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Government StructureAn Overview
How is the Federal Government Structured?3 branches• Legislative• Executive• Judicial
3 branches• Congress• President• Supreme Court
Good sources: Ben’s Guide and Wikipedia
Legislative Branch
House of Representative• 435 members (up to 1 per 30,000 of the population)• 5 non-voting members from U.S. territories• One representative from each congressional district• The number of representatives per state is based on the
state’s population based on the census• 2-year term• No term limits• Must be 25 and a citizen for 7 years before running for
office. Must live in the state they represent.
Congress consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate
Legislative BranchSenate• Two representatives from each state• 6-year term (1/3 up for election every 2 years)• No term limits• Must be 30 and a citizen for 9 years before
running for office. Must live in the state they represent.
Find your Congressmen• State representative: House.gov• Senators: Senate.gov
Legislative Branch
• Write legislation (laws), debate and pass legislation• Some deal with taxes and appropriations (how money is
spent)• Approves the making of new money• Federal criminal laws• Can declare war
Legislative Branch
How does it work? Source: House.gov
Both houses are equal, but generally bills are introduced and voted on by the House first. If they successfully pass the house, they are passed to the Senate.
There are also • Joint resolutions between both branches• Concurrent resolutions• Simple resolutions
Executive Branch• President• Leads country (Chief of the Government) and is the
“Commander in Chief” of the military• Must be 35, born in the U.S., and have lived in the U.S. for at
least 14 years.• 4-year terms• 2-terms maximum• The President has a Cabinet to help stay up-to-date and make
decisions. More at Ben’s Guide• Vice President: President of the Senate and becomes President if the
President can no longer do the job. • Departments: Department heads advise the President on issues and
help carry out policies. • Independent Agencies: Help carry out policy or provide special
services.
Executive BranchWhat does the President do?• Approves or veto's laws from Congress• Appoints the heads of federal agencies• Federal Reserve Chairman• Cabinet members More at Ben’s Guide
• Appoints the Federal JusticesWhat does the Vice-President do?• Prepare to be President• President of the Senate• Casts the deciding vote in the case of a tie
More information at: whitehouse.gov
Order of succession•The Vice President Joseph Biden •Speaker of the House John Boehner •President pro tempore of the Senate1 Patrick Leahy •Secretary of State John Kerry •Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew •Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel •Attorney General Eric Holder •Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel •Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack •Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker •Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez •Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius •Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan •Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx •Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz •Secretary of Education Arne Duncan •Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki •Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers (acting)
Judicial Branch• 9 Supreme Court Justices • Highest court in the country• Lower courts can appeal to higher courts
• Selected by the current President• Confirmed by the Senate• Main job is to interpret the U.S. Constitution• Can amend the Constitution
• No requirements• Lifetime term• Website: SupremeCourt.gov
Pennsylvania Executive Branch
• Governor Tom Corbett• Re-elected in even years (2014)
• Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley• Re-elected in even years (2014)
• Attorney General Kathleen Kane• Auditor General Eugene DePasquale• State Treasurer Rob McCord
Pennsylvania Departments• Department of Aging• Department of Agriculture• Department of Banking• Department of Conservation and Na
tural Resources• Department of Environmental Prote
ction• Department of General Services• Department of Labor and Industry• Department of Military and Veteran
s Affairs• Department of Public Welfare• Department of Revenue• Department of State• Pennsylvania State Police• Department of Community and Eco
nomic Development• Office for Information Technology• Office of Administration• Office of the Budget
• Department of Transportation• Department of Health• Department of Education• Office of Consumer Advocate• Office of General Counsel• Insurance Department• Office of Public Liaison• Office of Victim Advocate• State Library• Department of Corrections• Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Co
ntainment Council• Pennsylvania Lottery• Pennsylvania Emergency Manage
ment Agency• State Parks• VisitPA.com
Pennsylvania Legislature
• General Assembly• 50 Senators• 203 Representatives
• Judicial Branch • 60 judicial districts with magisterial district judges
(formerly called district justices and justices of the peace), who preside mainly over minor criminal offenses and small civil claims• Judges serve 10-year terms
Local Government
When you go to vote, you will find local offices have elected officials as well.
Some examples are:• Tax collector• School board members• Coroner• Sherriff• Mayor
Find your representative: Legis.state.pa.us
League of Women Voters
This organization is an excellent source for election news and information.
League of Women Voters Websites• National: http://www.lwv.org/• PA: http://www.palwv.org/• Monroe: http://monroe.palwv.org/
Review Questions
You are going to hand these in today.
1. Who is your State Representative in Washington, and what political party does s/he represent? House.gov
2. Who are your Senators in Washington and what political party to they represent? Senate.gov
3. Who is the Pennsylvania Governor and what political party does s/he represent? Portal.state.pa.us/
4. Who is your PA House Representative and what political party does s/he represent? Legis.state.pa.us
Review Questions
Look at the Voter’s Guide on the Monroe County League of Women Voters’ Website.
5. How can you obtain an absentee ballot?6. How do they ask you to extend the term of a Pennsylvania
Justice? In other words, what are the choices you can select?
7. What do you need to bring with you if you are voting for the first time?
8. How many years does the Monroe County Sherriff serve per term?
