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42 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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are “made” by selecting representatives who will follow the will of the electorate
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Public laws (policies)
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try to be responsive to both individual citizens and interest groups
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State legislatures
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state policies passed by legislatures
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Statutes or statutory law
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Other policies carry weight of law but are not statutes
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(amendments, judicial rulings, etc.)
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Most statutes stay the same, but there are always new ones being added, collected in
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codebooks
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State laws must conform to both
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state and national constitutions
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people in small communities decide on policies directly (no council or legislature)
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Town hall meetings
New England |
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public vote on a policy issue (26 states)
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Referendum
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legislative proposal from the public, to be decided later
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Initiative
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citizens petition to place issue on the ballot
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Direct
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petition forces state legislature to take up the issue
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Indirect
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states allow citizen initiative to propose constitutional change (direct or indirect) – ended mon
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18
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the most essential feature of democracy
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“Free and fair elections”:
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would eliminate the ability, right of citizens to run for office, serve in government
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Totally direct democracy
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job is to discern policy problems, sort through the mountains of information, and make decisions
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Representatives
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Most representatives prefer this model
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Trustee orientation theory
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Used most often
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Politico orientation – representatives use good judgment to know when and when not to consult the constituency on a given issue
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Winner-take-all or “first past the post
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Single-member districts
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Unlike national legislature, representation is strictly population-based
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Bicameral legislatures (except Nebraska)
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(20 states)
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Term limits
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are redrawn every ten years to document changes in the population
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District lines
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drawing district lines in a way that minorities could never win (1950s-60s)
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Racial gerrymandering
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helping individual constituents with problems
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Casework
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Candidate qualifications
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States have basic requirements: age, citizenship, residency, voting registration
Southern states often have higher age requirements than Northern or West Coast states |
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National turnover average for incumbents
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20%
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have a 90% reelection rate
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At the federal level, incumbents in the House of Representatives
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have advantage of name recognition, campaign funds, knowledge of issues, experience, and benefits of office (franking privileges, etc.)
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Incumbents
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filled with government buildings, monuments, parks, historical symbolism
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State capitals
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shift from one-party dominance in most states to two-party system
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Partisan re-alignment
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strong influence on what gets to the public; most legislators and party leaders are trained to handle the media
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Media as political player
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Chamber leadership
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Primary chamber official (senate): lieutenant governor
Otherwise, legislature elects a president of the senate (president pro tempore – fills in for POS) Responsibilities: order, decorum, recognition, controlling debate, scheduling/reference |
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presiding officer in state house of representatives; seniority
Makes committee appointments and chairs; refers bills to committee |
Speaker of the House
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Two types of legislative leaders
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chamber and party leaders
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keeps members advised of important committee, floor votes; prods votes
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Party whips
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spokesman for the governor and governor’s legislation
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Floor leaders
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members who introduce bills in the state legislature; put their name on the bill
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Sponsors
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Passing State Laws
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File by the chamber deadline; after that requires a 3/5 or 2/3 vote to introduce
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Three possibilities for bill in committee
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Voted out with recommendation for passing
Amended or altered; even committee substitute Die in committee |
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Major concern in debate
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costs
Fiscal notes Sunset legislation |
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final vote on legislation
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Roll call votes
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Public education
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“Robin Hood” laws
State control of school taxes Accountability: standardized testing Competition: open enrollment, vouchers Child development (preschool) programs State-licensed childcare |
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Although agencies fall under the executive branch, legislatures have
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oversight
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