S8CG2 The student will analyze the role of the legislative branch in Georgia state government. a. Explain the qualifications, term, election, and duties of members of the General Assembly. b. Describe the organization of the General Assembly, with emphasis on leadership and the committee system. c. Trace the steps in the legislative process for a bill to become a law in Georgia. 1
1. What are the qualification, terms, and duties of the General Assembly? 2. What is the role of the General Assembly? 3. To what extent does the Legislative Branch influence our state government? Click to See Pictures of the Georgia Capitol 2
State Government: The Legislative Branch In In Georgia, Georgia, our our legislative legislative branch branch is is called called the the General Assembly. The General Assembly The General is made Assembly up of is two made up of parts. two parts. The Role of the General Assembly is to write and pass laws that are just for the state of The General Assembly writes and passes laws that are just for the state Georgia. of Georgia.
Senators must be at least 25 years old and citizens of the United States. They must be a legal resident of the district they represent, and have lived in Georgia for at least two years. Representatives must be at least 21 years old. 4
Someone who is currently serving in the military is not allowed to be either a senator or a representative. 5
Members of both houses of the General Assembly serve two year terms. The voters of Georgia elect members of both houses in general elections. 6
Elections for members of the General Assembly occur in even numbered years. These elections take place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. 7
Starting on the second Monday of January of each year, the General Assembly meets for its regular session. This regular session usually lasts for about two months or less. For the rest of their two year terms, the duties of senators and representatives take place in special sessions and committees. 8
The General Assembly's most important duties include making Georgia s laws and passing Georgia s budget. Although Georgia s governor is responsible for distributing money in the state, the General Assembly makes the bills that actually raise the money. 9
Any change or amendment to the constitution must first pass a two-thirds vote in the General Assembly. Georgia voters then vote on the final decision. 10
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The Majority party is the political party that has the most members in the house. The Minority party has the fewest members. This difference comes about because voters voted for more candidates from one political party than from the other. 12
Leaders or chairs of committees tend to be members of the majority party. Members of the General Assembly try to join committees that deal with issues important to the people who elected them. 13
There are about 36 regular committees in the House of Representatives. Each representative sits on to or three committees. These committees deal with things such as education, transportation, agriculture, public safety, and so on. 14
Representatives are assigned to committee by their political party leader. The majority party tends to control the house. This is because the majority party has at least two leaders in the house. 15
The most important leader is the speaker of the house. The speaker is elected by a majority vote in the house, he or she comes from the majority party. The speaker can say which representative should be assigned to which committee. 16
The speaker can also decide when a topic needs to be discussed or debated in the house. The speaker chooses who will lead, or chair, each committee. Committee tend to be chaired by members of the majority party. 17
The other leader from the majority party is the majority leader. The majority leader makes sure that the ideas and interests of the majority party get heard in the house. The minority leader is the leader of the minority party in the house. 18
The leader of the senate is called the President of the Senate. Georgia s Lieutenant Governor, Casey Cagle, serves as president of the senate. Since the Lieutenant Governor is elected by Georgia voters, the President of the Senate may or may not be a member of the Senate s majority party. 19
There is a President Pro Tempore of the Senate. The President Pro Tempore is the leader of the Senate s majority party. There is also a majority leader does the same for the minority party. 20
Since the president and the president pro tempore may be from different political parties, the balance of power in the Senate is sometimes less one sided than it is in the house. 21
There are about 26 committees in the Senate. Each senator is a member of at least three committees. Each committee is chaired by a senator chosen by the president of the senate. 22
The Georgia Constitution states that, All bills for raising revenue, or appropriating money, shall originate in the House of Representatives. This means that all bills for taxes start out in either the House or the Senate. A Bill is a text that calls for a change or an addition to the law. 23
For a bill to become law, it must go through the following steps: Step One (Drafting): with the help lawyers from the Office of Legislative Counsel, legislators write the text of the bill. Step Two (Introduction): only senators or representatives are allowed to introduce bills. 24
If the bill is submitted by a member of the House of Representatives, the Clerk of the House takes charge of the bill, makes copies of it, and reads it aloud to the house. If the bill is submitted by a senator, the Secretary of the Senate does the same. 25
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the committee may also decide to just do nothing, thus killing the bill. if the committee thinks that the bill should go on to the next step, it will stamp it with do pass. the committee could also stamp it with do pass with amendments. 27
Step Four (Goes to the Floor for Consideration): A bill that passes through committee is read aloud in either the House or the Senate during the regular session. A vote is called. If a majority of representatives (91 out 180) approve the bill, it goes on to the senate. 28
The senate must also approve the bill by majority vote (29 votes out of 56). Legislators may debate the bill, and make changes to it, in either house. Both houses, however, have to approve identical copies of the bill for it to go on to the next step. 29
Step Five Governor Consideration: A bill that passes both houses is sent to the governor. The governor can sign the bill into law. Or the governor can veto the bill, thus sending it back to the General Assembly. 30
The General Assembly can try to override the governor s veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses. Or the governor may do nothing. In this case, the bill automatically becomes law after forty days. 31
The drafting stage is the first stage of submitting a bill. Anyone can write a bill but only house of representative or senate members can propose and bring a bill to the floor for consideration. A bill always begins in either the House or the Senate and must go through both houses, in order to pass to the Governor for his approval. 1. 1. Introduction of the Bill 2. Voting Occurs-Today the Senate will vote on this issue first. 3. Committee Consideration 4. Floor Consideration 5. If you have the votes the process is repeated in the House. 6. Bill goes to the Governor for approval.
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Print the following slide and place around the room. Students will need cell phone access to scan the QR codes.
QR Code Extension The Georgia General Assembly consists of a bicameral legislature. The House of Representatives has 180 members elected for two-year terms. A Speaker, chosen by vote of the House membership, presides. The Senate consists of 56 members, also elected for two-year terms. The Lieutenant Governor is the President of the Senate.
QR Code Extension How a bill becomes a law video
QR Code Extension State Representatives
QR Code Extension Moment of Silence