pols207 final: chapter 8/9

governor as a chief administrator

coordinate state bureaucracy, supervise major state programs, oversee preparation of state budget, resolve conflict within administration, responsible for financial structure of the state, crisis manager. issue executive orders!

governor as a 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 and veto power, can call special sessions

governor as the ceremonial head of state

creates agenda, highlights issues, ceremonial proceedings

gubernatorial politics

competition is stronger in both primary and general elections. in a one party state, winning the primary can be harder. races are mostly candidate centered, setting the agenda is key to victory. in reelection, candidates are successful. no term limit in texas, the voters are the term limit. need lots of money, especially in texas because it is so big, to travel to constituents

institutional powers of the governor

power of appointment, ability/inability to succeed themselves, power over the state budget, veto powers

governor power over the budget

in most states, it is the governor who prepares and presents the budget. in all states, it is the governor who submits the budget. in tx: governor submits the budget, but there is a dual-budgeting system where legislative also submits the budget. this causes the governor's budget to essentially be pigeonholed

governor veto power

post adjournment veto very powerful. reduction veto/power of governor to move money around or cut funding, not in tx. line-item veto: can remove line by line or item by item in bills. budget resolution

vote for impeachment

simple majority of house

vote for conviction in impeachment trial

supermajority of the senate

lieutenant governor

most powerful position in texas. performs duties comparable to the USVP. oversees the state senate

attorney general

responsible for representing the state in legal matters and providing legal advice to state govt. in most other states has more real powers and responsibilities than lieutenant governor and in some states more than the governor himself. if a bill's constitutionality is in question it is sent to AG's office

treasurer, auditor, comptroller

help control the public purse. in texas, voters abolished the treasurer and folded the responsibilities in with the comptroller

treasurer

manage money and oversee financial operations. administer funds, invest money, issue bonds.

comptroller

collect tax, manage state funds, ensuring transactions are conducted according to laws/regulations

auditor

makes sure the money is spent in accordance with the law

secretary of state

chief custodians of state records in 35 states and chief elections officer. in the absence of legislature or judge, if there is a problem with the ballot they handle it. only appointed higher executive position in texas, all others elected by the people: appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate

land commissioner

by title it is the oldest position in the state, handles texas land which is very important since texas still controls its own public lands. manage and oversee public lands and natural resources, lease our lands, manage land for recreation and education. influence in land disputes, protection, and planning

commissioner of agriculture

responsible for all weights and measures across the state. protects consumers. makes sure farmers and ranchers get fair market prices for their goods/harvests. promote agriculture, ensure food safety, protect resources

railroad commission

when it was first created it regulated railroads, but not anymore. its job now is to regulate the production of oil and natural gas in the state. one agency in texas most susceptible to agency capture; people within the industry that the agency is supposed to regulate, run the agency so their decisions are made thinking of their personal benefits.

ultimate check against a governor

impeachment

ultimate governor check to legislature

veto

appointment power

can appoint officials to implement state laws and manage public resources, appoint judges, and appoint members to various regulatory and advisory boards. significant political leverage to ensure their policy priorities

veto power

regular: governor rejects entire bill passed by legislature, but leg can override.

post-adjournment veto: governor vetoes bill after leg session ends so leg cannot override.

line-item veto: governor rejects specific provision or items within a bill without vetoing the entire bill

amendatory veto: governors return bill to legislature with specific suggestions for amendments

reduction veto: ability to reduce amount of a particular line item in appropriations bill

veto power can be subjected to judicial review

message power

formal address, written communication, strategic use of media, state of state address, press conference, public statement

judicial powers of governor

appointment power, clemency power

informal powers

derived from negotiation skills, personal relationships, media/public appearances, effective communication skills

impeachment

indictment of a governmental official by the legislative branch. It is part of a formal process by which a sitting state governor can be removed from office for misconduct.

a __ 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 __ is a rejection by a president or governor of legislation passed by a legislature

veto

in nearly all states, excluding texas, the __ has the 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

tax burden

the taxes taken out of a person's income as a percent

progressive tax structure

if income goes up, the tax % (tax burden) also goes up. "punish people for making money." ideology: reduce income inequality

regressive tax structure

the more money made = tax % decreases. "punish low income individuals."

proportional tax structure

everyone pays the same tax % from their income, a flat tax. since we do it in %s, it is considered "fair," but these are inherently regressive in nature: flat taxes do not account for the differing abilities of individuals to pay or how low income earners spend a greater amount of their income than higher income earners.

ad valorem tax

type of tax assessed on the value of real estate

texas tax structure

no income tax, regressive taxation

local property taxes

largest source of income for local govt, typically regressive. ad valorem (according to value of property). state govts oversee this. stable, reliable revenue source because they are less volatile

state sales tax

most important source of TAX revenue for state govts. (most important revenue source is fed govt). generally includes some groceries and some services: retailers must collect the tax and remit to authorities

excise tax

on cigs, alc, gas, etc. meant to curb certain behaviors. lottery and gambling behavior: administrative costs take 50%

state income taxes

imposed by all but 7 states (one of which is texas). may be progressive (usually) or flat and has various exemptions.

corporate taxes

determines a corporation's taxable income based on its financial statements and state-specific adjustments. tax credits to encourage certain behaviors. in 44 states (including texas). usually corporations end up pushing extra costs onto the people/customers. popular with voters but may encourage businesses to relocate.

tax avoidance

Corporations often engage in tax planning strategies to minimize their tax liabilities, sometimes exploiting differences in state tax laws to shift income to lower-tax jurisdictions

severance taxes

on the extraction of natural resources, to compensate for the depletion and impact on environment

hotel occupancy tax

levied on rental of rooms, funds tourism-related projects

utility tax

levied on the consumption of public utilities such as electricity, natural gas, water, and telecommunications services. fund municipal services

user charges

fastest growing source of state and local revenue. fees for water/sewer services, waste, public transport, recreational areas. charge amount aligns with the benefit received

tax limitations

when states put tax limitations on local govts. buying local keeps taxes from being used outside of the state and helps with infrastructure

restrictions to state and local debt

every state must have a balanced budget, which restricts what govts can do. a state govt must ask the people through a referendum vote if it can go into debt

general obligation bond

payed out of the general obligation fund of a state govt. the people have said the state can borrow this much money in the bond, and they must repay it through the general revenue (sales, property, severance tax, etc.). relatively low risk, so low interest rates

revenue bonds

the revenue generated from the project is what is used to pay back the bond. riskier than general obligation bc project must succeed, so higher interest rates

legislative session and the budget

only meets once every two years, so must make a budget that will last that long. issue: it is hard to see two years into the economic future. agencies are forced to project budgetary needs without clear knowledge of problems ahead.

article 3, section 49a

pay-as-you-go limit, the state must maintain a balanced budget

comptroller role in the budget

all bills that get as far as appropriations must be sent to the comptroller, putting them at the heart of the budgetary process and practically as powerful as the governor. the governor and comptroller send agencies their instructions/budgets

governor's power in the budget

a budget is a proposed bill (fed govt is ONE bill), so the governor has the line-item veto. much more power on the back side through this because can take certain things out of the budget line by line.

texas' dual budget system

both governor and legislative submit a budget. the governor's office of budget, planning, and policy and the legislative budget board share responsibilities.

two stages of the budgetary process

preparation and drafting stage

preparation phase

GOBP/LBB develop a vision, LBB sends out legislative appropriations request instructions and agencies develop their budget requests. LBB and GOBP have hearings regarding these. after LAR submission, the appropriations bill (draft budget) is prepared by LBB. GOBP also prepares one but is essentially pigeonholed at the legislature.

drafting phase

legislative process where appropriations bill is fled in both houses and each work simultaneously/independently. the comptroller issues the BRE (biennial revenue estimate) and the legislature is prohibited from appropriating more revenue than to be collected. house committee on appropriations and senate finance committee hold hearings, and each house passes different versions of the budget. then a conference committee is held to amend differences and a final vote passes it. after passing, it is sent to the comptroller to certify there will be sufficient revenue for these appropriations. then it is sent to the governor for approval/line item vetoes.

sunset review

every 12 years, programs/boards/commissions are reviewed to see if they should be kept, reorganized, or abolished.

authorization bill

puts a cap on spending for various projects and provides a budget baseline.

two biggest categories of spending in each state

education (40%), social services (40%)

means-tested programs

assessed based on need, if you fall below a certain threshold you can qualify for these various programs.

entitlement programs

provide benefits regardless of economic need.

official poverty rate

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

social security

largest program for the federal government, an entitlement program. could go bankrupt soon because more old people than young people paying in --> implies need to raise taxes to keep it afloat. people pay into the system through their payroll tax. benefits can be paid to the surviving family of a deceased worker. the amount varies based on the worker's earnings. critical source of income to many

payroll tax

funds unemployment compensation, a chunk set aside out of your paycheck for those who have been unemployed by no fault of their own

SNAP

nutritional assistance to low income families. lone star program: get a card that is similar to a debit card to buy certain eligible items with. means-tested, income-based, formula-based: making less money or more people in a family = higher allowance. payed through tax dollars since the fed govt funds it.

farm bill

subsidies for farmers, often paired with SNAP at fed leg level

TANF

replaced the AFDC, because it was actually profitable to be on these programs, want to decrease dependency. devolution of responsibility for cash assistance programs to the states through block grants. reform: limit amount of time to be on it (no more than 2 consecutive years and no more than 5 years total), and places work requirements

community public health and hospitals

tax funded, where you go without health insurance. rotating/pro bono/volunteer doctors, so not as personalized care. part of the public domain

medicare

entitlement program for those over 65 which provides low cost medical assistance to elderly. options to use private insurance benefits through medicare

medicaid

low cost medical assistance for the poor, means-tested. joint federal and state program: single costliest program for the states. if both elderly and poor (qualify for medicare/aid), you get medicaid bc its cheaper for govt. TX spends more money on this programs than on education. its expansion was struck down by the supreme court bc it was an unfunded mandate.

schip

state child health insurance program, low cost medical assistance to children and prenatal mothers. means-tested. constitutional restrictions only allow a certain amount to be spent on it which has gone down each year

goals in educational policy

educate citizens, advance social goals (socialize you in civic virtue/political culture), strengthen economy (both skilled and unskilled)

educational performance measurement

what % of population has been educated and to what degree. tx's business-friendly environment attracts more post-bachelor/2ndary degrees. also used standardized testing

dropout rate in education

14% in texas, used to be 21%. BUT they don't count you as a drop out if you say you'll get your GED, but they actually never check

educational reform

sociologists imply that home life matters in driving education. charter schools: operated with public funds by private groups under a charter from the public school districts to the granting agency. school vouchers/school choice big in texas, giving people money to get them out of failing schools

problem with schools and paying for them

schools are not funded much, people moving out of the "inner city" to the suburbs → their money goes with them. property values drop, property taxes drop, schools have less money. when the student goes, so too does the money

intergovernmental grants

single largest revenue source for every state. categorical: specific, stringent fed guidelines/requirements. block grants: flexible, for broad functional areas so that state can choose how to allocate the funds and therefore promote innovation and efficiency

funding transportation

State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are responsible for developing long-term transportation plans that address the needs of highways, bridges, public transit systems, and other infrastructure. funding comes from state budgets, fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees, and toll revenues. states are responsible for maintaining this infrastructure but must adhere to fed guidelines and standards.

heavier tac burdens upon the wealthy are usually defended on the principle of

ability to pay

the most costly function provided by LOCAL govts is

education

income tax rates that decrease with increasing 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 source of revenue for LOCAL govts

property

the costliest public assistance program in the states is

medicaid

which of the following is true for TANF

it strengthened the 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 65

money provided by the american govt to parents for their children's tuition in a public or private school of their choice is known as a

voucher

No Child Left Behind Act (2002)

a federal education law designed to improve educational outcomes for all students, particularly those from low-income families. It focused on holding schools and districts accountable for student progress, particularly in reading and math, through standardized testing and performance targets. NCLB also expanded parental choice, particularly for students at underperforming schools, and emphasized teacher quality

gross domestic product

represents the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country's borders during a specific period. a snapshot of how much output the economy generates.

effect of taxation limits on local govt

Local governments are most affected by limitations on taxation, particularly regarding property taxes. State governments often set property tax limits that apply to local governments, such as caps on tax rates, assessment increases, or revenue growth. This can significantly impact the ability of local governments to fund essential services.