. Texas

A 1996 case connected to affirmative action and higher education admissions in Texas.

Top 10 Percent Rule

Texas policy granting automatic admission to certain public universities for top high school students.

Human services policy

Public policy dealing with welfare, social services, and support programs.

Benefit program

A program where people who meet eligibility standards may receive benefits.

Texas welfare limit

Texas welfare recipients may collect for about 1 to 3 years, according to the slides.

Federal welfare limit

The federal government placed a 5-year lifetime limit on welfare benefits.

Health care policy

Public policy dealing with insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, public health, and access to care.

Medicaid

A jointly funded health program that pays medical bills for qualifying low-income people.

CHIP

A health insurance program for children whose families earn too much for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance.

Medicaid expansion

Affordable Care Act policy expanding Medicaid to low-income adults; Texas did not accept the expansion.

Medicare

A federal health program for adults 65 or older and some younger people with disabilities.

Great Society

President Lyndon Johnson’s domestic reform program, which included Medicare.

Transportation policy

Public policy dealing with roads, traffic, highways, public transit, and freight movement.

Trans-Texas Corridor

A proposed statewide transportation network for passengers and freight.

Local roads

Counties and cities are responsible for many local roads and streets.

State and federal highways

The state builds and maintains state and federal highways using state and federal funds.

Foster care system

Texas policy area where courts found serious constitutional problems in 2015.

Criminal justice system

The system of police, courts, and corrections used to respond to crime.

Crime

A violation of criminal law without legal justification or excuse.

Police

The part of criminal justice responsible for law enforcement and public safety.

Courts

The part of criminal justice responsible for trials, legal procedure, and sentencing.

Corrections

The part of criminal justice responsible for punishment, prisons, probation, and parole.

Felony

A serious criminal offense punishable by prison, a fine, or both.

Capital felony

The most serious felony category, punishable by death or life imprisonment.

Misdemeanor

A less serious criminal offense usually punishable by a small fine or short jail sentence.

Probation

A punishment where the offender remains in society under rules and supervision.

Parole

Supervised release from prison before the full sentence is completed.

Three strikes provision

Texas rule where a person convicted of three felonies may receive a life sentence.

Arraignment

The criminal justice stage where charges are formally presented and bail may be addressed.

Bail

Money or conditions used to release a defendant before trial while encouraging court appearance.

Indictment

A formal accusation that a person committed a serious crime.

Pretrial

The stage before trial where legal motions, evidence issues, and plea discussions may occur.

Trial

The formal court process where guilt or innocence is determined.

County attorney

In Texas, usually prosecutes misdemeanor cases.

District attorney

A public official who prosecutes more serious criminal cases.

Plea bargain

Agreement where a defendant pleads guilty in return for a reduced charge or sentence.

Public defender

A salaried lawyer funded by government to represent defendants who cannot afford counsel.

Assigned counsel

A private lawyer appointed by the court to represent a defendant, paid by the county.

Ruiz v. Estelle

A 1980 case challenging unconstitutional conditions in the Texas prison system.

Prison overcrowding

A major corrections issue involving too many prisoners for prison capacity.

Texas prison problems

Problems include crowding, security, supervision, health care, discipline, and access to courts.

Texas incarceration

Texas is known for high incarceration rates and harsh punishments.

Death penalty

Texas policy allowing execution for certain capital crimes.

Exoneration

The clearing of a person who was wrongly convicted.

Michael Morton Case

A Texas wrongful conviction case that helped lead to discovery reform.

Morton Act

A 2013 Texas law requiring prosecutors to give defense lawyers relevant evidence.

Vienna Convention issue

Foreign nationals are supposed to be allowed to contact their consulate after arrest.

Security vs. liberty

The criminal justice system must balance public safety with protection from government abuse.

Finance policy

Government decisions about collecting and spending money.

Economic policy

Policy affecting economic activity through regulation, subsidies, taxing, and spending.

Social policy

Policy affecting citizens’ well-being, including health, welfare, and education.

Balanced budget

A budget where Texas cannot spend more than it collects or receives.

Budgeting

The process of deciding how much money government will collect and how much it will spend.

General revenue fund

The state’s primary fund for non-dedicated revenue.

General revenue-dedicated fund

Money set aside for specific purposes.