GOVT 2304 Chapter 14 (Module 4)

GOVT 2306 Chapter 14 Centerline miles : total length of a road or road segment ● TX has 73,000 centerline road miles Lane miles : total road length times the number of lanes ● 180,000 lane miles in its road network Vehicle miles traveled : an estimate of total road usage. ● Total vehicle miles traveled is estimated and calculated by multiplying the centerline miles and the average daily amount of traffic on the road. ● TX has over 17 million registered drivers; only California has a larger number of registered drivers and vehicles. Workers tuck in traffic. ● TX economy loses billions each year from time lost ○ Estimated costs are about $14 billion annually ○ The average commuter in Houston spends almost 80 hours per year on roadways because of traffic congestion - two workweeks. Immigration ● Most immigrants who arrive in TX settle in most urban areas of the state. ○ One of the five most-populous counties in the state: Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant or Travis ● Immigrants are following the same overall urbanization trends that have caused the rapid population growth in the state's majority cities. Challenges of high education policy: ● The modern workforce increasingly requires a technically skilled and know led gable labor force ○ The rapidly changing pace of the job market and technology demands a workforce with deep knowledge, training, and technical skill. ● High school diplomas are competitive in the job market ○ Many employers see associates degrees from universities as the base standard of qualification for many positions ● Policymakers have changed perspectives on what it means to be an educated population ○ More and more policy makers see a need for larger, more significant master’s degrees to have a nationally and internationally competitive advantage ● Bullet train project in TX ○ Supporters ■ Current air routes between Houston and Dallas are among the busiest in the nation. ■ The terrain between Houston and Dallas is favorable. ■ Rapid population growth in Dallas-Forth Worth and Houston metropolitan areas ● An increase in fuel-efficient vehicles has created new financial challenges for the state, impairing its ability to fund the maintenance and construction of roadways. ○ TX has some of the lowest gasoline taxes. ○ Fuel efficiency goes up → TX buys less fuel → funding challenge ● More than one in five bridges in the state are in poor conditions ○ The American Society of Civil Engineers rated 24 percent of Texas’s 53,000 bridges as being in “poor condition,” meaning they will require significant capital investment by the state to replace or repair. ● Houston area has little over 1 percent of the US population but 10 percent of the worse bottlenecks in the nation for commercial truck drivers. Geography and water supply: ● The size of the state complicates the development of a comprehensive water policy ● Different regions of the state may have water issues that range from hurricanes and severe flooding to droughts and water shortages. Sanctuary cities : mostly large urban areas that do not cooperate with immigration officials in holding undocumented immigrants for ICE ● Threatened by the Department of Justice with the withholding of federal funds for failing to cooperate Senate Bill 4 (SB4): enacted penalties for sanctuary cities that refused to cooperate with federal immigration officials ● Critics ○ Causes underreporting of crimes ○ Inspired by fear, hatred, and stereotypes of minorities ○ Targets average individuals rather than actual criminals ○ Uses local law enforcement to do the federal government’s job ● Supporters ○ Local officials are fiaunting federal law ■ Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said the law was needed so that “no liberal official can fiaunt the law.” ○ Ensures public safety ■ Argue the law is constitutional and necessary to capture and remove undocumented criminals International students' biggest benefits to colleges and universities ● out-of-state tuition and the presence ● Presence of the brightest minds Most college students in TX attend: two-year public community and junior college ● More than hald of all higher education students in the state are enrolled Texas State University System : ● Created from a series of