Date post: | 29-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | debra-gibbs |
View: | 218 times |
Download: | 2 times |
$173.5 Billion Budget 42 percent education 32 percent health and human services 14 percent business and economic
development 7 percent public safety and criminal justice 6 percent everything else
2Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
State Agencies and Public Policy Interactions between interest groups, political
parties, chief executives, the legislature, etc. The Institutional Context
Multiple, independent state boards, commissions, and agencies Fragmented with limited public accountability Limited centralized executive control Board-appointed executive director maintains
day-to-day agency operations
3Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
The Institutional Context State agencies reviewed by Sunset Advisory
Committee every 12 years Either retained, reorganized, or completely
abolished Most are retained
From 1978-2011 81 percent of state agencies retained 9 percent abolished 10 percent reorganized
4Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
State Employees and Public Policy Bureaucrats
Responsible for public administration Follow set rules and procedures to provide
uniform results
Bureaucracy and public policy Have discretion in how they apply laws Success depends on the vigor and vision of their
leadership, their resources, and the extent to which elites influence implementation
5Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
State Employees and Public Policy Number of state employees
In 2010, Texas had 126 full-time state employees for every 10,000 citizens
Responsibility left to local governments Competence, Pay and Retention
Positions used to be filled through the patronage system
Merit system Requires officials to hire, promote, and fire
employees based on objective criteria
6Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Public Schools1836 constitution required public lands set
aside for establishing public schools and a university
Students are increasingly ethnic minorities or disadvantaged
8Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Public Schools State Board of Education (SBOE)
Oversight of education for grades K–12 in conjunction with Texas Education Agency
15 elected board members serving without pay Overlapping four-year terms Chair selected by governor from board members
with Senate approval
9Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Public Schools State Board of Education
Curriculum approval Textbook selection Approval of State Board for Educator Certification
rules Management of the investments of the Permanent
School Fund Increasingly ideological and controversial
10Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Public Schools Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Commissioner appointed by governor with Senate confirmation
Oversees state’s public school system and development of statewide curriculum
Accredits schools Administers funding of schools
11Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Charter Schools Schools for at-risk students
Draw students from across district lines Exempt from some state education rules Governed by boards Funding from state, federal, and private resources
Effectiveness debated
12Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Testing Texas selects its own testing methods
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) State of Texas Assessment of Academic
Readiness (STAAR) Test results are used to evaluate teachers NAEP results mixed
13Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Colleges and Universities 104 public and 40 private institutions
Approximately 1.6 million students Boards of Regents
Govern the independent public universities and the Texas State Technical College System
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Provides direction for public community colleges
and universities
14Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Higher Education Issues Funding History of discrimination
Sweatt v. Painter Closing the Gaps program
Attempt to increase enrollment and graduation rates
Equal opportunity and affirmative action Top 10 percent rule
15Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Texas Health and Human Services In 2010, Texas had ninth highest poverty
rate in nation at 17.9 percent 1 in 5 Texans are low income (101 percent to
200 percent above poverty level) One in four Texans without health insurance Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
16Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Human Services Health and Human Services Commission
(HHSC) Coordinates social service policy Executive Commissioner appointed by governor
to two-year term with Senate approval Appoints with approval of the governor
commissioners to head the four departments within the HHSC
18Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Human Services Health and Human Services Commission
(HHSC) cont’d Handles centralized administrative support
services Makes rules for agencies within HHSC Determines eligibility for TANF, SNAP (food
stamps), CHIP, Medicaid, and long-term care programs
19Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Human Services Human Services Temporary Assistance for Needy FamiliesTemporary Assistance for Needy Families
Helps poor people move from welfare to work-Helps poor people move from welfare to work-forceforce
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program Program Joint federal-state program that provides food to Joint federal-state program that provides food to
low-income peoplelow-income people
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 20
Health and Mental Health Services Health and Mental Health Services MedicaidMedicaid
Provides healthcare for poor Provides healthcare for poor MedicareMedicare
Provides medical assistance to applicants at age Provides medical assistance to applicants at age 6565
Department of State Health ServicesDepartment of State Health Services PPublic health planning and enforcement of state ublic health planning and enforcement of state
health lawshealth laws, infectious disease control, public , infectious disease control, public mental health programsmental health programs
21Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
EmploymentEmployment TexasTexas’’s state employment services cut s state employment services cut
across three areas of policy: human across three areas of policy: human services, education, and economic services, education, and economic developmentdevelopment
Texas Workforce CommissionTexas Workforce Commission Serves employers and workersServes employers and workers Collects unemployment insurance payroll taxCollects unemployment insurance payroll tax
22Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Economic Regulatory Policy Business regulation
Railroad Commission Regulates oil and gas industry Classic case of “agency capture”
23Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Economic Regulatory Policy Regulation of public utilities
Public Utility Commission Oversees public utilities Deregulation, emphasis on competition
24Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Economic Regulatory Policy Insurance Regulation
Commissioner of Insurance appointed by governor to oversee the Texas Department of Insurance
25Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Business PromotionHighways
Texas Department Of Transportation (TxDOT) Constructs and maintains highways Department of Motor Vehicles
Vehicle titling and registration, motor carrier registration and enforcement, and motor vehicle dealer regulation
26Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Business Promotion Tourism
Third largest industry in Texas Generates $1.2 billion for the economy
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Nine-member commission Controls most recreational areas Texas ranked 49th in U.S. on money spent on
state parks.
27Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Business Promotion Certification of trades and
professions More than 40 occupations
require state certification Licensing boards are
responsible for giving licenses and ensuring licensees continue to meet standards.
28Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Business Promotion Environmental Regulation
Difficult to balance business development with environmental protections
Battle between federal/state/local■ Clean Air and Clean Water Acts
Air and Water Texas Commission on Environmental Policies
(TCEQ) oversees environmental regulation Hazardous waste
29Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
Business Promotion Homeland Security
Governor’s office provides strategic planning, emergency response resources, disaster preparedness
Texas Department of Public Safety Counterterrorism and intelligence unit
Departments of State, Health Services, and Agriculture coordinate services
Border security
31Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
1. Describe the role of bureaucracy in making public policy.
2. Analyze the major challenges faced by the Texas education system.
3. Discuss how Texas higher education has taken steps to increase the participation of all Texans.
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 32
4. Examine the health and human services programs in Texas and discuss how efforts to address the needs of its citizens have been approached.
5. Compare the role of government to generate economic development with its duty to maintain a safe and clean environment for the state’s residents.
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 33
1. Demands for the creation of new state agencies come from what groups?
2. True or False: Public administrators simply implement the laws passed by the legislature without making any changes.
3. What three factors are particularly important in determining how successful agencies are in Texas?
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 34
1. Which two state government entities are most important for public schools?
2. True or False: Almost all observers consider Texas’s testing program a success.
3. What is the “top 10 percent rule” in Texas higher education?
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 35
1. Compared with other states, is poverty high or low in Texas?
2. Why are health and human services programs at a disadvantage in Texas?
3. What program provides limited cash benefits to poor families?
4. Which program is better funded, Medicaid or Medicare?
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 36
1. True or False: Business regulation in Texas tends to be tough on businesses.
2. Is the movement in Texas toward more regulation or deregulation?
3. How does Texas compare with other states on levels of pollution?
4. What are some demands that state environmental policymakers must balance?
5. What are the major issues involved in homeland security in Texas?
37Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning