State and Local Government Looking at Georgias Government

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

The “Empire State of the South” The “Peach State” n Population (2010): 9, 815, 210 million n n 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

n n Capital: Atlanta Economy: retail, service, manufacturing, timber/lumber (pine, hardwood), fishing (Brunswick & Savannah), and agriculture (peanuts, cotton, soybeans, tobacco)

State Data n n n n 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; 4 th of the 13 to sign the U. S. Constitution (Jan 2, 1788) State Fair: Macon (3 rd Week in October)

Geography n n n 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 n n n n Atlanta Savannah Augusta Albany Macon Brunswick Columbus

Georgia: Federal Level n 14 U. S. Congressional Seats 2 U. S. Senate Seats n 16 Total Electoral College Votes n

Structure of Government n n n Executive Branch Legislative Judicial

Constitutional Basis of State Government n n n 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: n Chapter 23 sections 1, 2

Legislative Power: The General Assembly n Two Chambers: Upper House (Senate) n presiding officer of the upper house is the lieutenant governor n n 56 members Lower House (House of Representatives) n n In the lower house, the presiding officer is called the speaker of the house 236 members

Legislative Power: The General Assembly n The state legislature has the power: n n n 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 n n Elected for two year terms Congressional districts: http: //www. legis. ga. gov/Joint/reapportionme nt/Documents/congprop 2. pdf Governor can call special sessions

Legislature “cont” n Bills can be introduced in either the Senate or the House (bicameral) n n n 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 n 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 n n 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 n n n 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 n n n 56 Senators Elected every two years 25 years old U. S. Citizens Georgia Citizens for 2 years One year resident in their district

n n Senators Saxby Chambliss (Republican) Senators Johnny Isakson (Republican)

Georgia Executive: Plural Executive n n http: //georgia. gov/ Governor n All are elected to max of 2 4 year terms, but can sit out for 4 yrs and run again n 15 Years U. S. Citizen n 6 years Georgia Resident n 30 years old Lt. Governor n 15 Years U. S. Citizen n 6 years Georgia Resident n 30 years old

Office Governor Lieutenant Governor Secretary of State Attorney General School Superintendent State Agriculture Commissioner Holder Nathan Deal Casey Cagle Brian P. Kemp Sam Olens John Barge Gary Black

n Nathan Deal – Governor n Casey Cagle – LT. Governor

Executive n n Veto power; propose legislation, call special hearings, pardons Appoints judges and executive positions: n n Secretary of State Attorney General n n n 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 n 9 total

The Georgia Judiciary n n 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: n n Superior court Magistrate court Probate Court State Court and Juvenile Court (where needed)

Set up of the Georgia court n http: //www. georgiacourts. org/index. ph p? option=com_content&view=article&id =180&Itemid=27

Types of courts n Superior court n n 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 n 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.

n Probate Court n This court handles matters concerning administering the estate of a person who has died (decedent). n n 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 n n 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 n 1 court, 7 justices n n Elected in a non-partisan election Serve unlimited 6 year terms Begin on January 1 st Admitted to practice law for at least 7 years

Other Courts n n n n 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 n n 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 n n n 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” n Probate (159 Courts) and Magistrate (159 Courts) Judges are elected in nonpartisan elections n n No law experience required General Assembly sets the requirements

rd 3 Vocab – period please get out 23. 1 and 2 to be checked n n 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 n Georgia has a state income tax n n Income tax: Tax placed on an individual or corporate income. progressive tax: the more income you earn, the more tax you pay n Fixed at 6% once income exceeds $7000 n n 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 n Georgia collects revenue from other places: n n n 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: n is the most important source of revenue for LOCAL governments and usually includes the assessed value of land buildings

Taxes n Property Tax: n n is the most important source of revenue for LOCAL governments and usually includes the assessed value of land 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 n n States spend and distribute money in several ways: Social Security

Georgia Expenditures n n n Corrections Construction Human Resources Medicaid Transportation Misc. Other (tourism, environment, research, etc)

Education n State Board of Education n 187 School systems (members are either appointed or elected – local option) 159 County school systems 28 independent school systems (larger cities)

Education n n Board of Regents 34 public institutions of higher learning n n n 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 Government Counties and towns

Structure State County City Town

Other important information n n Densely settled areas adjacent to a metropolitan city are called suburbs In a town, borough, city, or urban district

City/County Responsibilities “cont” n n n 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” n n n n 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 n n 159 Counties (2 nd to Texas – 254) 2 Types of Municipal Systems n n n Council manager Mayor/Council Home Rule applies – minimal amount of interference from state authorities

Effingham County n http: //www. effinghamcounty. com/Elect ed-Officials. 53. 0. html