State Government Flashcards
Sovereignty
-the authority of a state to govern itself
Full Faith and Credit Clause
-ensures that each state will accept the decisions of civil courts in other states
Extradition
-the process of returning fugitives (to the state where they committed the crime)
projects
-the undertaking of a public improvement, disturbance, development, construction or land-use change
ex: highways, bridges
____ of the 50 states are bicameral (have two houses in legislature)
49
_____________ is the only state that is unicameral.
Nebraska
Bicameral Legislature
-legislature is divided into 2 houses
(bigger house - House of Representatives,
smaller house - Senate)
Unicameral Legislature
-a legislature that has only one house (Nebraska has a Senate)
States divide into districts based on ____________.
population
Most states have terms of ___ years for state senators, and ___ years for state representatives.
4,
2
Steps of passing state laws:
- Bill is introduced
- Bill is sent to Committee
- Bill reaches the floor
- Bill is sent to the second house
- Bill is sent to a Joint Conference Committee (only if needed)
- Bill is sent to the Governor
Steps of the process for citizens to start new laws:
- a petition is made with the proposition (what is being proposed)
- a certain number of people must sign
- if there are enough signatures, the the proposition will appear on the ballot at the next general election
- if it gets enough votes then it becomes a law
constituents
-citizens whom a legislator has been elected to represent
initiative
-the process that citizens are able to create/start new legislation
referendum
-method of referring potential laws directly to the people (constituents) for approval
recall
-the process for removing elected officials from office
incumbent
-an elected official who is currently holding office
Governor
-the chief executive in each state
Duties of the Governor
*leads the state government
* handles day-to-day affairs
* makes government appointments
*implements laws to meet the needs of the state
A candidate for governor in Florida must…
-be a U.S. citizen
-be at least 30 yrs. old
-have been a resident and a registered voter in Florida for at least 7 years
Most governors serve ___ year terms.
4
patronage
-power of a political party to recommend a person for a job
Most state constitutions contain:
-a preamble
-a Bill of Rights
-an outline of the organization of the state’s government
municipality
-a unit of local government that is incorporated by the state and that has a large degree of self-government
city
-the largest type of municipality; has many things provided by local governments such as police and fire protection
county
-a division of state government that is formed to carry out state laws, collect taxes, and supervise elections in a single small area
sheriff
-an elected official who usually commands several deputies and an office staff; they arrest law breakers and carry out the orders of county courts
charter
-a basic plan for a local government unit that defines its powers, responsibilities, and organization
ordinances
-regulations that govern a community
A _____ is a place in a state that has a relatively large urban population.
city
A ________ government is run by a board or commission, not by a single head of government.
county
The county ________ is in charge of enforcing laws and court orders.
sheriff
Local government has the power to pass ___________ to improve the lives of local citizens.
ordinances
What is the role of the Secretary of State?
-carries out election laws and keep state records
What is the role of the attorney general?
-handles a state’s legal business (matters concerning the law)
States choose their governors by conducting an _________.
election
What is the role of the state treasurer?
-handles all state funds
town
-a unit of local government, usually larger than a village and smaller than a city
town meeting
-all citizens meet regularly to discuss town issues and then vote
*works best in small populations
township
-a district divided into a 6 mile by 6 mile grid
special district
-a unit of government formed to meet a specific need
A school district is a form of ________ _________ whose function is to provide education to the citizens in the area.
special district
The earliest form of local government in America was the _____.
town
A _____ _________ is a place where every citizen can speak his or her mind about how local problems should be solved.
town meeting
State ___________ write laws.
State ____________ put those laws into action.
State _______ make sure everyone is following the rules.
legislatures,
executives,
courts
