QUESTION: What is a Texas card? It must work similar to food stamps. Recently, at a grocery store, a woman purchased two packages of cigarettes with this card.

ANSWER: You're probably talking about the Lone Star Card, and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission provides two types of benefits to needy families through this card, according to the organization's Web site.

Each month, benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (what we think of as food stamps) and cash benefits through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (formerly known as welfare) are deposited into the card's account.

Food benefits cannot be used for beer, wine and cigarettes, or any non-food items such as pet foods and soaps, medicines and hot foods, for instance. However, it's possible you might have seen someone who also receives the cash benefit. Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said this benefit does not come with spending restrictions, although the commission hopes it's used for the family's needs. Under this program, people can use the Lone Star Card or take cash out to pay for any items they need, such as food, rent, utilities and transportation costs. Goodman said families do not receive a very large payment under this program.

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Q: What comprises District 124, and how are the districts determined?

A: The 124th District Court serves Gregg County. The Legislature determines the area served by each district court, although every county must be served by at least one district court, according to information I found on the Texas Office of Court Administration's Web site. The Judicial Districts Board also can share in the responsibility for reapportioning districts. Either way, though, it's based on population.

One district court might serve several counties in less populated areas, or a more heavily populated area might have more than one district court.

Most district courts hear criminal and civil cases, although they sometimes focus on civil, criminal, juvenile or family law.

Gregg County, for instance, has three district courts: the 124th, 188th and 307th. The 307th court specializes in family court cases, such as divorces, while the other two courts handle criminal and civil cases.

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Q: My nephew is marrying a girl with a large amount of college loans. She will not finish college until after they are married. Should this marriage not last, would he be held responsible for her loans?

A: Never say never, but the folks at Sallie Mae (anyone with college loans knows who they are) told me that generally a person is not legally obligated for loans taken out by his or her spouse.

"The spouse is not a party to the contract – the loan application/promissory note – so he/she is not obligated during the marriage or if the marriage were to end. (If the spouse is a cosigner on the loan that would be different of course because that person is party to the contract.)," Sallie Mae spokeswoman Patricia Nash Christel said in an e-mail. "However, there have been a few divorce settlements/decrees, where the parties (the divorcing spouses) can agree, or be ordered, to pay the obligation of the other spouse, even if not a co-signer for the original loan."

That said, there are ways to manage students loans so that perhaps they're not a source of marital discord.

Nash noted student loans come with a variety of payment options to help people meet their obligations, including possibly extending their loan term to lower the monthly payments. There's also a new income-based repayment option for federal student loan customers who are experiencing financial difficulties. Usually customers can change payment plans at any time.

You can find more information about repayment options at http://www.salliemae.com/after_

graduation/manage_your_loans/repaying-student-loans/repayment.htm.

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Q: Why does the president use so many different pens to sign bills?

A: All the reports I found indicate this is a common practice (among presidents anyway). Basically, the pens are keepsakes for various important people and/or for people who might have supported the law that is being signed.

E-mail questions to answerline@longview-news.com, leave a message at (903) 232-7208 or write to P.O. Box 1792, Longview, TX 75606.