POLS 207 Jason Smith exam 3

A(n) _____ provides an executive the right to veto parts of a spending bill approved by a legislature without having to veto the entire bill

Line-item veto

The governor of Texas has

few formal powers, so the office is one of the weakest chief executives in the United States

Which of the following arguments best describes the level of control that the governor has over the budgetary process

Governors can only affect expenditures at the edges of the overall budget

A(n) _____ is the rejection by a president or governor of legislation passed by a legislature

Veto

In nearly all states, excluding Texas, the _____ has responsibility for preparing a budget

governor

What is the role of a state’s attorney general

represents the state before the courts

What is the ultimate check on the governor

impeachment

Why did the Texas constitution establish a plural executive?

There was suspicion of a strong chief executive

In Texas, the governor’s State of the State address is an example of the power

message

Arguably, the most powerful position in Texas state politics is

lieutenant governor

Heavier tax burdens upon the wealthy are usually defended on the principle of

ability to pay

The most costly function provided by local governments is

education

Income tax rates that decrease with increases in income are known as

regressive

Tax burden refers to

the proportion of taxes paid in relation to personal income

State and local governments get most of their money from

taxes

The ____ tax is a major revenue source for local governments

property

The costliest public assistance program int he states is

Medicaid

Which of the following is true of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

It strengthened work requirements for recipients and limited the time that families can receive benefits

The factor that distinguishes Medicare from Medicaid is that

Medicare is a federal health care program specifically for people over the age of 65

Money provided by the American government to parents for payment of their children’s tuition in a public or private school of their choice is known as a

voucher

colonial time governors

• appointed by British crown/colonial proprietors

• served as executive authority

• presided over colonial legislatures and often holding veto power over legislative acts

governors during the American Revolution

• weakened powers out of fear of control

  • limited appointment and legislative oversight powers

  • short terms

governors in the 19th century

• states directly elected governors

  • made them more accountable and reliable

    • led to a gradual increase in power

      • extending gubernatorial terms

      • expanding appointment powers

      • granted veto authority

Governors after Civil War

• governments often empowered governors to enforce new policies and reforms and federal mandates

20th century governors

• saw improved federal-state relations

• governments worked with states to fund relief programs

governor roles

• chief administrator

• crisis manager

  • manages state responses to natural disasters, public health crises, other emergencies

• chief legislator

  • initiate major statewide legislative programs

• ceremonial head of state/ head of government

  • signing bills, welcoming delegates

Governor as Chief Administrator

• CEO’s

  • implement state laws

  • ensures that state agencies operate effectively and efficiently

  • manage executive branch

  • key figures in policymaking

Governors as Chief Legislators

• works with state legislatures to enact policy agendas

• not members of the legislature, but have enormous influence over it

• State of the State addresses outlining legislative goals and budget expectations

• can veto legislation

  • crucial check in the legislative process

Richard E. Neustadt

• American political scientist specializing in presidential power

• “the essence of executive power lies in the ability to bargain and persuade”

Formal powers of the governor

• powers explicitly granted by constitution

  • appointment power

  • veto power

  • message power

  • special session power

  • budgetary power

  • judicial powe

Appointment power

• enable the governor to shape the administration of state policies by appointing key officials who manage different departments

  • head of departments

  • judges

  • advisory boards

  • can lead to accusations of political patronage

Veto power

• allows them to influence legislation and act as a check on them

Regular veto

• governor rejects the entire bill

post-adjournment veto

• governor vetoes a bill after the regular legislative session ends

line-item veto

• governor rejects specific provisions within a larger appropriations bill without rejecting the whole bill

amendatory veto

• legislature allows governors to return a bill to the legislature with specific suggestions for amendments

reduction veto

• reduce the amount of a particular line item in an appropriations bill

Message power

• formal addresses, written communications, strategic use of media that influence legislative process and shape public policy

  • Example: State of the State address, budget message

Special session power

• power to call to address urgent issues needing immediate legislative action between regular sessions

• legislators may resist

Budgetary power

• responsible for preparing and presenting state budget and executing it

  • influence state fiscal policy, allocation of resources, and public spending

judicial powers

• governors appoint judges on state supreme court, appellate courts, and lower courts

• influences ideological and philosophical direction of judiciary

• Governors possess clemency powers

  • include ability to grant pardons, commutations, reprieves, and reprieves of sentences

Informal powers

• powers based on personality/position

  • derived from governor’s personality, political skills, relationships, ability to persuade and mobilize public opinion

Gubernatorial Election

• determine executive leadership of each state

• every 4 years during midterm elections

• primary elections determine party nominees for the elections

• campaigns are expensive

Why do incumbent governors have an advantage

already well-known

Impeachment

• indictment of a governmental official by legislative branch

• can remove governor from office for misconduct

Other executive positions

• Lieutenant Governor

• Attorney General

• Solicitor General

• State Treasurer

• State Auditor

• Comptroller

• Secretary of State

• Railroad Commission

• Agriculture Commissioner

• Land Commissioner

Lieutenant Governor

• second highest executive official (VP of governor)

  • immediate successor to governor

• In Texas, one of the most powerful figures in state government

  • significant control over legislative process and state budget

• in other states, role is more ceremonial

Attorney General

• chief legal officer of the state (most powerful in other states)

• represents state in civil and constitutional matters

• real power comes in written opinion

• can flag accounts of people who owe $$$ to state

Solicitor General

• “state’s attorney” in criminal cases

State Treasurer

• CFO for the state

• manages state’s money and oversees financial operations

• collects taxes

State Auditor

• makes sure money spent is in accordance with legal budget

Comptroller

• disperses money according to legal budget

• In Texas, now collects as well after abolishment of treasurer position

Secretary of State

• only governor appointed position in the upper level

• chief elections officer

• chief custodian of records in 35 states including Texas

Railroad Commission

• controls oil and gas

Agriculture Commissioner

• oversees agricultural industry

• ensures food safety and farmer financial support

• oversight of organic certification programs, food labelling, and regulation of pesticides

Land Commissioner

• oldest title position

• administration of state-owned lands and natural resources

• ensures conservation and proper use

• maintains state parks, wildlife reserves

how tax payers pay for government

• income taxes, sales taxes, corporate taxes, and property taxes

progressive taxes

• burden increases as income increases

regressive taxes

• burden decreases as income increases

• sales and property tax

proportional taxes

• everyone pays same % of their income in taxes

  • flat taxes

  • in practice inherently regressive

Income Taxes

• calculated based on income received

• vary across states

• Texas doesn’t have it

  • attracts individuals and businesses

Sales Tax

• Most important tax revenue for state governments

• rates vary from state to state depending on need

• states without income tax rely more on it

• regressive nature

• used to fund municipal services such as public safety, road maintenance, and parks and rec

Excise Tax

• imposed on particular goods, services, or activities

• used to discourage and change certain behaviors

• SIN taxes

• alcohol, cigarettes, gas, gambling

• generates least amount of revenue

Property Taxes

• primary and largest source of revenue for local governments

• crucial for funding public education, first responders, and infrastructure

• levied on real estate

Ad Valorem

according to value of property

Corporate Taxes

• significant revenue to fund various state programs and services

• levied on net income of corporations operating within the state

• involves determining a corporation’s taxable income based on financial statements and state-specific adjustments

Other Taxes

• severance taxes

• hotel occupancy taxes

• utility taxes

severance taxes

• levied on extraction of natural resources such as oil, natural gas, coal, and minerals

• compensate the state for the depletion of its natural resources and environmental impact

• revenue higher in resource-rich states

• allocated to public-services, infrastructure projects, and sometimes to special state funds

hotel occupancy taxes

• levied on rental of hotel rooms/other short-term accommodations

• local governments use this revenue to fund tourism-related projects and services

utility taxes

• levied on the consumption of public utilities

• included in utility bills

• revenue funds municipal services like public safety, infrastructure maintenance, and general administrative functions

User Charges

• fastest-growing revenue source for local governments

• form of direct payment for utilization of public services

  • water and sewer, waste collection, public transportation

Intergovernmental (Federal) Grants

• single largest individual revenue source for every single state

• categorical and block grants

categorical grants

• most specific

  • funding narrowly defined purposes

  • strict guidelines

block grants

• more flexibility to state and local governments

• assigned to broad functional areas, but recipients have more discretion on the allocation of funds

types of bonds

• general obligation bond

• revenue bond

general obligation bond

• backed by the full faith and credit of the issuing government, ensuring that the municipality is responsible for repaying the borrowed amount.

• used to fund projects that benefit the entire community relatively

• low risk —> low interest rates

revenue bond

• secured by specific revenue sources rather than general taxation

• issued to finance income-generating projects

• lenders repaid from the revenue generated from these projects

Texas budgeting process

• dual budgeting system

  • requires executive and legislative to prep and submit proposed budgets to the legislature

  • from preparation to implementation, process takes 4 years

  • involves multiple-stage process involving multiple state agencies, offices, actions, possibly public input

budget preparation phase

• state agencies develop budget requests

• Governor’s Office of Budget and Planning and Legislative Budget Board develop strategic vision

preceding legislative session

• LBB sends out detailed Legislative Appropriations Request instructions

  • agencies use this to develop their budget requests and assess financial requirements based on past expenditures, current needs, anticipated changes

• LBB and GOBP hold hearings to gather information from agencies regarding their budget proposals

• final LARs submitted

Drafting stage

• after submission, LARs form bases of draft budget

• LBB and GOBP each draft budget proposal

• public hearings are held where citizens can provide input

Legislative Budget Estimates

• LBB produces this comparing recommended amount to requested

• includes info in proposed appropriation bill

Regular legislative session

• appropriations bill filed in both houses simultaneously

• Comptroller for Public Accounts issues Biennial Revenue Estimate

• appropriations cannot exceed BRE

• House Committee on Appropriations and Senate Finance Committee debate and will pass different versions of the bill

• conference committee reconciles differences and sends a final bill to both houses for a vote on final passage

• if both houses pass, sent to Comptroller for public Accounts for certification

• then sent to governor for veto or signature and implemented as law over the next two years

bond elections

elections where people vote to approve that a local government can raise revenue by borrowing money (bonds)

means-tested programs

provide financial assistance based on individual or family income levels, ensuring that those in the most need receive support

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act

• 1996

• reduced dependency on gov. assistance by promoting personal responsibility amongst welfare recipients

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families(TANF):

• replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children

• can only be at 2 years at at time with a lifetime limit of 5 years

Medicaid

low cost health insurance for poor

medicare

low cost health insurance for 65+

Medicare Part A

• impatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care, some home health care

• only premium-free part

Medicare Part B

covers outpatient care, doctor visits, preventive services and home health care

Medicare Part C:

• Medicare Advantage

• alternative to Part A and B

• offered by private insurance companies approved by Medicare

• includes additional benefits such as vision, hearing, dental, and wellness programs

Medicare Part D:

covers cost of prescription drugs

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

provides health coverage to eligible children in families with incomes that are too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private coverage

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

provides food-purchase assistance for low- and no income individuals and families, aiming to alleviate hunger and improve nutrition.

entitlement programs

• provide benefits regardless of economic need

• guarantee benefits to all eligible participants as defined by law

Social Security

• A government program that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to eligible individuals

Education

• one of 2 big categories of spending

• one of the best ways to fight economic problems

educational performance measurement

• educational attainment

• dropout rate

• standardized testing

James Coleman

• sociologist

• “money spent on education unrelated to student achievement”