1. Chapter 14 – Public Policy in Texas

2. Public Policy in Texas Learning Objectives
14.1 Identify the phases of the policy process in Texas
14.2 Describe the social welfare programs Texas administers
14.3 Analyze the role of the state in border issues and immigration
14.4 Evaluate the challenges facing Texas’s education system.
14.5 Assess the funding, affirmative action and other issues in higher education
14.6 Outline Texas’s transportation policy and future challenges
14.7 Explain the state’s environmental and energy policy

3. Public Policy Priorities and Process
Triggering Factors
Agenda Setting
Placement of an issue onto the public agenda
Policy Creation
Policy Adoption and Implementation
Policy Evaluation and Assessment

4. Health Care and Welfare
Medicare
Medical coverage for persons over 65
Medicaid
Medical coverage for low-income
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Social Security
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Means tested program
Unemployment benefits
Workers’ Compensation

5. Immigration and Border Security
Economic Impact
Public Opinion and State Laws
Deportations and Border Security

6. Education Sources of K-12 Funding School Finance
Permanent School Fund
Foundation School Fund
Available School Fund
School Finance
Teacher, Student, and School Performance
Diversity in Public Education
Vouchers
Special Education
Bullying

7. Higher Education Funding Community Colleges Standards
Permanent University Fund (PUF)
Community Colleges
Standards
Affirmative Action

8. Transportation Affect all Texans
Several cities ranked near top for worst commutes
More than a million Texans commute
Source of funds
Motor vehicle registration fees
Federal highway funds
Sales tax on motor oils
Part of gas taxes

9. Energy and the Environment
Water
Texas Water Development Board
Water Control and Ownership
Capture: groundwater is owned by the landowner of the property above the groundwater
Water and Air Pollution
Energy Sources
Largest electricity consumer of any state

10. Texas Takeaways
What are the four phases of policy making process? Triggering factors, agenda setting, policy creation, policy adoption and implementation, and policy evaluation and assessment
How does agenda setting work? Agenda setting is when policymakers ask whether or not a problem is important enough to address
Medicare is a national social insurance program for older Americans funded by a payroll tax, premiums, and surtaxes and administered by the federal government. Medicaid is medical coverage for low income Texans provided by the federal government

11. Texas Takeaways
Seventy percent of Texas’s foreign-born population are from Latin America
Texas has approximately 1.5 million undocumented immigrants
Since 1984, school districts have sued the state seven times over perceived inadequate funding
Vouchers are programs that provide a student with authorization for government funding to be used at a private school
Funding for campuses of the University of Texas and Texas A&M University comes from the Permanent University Fund

12. Texas Takeaways
Local taxes and the state legislature stream funds into Texas community colleges
The main source of highway funds are from motor vehicle registration fees, federal highway funds from the national government, the sales tax on motor oils, and some part of the motor fuels (gas) taxes
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) provides loans to local governments for water projects, administers water funds, and facilitates the transfer and sale of water and water rights throughout the state
Capture is water above the ground that is owned by the landowner of the property