The Texas Legislature has the authority to borrow money for all but one of the following:
A. Highway construction.
B. Prison and jail construction.
C. Medical research conducted by research institutions.
D. Operating expenses such as salaries of state employees.
E. Construction of educational facilities.
Q. 2The biggest share of state expenditures (including federal funds appropriated by the legislature) is for
A. prisons and state jails.
B. highway construction.
C. education.
D. health and human services.
E. overall government operations.
Q. 3Which of the following statements is least applicable to the formulation of public policy in Texas?
A. Many policies produce unintended consequences.
B. Many policies have indirect and direct benefits. C. Most policy proposals make tradeoffs between costs and benefits.
D. Policy changes tend to be incremental and slow.
E. Most policies are under the direct control of the large urban counties.
Q. 4What was the nature of the issues that led to the Ruiz v. Estelle case, and what was the ruling in the case? How did the state respond to Judge Justice's ruling in the case? Is Texas's prison population too large? Explain your response.
What will be an ideal response?
Q. 5Explain the major sources of revenue for the state and local governments in Texas. How is the state's tax system regressive? Should the state adopt a personal income tax? Why or why not?
What will be an ideal response?
Q. 6Explain how the Texas constitutional requirement for a balanced budget shapes the budgetary process. Would you recommend any changes in the process? If so, what changes would you make and why? If not, why not?
What will be an ideal response?
Quick Reply
