POLS Chapter 7 Book Notes 10 14 12 Majority Rule The process in which the decision of a numerical majority is made binding on a group Coalition Binding The assembling of an alliance of groups to pursue a common goal or interest Logrolling The practice in which a legislator will give a colleague a vote on a particular bill in return for that colleague s vote on another bill to be considered later Filibusters Debates that under Senate rules can drag on blocking final action on the bill under consideration and preventing other bills from being debated Riders Amendments to a bill that are not central to its intent State legislatures are not as polarized as congress What Legislatures Do Lawmaking function Pass laws and create policy for their states Representative function Provide a means for various groups and individuals to have their interests represented in state policymaking Constituent service function Personalized constituent service to help residents sort out their problems with the state government Oversight function Oversee governor and executive branch and some private businesses through public hearings budget reviews and formal investigations Lawmaking A bill is introduced because o It must be considered Ex Annual state budget o It deals with a common problem modeled after another state s legislation o It is something that an individual or a group outside of the legislature wants considered Constituents governor lobbyists Representation Tort laws Laws that cover damages to individuals Fire safe cigarettes now required in all states Constituent Service Legislators help clear up problems that citizens are having with public agencies or even private companies Casework Work undertaken by legislators and their staffs in response to requests for help from constituents At the state level some legislators have staff members that deal with helping constituents o Help with finding dads for child support figuring out how they can receive proper health coverage and determining which federal agency to contact for military matters Oversight Oversight Role the legislature takes in making sure that the implementation of its laws by the executive branch is being done properly o Usually through budget reviews and occasional committee hearings Organization and Operation of Legislatures o Legislatures were created to deal with problems in a single time and space that a vast number of citizens would not be able to handle on their own Bicameralism o Nebraska is the only unicameral state o The house of representatives is also known as the assembly o Generally senators have 4 years terms o Generally house representatives have 2 year terms Legislative Leadership o Caucus All the members of a party within a legislative chamber o A speaker is voted in by each house at the beginning of the session Presides over daily session of the house refer bills to the appropriate committees and sign legislation as it makes its way over to the senate or the governor s desk o A majority and minority party leader are picked by their party Senate majority leader is known as the president pro tempore o Lieutenant governor in Texas appoint members of committees and committee chairs and decide which bills are considered and when Committees o Legislators are divided into committees o Bills are sent to the appropriate committee where they are debated o Committee chair decided which bills are going to be heard and receive priority treatment at the committee level o Budget finance or appropriation committees are sought after o Members try to serve on the committees where they will have the most influence o Rank and file members Legislators who do not hold leadership positions or senior Rank and File Members committee posts Delegates Legislators who primarily see their role as voting according to their constituents beliefs as they understand them Trustees Legislators who believe they were elected to exercise their own judgment and to approach issues accordingly o Members still cave into party or leader pressure o Professionalization The process of providing legislators with the resources to make politics their main career such as making their positions full time or providing them with full time staff Apportionment o Apportionment The allotting of districts according to population shifts The number of congressional districts that a state has may be reapportioned ever ten years o Redistricting The drawing of new boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts usually following a decennial census o Gerrymanders Districts clearly drawn with the intent of pressing partisan advantage at the expense of other considerations o Malapportionment A situation in which the principle of equal representation is violated o Legislatures agencies or commissions draw district lines o Majority minority districts Districts in which a minority group such as African Americans or Hispanics make up a majority of the population or electorate Supreme court ruled that redistricting could not be predominantly based on race State Legislators Average state legislator o White o 50 s or 60 s o College education o Income topping 50 000 o Moderate or conservative o Lived in the community he is representing for at least ten years Professional background o 12 retirees o 15 lawyers o 30 business o Remaining is education healthcare real estate insurance and agriculture Professional v Citizen Legislators o Professional Meet full time pay members a high salary and employ large staffs Allow chambers to keep up with the wider variety of interests Larger states have the money to invest in full time legislators CA is one of the best equipped and most professional in the country o Citizen or amateur Meet part time have members who usually hold other jobs and have smaller staffs Texas has a citizen legislature because of its distrust of government Watergate scandal in 1974 that started the adversial position taken by reporters against government Decline of general coverage and the rise of often partisan commentary and news sites on the Web are among the reasons that amateur legislatures are much more popular with their constituents than are professional chambers Term limits are strict in states where the public thinks there was not enough turnover in the legislature
View Full Document
Unlocking...