1. $173.5 Billion Budget 42 percent education 32 percent health and human services 14 percent...

$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


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


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


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


Public Schools1836 constitution required public lands set

aside for establishing public schools and a university

Students are increasingly ethnic minorities or disadvantaged


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Economic Regulatory Policy Business regulation

Railroad Commission Regulates oil and gas industry Classic case of “agency capture”


Economic Regulatory Policy Regulation of public utilities

Public Utility Commission Oversees public utilities Deregulation, emphasis on competition


Economic Regulatory Policy Insurance Regulation

Commissioner of Insurance appointed by governor to oversee the Texas Department of Insurance


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


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.


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.


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


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


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.


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.


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?


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?


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?


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?


1. $173.5 Billion Budget 42 percent education 32 percent health and human services 14 percent...

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