POLS 207 1st Edition Lecture 18 Outline of Current Lecture II Legislative Branch III Legislative Apportionment IV Redistricting V How a Bill becomes a law Current Lecture Legislative Branch Make statutory laws Amend state constitutions Constituent service Bring government funding to district Representation GEOGRAPHIC o Heterogeneous districts o Homogenous districts NON GEOGRAPHIC ENTREPRENEURIAL RANDOM SELECTION Legislative Apportionment Equal Population Reynolds v Sims legislators represent people not trees or acres Equal number of people in the district BASE POPULATION RANGE 1 Redistricting State legislatures create districts for themselves and U S House Race and ethnicity o Voting Rights Act 1965 o Fracturing o Packing or concentrating Partisan gerrymandering Changing districts lines to gain more votes for your party One Person One Vote Not everyone is eligible to vote You must be a registered voter Over the age of 18 Be a citizen of the US residents cannot vote Felons cannot vote Acceptable and Unacceptable Racially Gerrymandered District Shapes and Compactness UNACCEPTABLE TEXAS 30TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1990s ACCEPTABLE ILLINOIS 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1990s Districting Requirements CONTIGUITY POPULATION EQUALITY VOTING RIGHTS ACT IMPACT SHAPE PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING Percentage Turnover in State Legislatures Elections of 2006 2007 Competition UNOPPOSED APPOINTMENT INCUMBENT DEFEAT VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT How a bill becomes a law that affects us Bill Drafted Bill Introduced First Reading Committee Reports Bill Assignment to Committee Bill on Calendar Committee Pigeon holes Holds Hearings and Marks up Bill Second Reading Debated If Amended Third Reading Vote on Bill Sent to Governor for Signature If passed Signed Into Law by Governor Conference Committee to Make Identical Bureaucracy Administers to Legislature s Satisfaction Judicial Review of Constitutionality We are Affected by the Law
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