1. Why has State Representative (Rep.) Kacal “already won” re-election to his current office 6 months before the general election?. - Texas A&M University POLS 20

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1. Why has State Representative (Rep.) Kacal “already won” re-election to his current office 6 months before the general election? ● He is running against a very weak opponent. ● No one is ... running against him in November. ● 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 the 2013 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? ● 5th ● 1st ● 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? ● Efficiency ● Belt-tightening ● 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? ● Water and transportation ● Transportation and energy discovery ● Agriculture and water Page 1 of 5 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? ● Drain the “ESF” (Economic Stabilization Fund, a.k.a., Rainy Day Fund) without any hesitation ● Raise taxes, but do so moderately ● 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? ● Texas is economically strong because of its keep-taxes-low policy and other conservative policies ● Texans are not lazy ● 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? ● Income taxes ● Oil and gas ● 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? ● The full legislature must be judicious and decide this carefully ● The legislature should protect that money at all costs ● 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. ● Road repair ● Retirement ● 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. ● Interest groups ● Churches and charities ● The market 13. Rep. Kacal then added his own upbeat viewpoint to the health insurance discussion and said: ● A Texas solution is “out there,” without federal involvement. ● Texas must partner with the federal government to work hand-in-hand. ● Texas should allow the federal government to resolve this issue since they have all the money. Page 2 of 5 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. ● the power to print its own money ● all of the federal tax dollars collected from Texans that would have gone to fund Medicaid in this state ● all of the oil that the federal government takes from Texas to put in the National Oil Reserve 15. The moderator brought [Show More]

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