State and Local Government Looking at Georgia’s Government and beyond…

State and Local State and Local GovernmentGovernment

Looking at Georgia’s Looking at Georgia’s Government and Government and

beyond….beyond….

The “Empire State of the South”The “Peach State”

Population (2010): 9,815,210 million Caucasians , 59.7% Black or African American persons, 30.5% Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, 5.3% Asian persons, percent, 8.8%

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13000.html

Capital: Atlanta Economy: retail, service,

manufacturing, timber/lumber (pine, hardwood), fishing (Brunswick & Savannah), and agriculture (peanuts, cotton, soybeans, tobacco)

State Data Motto: Wisdom, justice, and moderation Flower: Cherokee Rose Bird: Brown Thrasher Tree: Live Oak Song: Georgia on My Mind 1 of the Original 13 colonies; 4th of the 13

to sign the U.S. Constitution (Jan 2, 1788) State Fair: Macon (3rd Week in October)

Geography Largest state east of the

Mississippi 58,909 square miles of land area Borders 5 States and an Ocean:

Tennessee (NW), North Carolina (NE), South Carolina (E), Alabama (W), Florida (S), and the Atlantic Ocean (SE)

Major Cities Atlanta Savannah Augusta Albany Macon Brunswick Columbus

Georgia: Federal Level 14 U.S. Congressional Seats 2 U.S. Senate Seats

16 Total Electoral College Votes

Structure of Government Executive Branch Legislative Judicial

Constitutional Basis of State Government Georgia has had 10 constitutions since

1777 There is a Preamble, a Bill of Rights, and

11 Articles – and begins with the Bill of Rights.

GA has had 4 capitals … what are they?

Vocab: Chapter 23 sections 1,2

Legislative Power: The General Assembly

Two Chambers: Upper House (Senate) presiding officer of the

upper house is the lieutenant governor

56 members Lower House (House of

Representatives) In the lower house, the

presiding officer is called the speaker of the house

236 members

Legislative Power: The General Assembly The state legislature has the

power: A. To pass laws that deal with health,

crime, labor, education, transportation, and other matters

B. To tax, spend, and borrow money C. To check the power of the

governor and the bureaucracy

Legislative Power: The General Assembly Elected for two year terms Congressional districts: http://www.legis.ga.gov/Joint/

reapportionment/Documents/congprop2.pdf

Governor can call special sessions

Legislature “cont” Bills can be introduced in either the Senate or

the House (bicameral) Revenue & appropriation bills, however, can only

originate in the House Many organizations influence legislation on the

state level by proposing bills : labor unions, community groups, business organizations

Senate is responsible for confirming governor’s appointments to boards and commissions

Initiative, Referendum, Recall

Initiative, Referendum and Recall are three powers reserved to the voters to enable them to affect legislative procedures and remove individuals from office.

Initiative, Referendum, Recall

Initiative is a power reserved by the people to enact, amend or repeal propose legislation, by petition.

Referendum is a power that allows a meeting to be held for the voters to demand the acceptance or reconsideration or repeal of any legislative act

Recall is a power that allows the voters to demand the removal of an elected official

(you should have these as vocab cards)

House of Representatives 236 Members Elected every two years 21 years old U.S. Citizens Georgia Citizens for 2 years One year resident in their district

Georgia State Senate 56 Senators Elected every two years 25 years old U.S. Citizens Georgia Citizens for 2 years One year resident in their district

Senators Saxby Chambliss

(Republican)

SenatorsJohnny Isakson (Republican)

Georgia Executive: Plural Executive

Governor All are elected to max of 2 4 year terms, but can

sit out for 4 yrs and run again 15 Years U.S. Citizen 6 years Georgia Resident 30 years old

Lt. Governor 15 Years U.S. Citizen 6 years Georgia Resident 30 years old

http://georgia.gov/

Office Holder

Governor Nathan Deal

Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle

Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp

Attorney General Sam Olens

School Superintendent John Barge

State Agriculture Commissioner

Gary Black

Nathan Deal – Governor

Casey Cagle – LT. Governor

Executive Veto power; propose legislation, call special hearings,

pardons Appoints judges and executive positions:

Secretary of State Attorney General

Must have been an active-status member of the State Bar of Georgia for 7 years

State School Superintendent Commissioner of Agriculture Commissioner of Insurance Commissioner of Labor

Work on vocab 23 sections 1 and 2 9 total

The Georgia Judiciary The state is geographically divided into

judicial circuits, each of which must represent at least one county

Each county (159) shall have at least one: Superior court Magistrate court Probate Court State Court and Juvenile Court (where needed)

Set up of the Georgia court http://www.georgiacourts.org/

index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180&Itemid=27

Types of courts Superior court

The Superior Court is Georgia’s general jurisdiction trial court. It has exclusive, constitutional authority over felony cases, divorce, equity and cases regarding title to land.

Magistrate court jurisdiction includes: civil claims of $15,000

or less; certain minor criminal offenses; distress warrants and dispossessory writs; county ordinance violations; deposit account fraud (bad checks); preliminary hearings; and summonses, arrest and search warrants.

Probate Court This court handles matters concerning

administering the estate of a person who has died (decedent).

It sees that the provisions of a will are carried out or sees that a decedent's property is distributed according to state law if he/she died intestate

State Court and Juvenile Court The purpose of our Juvenile Courts is to

protect the well-being of children, provide guidance and control conducive to child welfare and the best interests of the state, and secure care for children removed from their homes

Juvenile Courts extends to delinquent children under the age of 17 and deprived or unruly children under the age of 18.

Georgia Supreme Court 1 court, 7 justices

Elected in a non-partisan election Serve unlimited 6 year terms Begin on January 1st

Admitted to practice law for at least 7 years

Other Courts 63 State Courts 159 Probate Courts 159 Magistrate Courts 390 Municipal Courts 2 Civil Courts 4 Recorder Courts 1 City Court of Atlanta

Judicial Qualifications Superior Court (45) Jurisdiction over trials in all felony cases

(except juvenile offenders) Also: title to land cases, divorce, and equity

cases Elected on a non-partisan basis, for unlimited

4 year terms Shall reside in the geographical area where they

serve Have been admitted to practice law for 5 years Same qualifications for Juvenile court judges (159)

Qualifications “cont” Probate (159 Courts) and

Magistrate (159 Courts) Judges are elected in non-partisan elections No law experience required General Assembly sets the

requirements

Vocab – 3rd period please get out 23.1 and 2 to be checked Everyone: Vocab due Friday: Chapter 23

Section 4 and Chapter 24 Section 1

IMPORTANT!! UNIT 9 AND 10 TEST WILL BE NEXT

WEDNESDAY, 12/11/13!!

Unit 9 notes handout

Tax System Georgia has a state income tax

Income tax: Tax placed on an individual or corporate income.

progressive tax: the more income you earn, the more tax you pay

Fixed at 6% once income exceeds $7000 So, someone who makes $1 million a years pays 6%, and

someone making $40,000 pays 6% Georgia also has a sales tax as well as a tax on corporate

profits

Other Taxes Georgia collects revenue from other places:

Sales Tax: a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services

Excise taxes: Selective Sales tax also known as a “Sin” taxes: gasoline, alcohol, and tobacco products

Property Tax: is the most important source of revenue for LOCAL

governments and usually includes the assessed value of land and buildings

Taxes Property Tax:

is the most important source of revenue for LOCAL governments and usually includes the assessed value of land and buildings

The process of calculating the value of the property to be taxed is called assessment

Land, farms, houses, and buildings are called real estate

market value: the amount of money the owner may expect to receive when a property is sold is the

Georgia Expenditures States spend and distribute money in

several ways: Social Security

Georgia Expenditures Corrections Construction Human Resources Medicaid Transportation Misc. Other (tourism, environment,

research, etc)

Education State Board of Education

187 School systems (members are either appointed or elected – local option)

159 County school systems 28 independent school systems

(larger cities)

Education Board of Regents 34 public institutions of higher learning

Research Universities(UGA) Regional Universities (Georgia Southern) Four Year Colleges (Armstrong State) 2 Year Colleges (East Georgia College)

Budget is not line-itemed The General Assembly allocated revenue in a

lump sum to the Board of Regents, and they allocate as they deem proper

State and Local State and Local GovernmentGovernment

Counties and townsCounties and towns

Structure

Other important information Densely settled areas adjacent to a

metropolitan city are called suburbs

In a town, borough, city, or urban district

City/County Responsibilities “cont” Police and Fire Protection Garbage & Solid Waste Collection/Disposal Public Health Facilities: Hospitals,

emergency services, animal control) Street & Road Construction/Maintenance Parks & Recreational Programs/Facilities Storm water, sewage, and disposal systems

“cont” Water storage, treatment, and distribution Public Housing Public Transportation Libraries, and arts and science facilities Terminal and dock and parking facilities Codes for building, plumbing, and

electricity Air quality control

County/Municipal Government 159 Counties (2nd to Texas – 254) 2 Types of Municipal Systems

Council manager Mayor/Council

Home Rule applies – minimal amount of interference from state authorities

Effingham County http://www.effinghamcounty.com/

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