GOVT 2306 Exam 3 2025 Questions and Answers. 100% Correct Answers (Brand New 2025/2026) RATED A+.

GOVT 2306 Exam 3 2025 Questions and Answers. 100% Correct Answers (Brand New 2025/2026) RATED A+. The state of Texas provides unemployment insurance under monies collected from which source? - CORRECT ANS>>Payroll Taxes Most Texans have indicated in numerous polls that they prefer which type of taxation? - CORRECT ANS>>Regressive What is the name of a state tax levied on a natural resource taken from the earth? - CORRECT ANS>>Severance Tax When does the fiscal biennium in Texas begin? - CORRECT ANS>>September 1 of odd-numbered years How does a budget passed by the Texas legislature differ from the federal budget? - CORRECT ANS>>It authorizes spending for a two-year period. So-called "sin taxes" are levies placed on what types of commodities or activities? - CORRECT ANS>>Alcohol, mixed drinks, and tobacco As a result of a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas over tobacco-related illnesses, how much must the American tobacco industry pay the state? - CORRECT ANS>>$18 billion in damages What is another name for the state's Economic Stabilization Fund? - CORRECT ANS>>rainy day fund In Texas, which of these provides budget makers with projected revenue levels? - CORRECT ANS>>State Comptroller of Public Accounts Which method of taxation places a greater burden on lower incomes and a lighter burden on higher incomes? - CORRECT ANS>>Regressive taxation Paul won $5 million in the Texas Lottery but failed to claim his prize within 180 days after the drawing. What will happen to his winnings? - CORRECT ANS>>They will be used to fund hospitals for indigent care. What is the name for a bond whose repayment is guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the state? - CORRECT ANS>>General obligation bond Which program allows parents to lock in the cost of future tuition and fees at a state university or college? - CORRECT ANS>>Texas tomorrow funds Texas state government depends heavily on which type of tax to finance services? - CORRECT ANS>>sales tax In the biennial budget, approximately what percentage of state expenditures went to Health and Human Services funding? - CORRECT ANS>>35-40 percent What is a problem with denying CHIP benefits to children? - CORRECT ANS>>It involves a reduction of federal money to the state. Which of the following determines if state agencies have spent public funds in accordance with law? - CORRECT ANS>>The State Auditor's Office Which area of the state is home to the newest regional comprehensive university? - CORRECT ANS>>the rio grande valley Which tactic does Texas often use to balance the budget? - CORRECT ANS>>Reducing funding for high-cost items such as Medicaid According to the Texas Transportation Commission, what is the newest means of financing Texas highways? - CORRECT ANS>>The use of money collected from tolls How does a recipient of public assistance use the Lone Star Card? - CORRECT ANS>>To obtain food items in a grocery store Which of the following statements regarding immigrants in Texas is true? - CORRECT ANS>>Immigrants often work at jobs native-born citizens shun. Which of these terms describes the elimination of government restrictions to allow free market forces to prevail? - CORRECT ANS>>Deregulation Which transportation mode provides 95 percent of public transportation in Texas? - CORRECT ANS>>Bus Which interest group in Texas has argued forcefully that the United States needs comprehensive immigration policy reform? - CORRECT ANS>>Business groups What is a good definition of the term public policy? - CORRECT ANS>>What government does or does not do to and for its citizens What is one responsibility of the Texas Workforce Commission? - CORRECT ANS>>It pays benefits to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. What has been the recent trend regarding Texas public school students? - CORRECT ANS>>They are increasingly ethnic or racial minorities and the economically disadvantaged. Which of the following statements regarding insurance in Texas is true? - CORRECT ANS>>Frequent natural disasters contribute to the high insurance rates in Texas. The relationship between Texas and which Latin American nation complicates the state's immigration policy? - CORRECT ANS>>Mexico In Texas, education, health, and human services expenditures account for what percentage of the state's budget? - CORRECT ANS>>Three-fourths In recent years, Texas's poverty rate has been about what percentage of the population? - CORRECT ANS>>15-18 percent of the population Why is the participatory democracy model rarely used in Texas? - CORRECT ANS>>Texas citizens show rather low levels of interest in and knowledge of civic life. Which of the following is an argument most likely to be made by a supporter of school vouchers? - CORRECT ANS>>Competition with private schools should encourage public schools to perform better. What was the issue at hand in the case of United States v. Texas? - CORRECT ANS>>The legality of DAPA Which of these is the most important factor shaping decisions made by local school boards and superintendents? - CORRECT ANS>>State authorities Imagine you are a 19-year-old mother of one child, a recipient of public assistance, and a resident of Dallas County. Which of the following most threatens you? - CORRECT ANS>>The lifetime limit of receipt of cash public assistance benefits What is the name of the joint federal-state program that provides medical care to the poor? - CORRECT ANS>>Medicaid Texas's commitment to education began with which state constitution? - CORRECT ANS>>1836 Typically, immigration policy is primarily the responsibility of which of these entities? - CORRECT ANS>>the federal government Which of the following statements regarding the death penalty is true? - CORRECT ANS>>Its use has declined across the United States and Texas in recent years. Which of the following statements regarding prisons run by the TDCJ is true? - CORRECT ANS>>A lack of air conditioning has led to prisoner deaths. For what reason(s) does Texas imprisons lawbreakers? - CORRECT ANS>>To punish, rehabilitate, isolate offenders, and deter crime Both the TDCJ and the TJJD collect DNA samples of all inmates convicted of which type of crime? - CORRECT ANS>>Felony offense Which first offender faces no possibility of jail time for his or her offense? - CORRECT ANS>>Miriam stole a radio worth $50 from a department store. In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the death penalty may not be used for punishment on anyone under 18 years of age (when the crime was committed)? - CORRECT ANS>>Roper v. Simmons Approximately what percentage of convicted adult criminals end up being resentenced to prison after their release? - CORRECT ANS>>60% What is the system of classifying felonies as first, second, or third degree depending on the nature of the crime called? - CORRECT ANS>>Graded penalties Which of the following statements regarding county jails in Texas is true? - CORRECT ANS>>Most of them do not offer rehabilitation programs. Why have so many people been convicted of crimes they didn't commit based on eyewitness identification? - CORRECT ANS>>Eyewitnesses can overlook facial features of people of different races, transfer memories of people from different settings, or have poor recall due to stress. Which of these would be classified as a status offense? - CORRECT ANS>>Skipping school Why was the death penalty found unconstitutional in the 1972 Furman v. Georgia case? - CORRECT ANS>>The use of the death penalty was found to be arbitrary and racially biased. What is the minimum sentence for a capital felony in the state of Texas? - CORRECT ANS>>Life without parole What is another term for administrative segregation? - CORRECT ANS>>Solitary confinement A low-level drug offender is most likely also to be dealing with which complicating issue(s)? - CORRECT ANS>>Homelessness and poverty When Texas ran out of pentobarbital for lethal injections in 2013, what did it turn to instead? - CORRECT ANS>>Compounding pharmacies for custom-made pentobarbital How has the current focus of legislators on rehabilitation and reentry impacted the criminal justice system in Texas? - CORRECT ANS>>It has succeeded at reducing the rising imprisonment rates of the twentieth century. In juvenile law, to what does the term adjudication hearing refer? - CORRECT ANS>>a trial Which of the following would be subject to enhancement under the Texas Penal Code? - CORRECT ANS>>A crime committed by a street gang What is it called when a prisoner re-offends after being released from confinement for a prior offense? - CORRECT ANS>>recidivism What are grants-in-aid? - CORRECT ANS>>Gifts of money from one government to another What must the Texas legislature do as a result of the "pay-as-you-go" system? - CORRECT ANS>>Not pass a deficit budget Which of these types of policy concerns government decisions regarding revenues, expenditures, and borrowing? - CORRECT ANS>>Fiscal policy What must happen before the governor can sign a biennial budget that the legislature has approved? - CORRECT ANS>>The comptroller certifies the state will collect sufficient revenue to cover the expenditures. Which type of tax did the state of Texas mandate on the revenue of many businesses in 2006? - CORRECT ANS>>Franchise tax Compared to the rest of the nation, where does Texas rank concerning the number of children without health insurance coverage in Texas? - CORRECT ANS>>The highest What is the name for accounts that can be used only for specifically named purposes? - CORRECT ANS>>Dedicated funds Which of the following classes of corporations has the least business tax burden? - CORRECT ANS>>Banking companies What is the state's largest financial aid program? - CORRECT ANS>>Texas Grants Program (Toward Excellence, Access, and Success) What is probably the most influential budgeting organization in Texas? - CORRECT ANS>>The Legislative Budget Board Which factor will increase the state's outcomes-based funding to a community college? - CORRECT ANS>>An increase in the number of students successfully completing courses In the biennial budget, approximately what percentage of state expenditures went to higher education funding in Texas? - CORRECT ANS>>5-10% Which of the following is true of Texas's dual budgeting system? - CORRECT ANS>>The governor and the legislature draw up budget proposals. Which of these is responsible for overseeing the investment of state funds? - CORRECT ANS>>State comptroller Where does Texas rank among the states in terms of the tax burden on its citizens? - CORRECT ANS>>Near the bottom Which of these must give approval in order for Texas to increase its bond debt? - CORRECT ANS>>voters of texas What is the name of the fund that measures the state's fiscal health? - CORRECT ANS>>general revenue fund What amount of state funding for public schools is provided by the Foundation School Fund? - CORRECT ANS>>more than 70 percent Which statement best characterizes the status of Texas highways? - CORRECT ANS>>Large sums of money are currently needed for highway repair and maintenance.