Legislators Video - Extra Credit Question Sheet (POLS 207, Roblyer. F2020) PDF

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Question List for “Three Legislators” Video Extra Credit Assignment

IMPORTANT: Use of this question sheet is optional. All answers must be submitted in the Canvas activity in order to count towards extra credit. Location of Video: (See associated Canvas activity)

1. Why has State Representative (Rep.) Kacal “already won” re-election to his current office 6 months before the general election? a. He is running against a very weak opponent. b. No one is running against him in November. c. He has received so many campaign donations that he will easily defeat any challenger. 2. Where did Texas rank among all states in education spending before last year’s legislative session? (In that session, the legislature restored $3.5 billion of the $5 billion in public education funding they had taken in 2011.) a. 49th b. 46th c. 1st 3. Where in the list of priority legislation for next year’s legislative session did State Senator (Sen.) Schwertner rank education funding? a. 5th b. 1st c. It was not on his list because it was already addressed via HB 5 (House Bill 5) 4. HB 5 (House Bill 5) was held up as a major accomplishment by the legislature to address many of the woes of which problem within the State of Texas? a. Water b. Transportation c. Education 5. Sen. Schwertner had not yet mentioned his firm “no tax increases” position. However, he did start to use a word that is code for this stance when he was discussing education funding. Which word was it? a. Efficiency b. Belt-tightening c. Doing more with less 6. According to Rep. Raney, what two needs must be funded first in order to be able drive the state’s economy to generate more money so it will be possible to later increase funding for education? a. Water and transportation b. Transportation and energy discovery c. Agriculture and water

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7. How did the legislators answer the moderator’s pointed question about where the money will come from that will be needed to “invest in the future” and resolve water, transportation, education, and other long-term needs? a. Drain the “ESF” (Economic Stabilization Fund, a.k.a., Rainy Day Fund) without any hesitation b. Raise taxes, but do so moderately c. Economic growth and careful and well-debated use of the ESF will generate the money needed 8. Sen. Schwertner states clearly that he is not in favor of raising taxes to generate additional revenue for education or any other need of the state. The reason he provided for this firm stance was that “Texas works!” What did he mean by that comment? a. Texas is economically strong because of its keep-taxes-low policy and other conservative policies b. Texans are not lazy c. Texas has a lot of work to do to catch up to surrounding states 9. The legislators acknowledged that Texas’s powerful economy will produce growth, which will in turn increase challenges that the state already faces. What was one of the sources of increased revenues from this growth that the legislature is expecting to use to address these increased challenges? a. Income taxes b. Oil and gas c. State lottery 10. There were many mentions of the “ESF,” or Economic Stabilization Fund. The moderator asked if the legislature should spend that money to fix current problems, or continue to save it for the future. What did the legislators say in response? a. The full legislature must be judicious and decide this carefully b. The legislature should protect that money at all costs c. The legislature should spend that money freely to fix water, transportation, and education problems 11. Rep. Raney made the point that education is not the only or biggest need for additional funding. He emphasized that __________ costs are rising quickly and may soon exceed public education costs. a. Road repair b. Retirement c. Healthcare 12. The moderator pointed out that Texas has most uninsured residents of any state in the nation. Rep. Raney explained that a his proposed approach, instead of expanding Medicaid, is to train uninsured residents so that can get better jobs that will enable them to obtain medical insurance. Health insurance problems must be solved by _________, not government. a. Interest groups b. Churches and charities c. The market 13. Rep. Kacal then added his own upbeat viewpoint to the health insurance discussion and said: a. A Texas solution is “out there,” without federal involvement. b. Texas must partner with the federal government to work hand-in-hand. c. Texas should allow the federal government to resolve this issue since they have all the money.

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14. Sen. Schwertner said that a “Texan plan” for health care reform would involve multiple parts. One of these parts was the federal government sending back to Texas ___________________. Texas would then use those resources to more efficiently deal with its own healthcare problems. a. the power to print its own money b. all of the federal tax dollars collected from Texans that would have gone to fund Medicaid in this state c. all of the oil that the federal government takes from Texas to put in the National Oil Reserve

15. The moderator brought up that several county judges in Texas were advocating last summer that the legislature expand Medicaid as proposed under “Obamacare” because otherwise a lot of money “would be left on the table” (i.e., offered, but never accepted). Under the Affordable Care Act, the Federal government must pay _______ of the cost for this expansion for the first few years, then a little less after that. Rep. Raney said that the Federal government cannot be trusted in this pledge. Instead, they would “throw it back on the states.” a. 75% b. 90% c. 100% 16. When asked about federal and state solutions to the immigration problem, Rep. Kacal said he was in favor of ______________. a. the guest-worker option b. higher border fences c. tripling the number of Border Patrol agents 17. Who did Sen. Schwertner say was at fault with the illegal immigration problem? a. State of Texas b. Federal government c. Mexico 18. What did Rep. Raney say would be the role of the next legislature in dealing with the problems in the agricultural workforce that often accompany immigration crackdowns? a. Additional laws must be passed at the state level to solve the problem b. No additional state laws would solve this problem; Federal government must act c. The state must pass new laws, but only after Congress passes the immigration reform bill 19. During a conversation with Sen. Schwertner about “cracking down” on labor demand within Texas for illegal immigrants, the senator asserted that the values of Hispanic citizens are very similar to ______________. a. Liberal Texans b. Moderate Texans c. Conservative Texans 20. When asked how the GOP can better attract Hispanic voters, Rep. Kacal stated that the party must make its message simpler. Which option below was not on his short list of topics upon which the GOP should focus when appealing to Hispanics? a. The economy b. Taking care of family c. Bilingual education

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21. Which of the “American and Texan values” listed below did Sen. Schwertner say was associated with his party, the Republicans? a. Debt b. The individual c. The state 22. Which of the “values” listed below did Sen. Schwertner say was associated with the “the party in opposition,” the Democrats? a. Liberty b. Opportunity c. Despair 23. According to Sen. Schwertner, tuition at state institutions of higher education has increased so much because the legislature deregulated tuition in 2003. His proposal to lower tuition (and thus the amount of student debt) is to ___________________. a. Re-regulate tuition b. Accept more Federal government assistance c. Have the State start paying half of all tuition costs 24. When the floor was opened to questions from the audience, a College Station City Council member asked if the legislature would pass laws to deal with the harm caused by “predatory lending.” How many of the three legislators were firmly convinced that “payday lending” and other similar high-interest, instant loan businesses were a dangerous threat and that the next legislature should immediately outlaw these establishments? a. All 3 b. Only 2 c. None 25. In response to another question from the audience about e-cigarettes, which legislator said that he had never heard of e-cigarettes? a. Kacal b. Raney c. Schwertner 26. One legislator said that he had been a firm supporter of the death penalty as a deterrent and as the correct punishment for abhorrent crimes, until recently. As a result of sitting in on hearings about wrongful convictions and executions, his foundation of belief was now shaken based on evidence he saw that tarnished the criminal justice system’s accuracy and fairness. Which legislator was it? a. Kacal b. Raney c. Schwertner 27. What did the legislators say about the amount of funding support the higher-education schools can expect in the future from the State of Texas? a. Depends on money available. Medicaid costs are squeezing out other budget needs. b. The State is committed to doubling its current funding levels for schools like TAMU. c. State funding for higher education is only going to decrease.

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28. Rep. Raney, who is a long-time business owner, said that any proposal to replace property taxes with a consumption tax, such as increased sales tax, was _____________. a. crazy, and would drive people out of our state b. an interesting idea that the legislature should explore c. a proposal within a bill that he had previously introduced in the Texas House, and would do so again 29. A woman in the audience made the point that the last legislature spent a lot of its time on “women’s issues” and making “women’s decisions.” She then went on to ask if the next legislature was planning to dictate more to women than the last. Reps. Kacal and Raney responded that the top three topics for the next legislative session will be _____________________. a. abortion before 20 weeks b. transportation, education, and water c. other enhancements to women’s health 30. School vouchers allow state residents to use a “portion” of state tax money to educate their children in a private or parochial school. The last legislature failed to pass a law that made school vouchers part of Texas education policy, although there was disagreement on stage as to whether these were “vouchers” or “equal opportunity scholarships.” Why did the moderator feel that this bill might be reintroduced in the next session and have a much better chance of passing? a. An advocate of the bill is likely to become the new President of the Texas Senate b. The bill is will put additional money into the public education system c. Governor Perry favors the bill

IMPORTANT: You must record these answers on the associated Canvas activity in order for them to be considered for extra credit.

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