Georgia's Legislative Branch (AKS 44 a, b, c, and d) PDF

Georgia’s Government LEGISLATIVE BRANCH AKS 44 © Brain Wrinkles  Legislature AKS 44 a The legislative branch is the one that makes the laws, and according to separation of powers, no other branch has the right to make Georgia’s la...

Georgia’s Government LEGISLATIVE BRANCH AKS 44 © Brain Wrinkles  Legislature AKS 44 a The legislative branch is the one that makes the laws, and according to separation of powers, no other branch has the right to make Georgia’s laws. Article III of the Georgia Constitution outlines the Legislative Branch and General Assembly. In Georgia, the General Assembly acts as the state’s legislative branch of government. The legislative branch is bicameral. It consists of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Under Georgia’s Constitution, the House must have at least 180 members and the Senate must have at least 56. © Brain Wrinkles  Georgia State Capitol – Atlanta Home of General Assembly © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Qualifications In order to serve in the General Assembly, individuals must meet certain qualifications. Qualifications for legislators in both the House of Representatives and the Senate include US citizenship, Georgia citizenship for at least two years, and legal residence in their districts for at least one year. Senators must be at least 25 years old and Representatives must be 21. Someone who is currently serving in the military is not allowed to be either a senator or representative. © Brain Wrinkles  Terms & Elections Members of both the House of Representative and the Senate of the General Assembly serve two-year terms with no limit on consecutive terms. General Assembly members are elected in general elections in their local districts. The entire membership of each body is elected at the same time and elections occur in even numbered years. © Brain Wrinkles  Duties The legislative session begins on the second Monday in January and lasts for 40 days. For the rest of their two-year terms, the duties of senators and representatives take place in special sessions and committees. Members work on making laws to ensure the welfare of citizens, voting on Georgia’s budget, and amending the constitution. Video (how the members of the General Assembly votes with electronic voting) © Brain Wrinkles  Duties While many legislative powers are shared by the House and Senate, some powers are reserved for one house but not the other. Only the House of Representatives may introduce bills designed to raise revenue, appropriate funds, or impeach. Only the Senate may determine the guilt or innocence of impeached officials or approve/reject appointments by the governor. © Brain Wrinkles  Georgia Senators © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Leadership The speaker of the House acts as the head of the House of Representatives. Members of the House elect him/her from among their members. The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate. Georgians elect him/her in a statewide election by popular vote. The Senate elects a president pro tempore and the House elects a speaker pro tempore to serve in place of the lieutenant governor and speaker when they are absent. The Senate also has a secretary of the Senate and the House a clerk of the House of Representatives. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Committees AKS 44 b Both the speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor appoint committees that focus on different issues and make recommendations about specific bills. The committee system is an important part of the legislative process as much of the work done in Georgia’s General Assembly takes place in committees. Both houses use committees to study bills before they are sent to the members for debate and vote. © Brain Wrinkles  Committees There are about 36 regular committees in the House of Representatives. Each representative sits on 2-3 committees that deal with things such as public safety, education, agriculture, transportation, etc. There are about 26 committees in the Senate. Each Senator is a member of at least three committees, and the lieutenant governor chooses each committee’s chair. © Brain Wrinkles https://www.legis.ga.gov/committees https://www.legis.ga.gov/committees  Committee System Some committees are permanent, lasting from one session to the next. These are called standing committees. * Some of the standing committees include Ways and Means Committee, which handles bills involving taxes; The Appropriations Committee, which works on the budget; The Judiciary Committee, which deals with bills concerning the state’s laws and court system. © Brain Wrinkles  Senate Rules Committee © Brain Wrinkles  Committee System Other committees are organized for a specific task and only last until their work is completed. * One type of special committee is an interim committee (Ad Hoc), one that works on assigned issues and concerns between sessions of the legislature. *Another special committee is a conference committee, which is appointed when the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill. This committee is made up of 3 senators & 3 representatives and must try to find a way to write one bill that both houses will pass. © Brain Wrinkles  Committee System A joint committee, another special committee, is made up of members from both houses and works on an assigned topic or issue. © Brain Wrinkles  Bill to Law (AKS 44 c) School House Rock Music Video on How a Bill Becomes a Law (3 min) “I’m Just a Bill” The Green Tree Frog becomes the state amphibian video (4:17) In order for a bill to become a law, it must go through a specific legislative process. (this is a summary, the full list of steps is also given later in the powerpoint) 1. Drafting – With the help of lawyers, legislators write the text of the bill. 1. Introduction – Either a senator or representative introduces the bill to the house s/he belongs to. 1. Committee Consideration – The committee studies the bill and decides whether or not they think it should become a law. If they approve, it is sent to the House and Senate. © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles © Brain Wrinkles  Bill to Law 4. Floor Consideration – The bill is read aloud in either the House or the Senate and members vote on the bill. If the majority votes “no”, then the bill dies. If the majority votes “yes”, then the bill goes to the other house where the process is repeated. 5. Governor Consideration – A bill that passes both houses is sent to the governor. The governor can sign the bill and it becomes a law, or veto the bill. It then goes back to the General Assembly for reconsideration. They can override the governor’s veto with a two-thirds vote in both © Brain Wrinkles  Bill to Law For a Bill to become a law, there are 16 steps in the process! These steps will be outline on the following slides. Bolded steps are key to understanding the process. 1. A legislator introduces an idea for a law. This may be done because of constituents (who they represent) concerns, at the request of the governor or floor leader, or something they just believe). 2. The legislator goes to the Office of Legal Counsel to determine and remedy any legal issues that the bill may face. 3. The legislator files the bill with the Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate. 4. The bill is formally introduced (1st Reading). 5. The bill is assigned to a standing committee. 6. The bill receives a second reading. 7. The bill is considered by committee (bill can be killed or amended). © Brain Wrinkles  Bill to Law 8. The bill is reported favorably by the committee and returned to the Clerk or Secretary. 9. The bill is placed on a general calendar. 10. The Rules Committee meets and prepares a rules calendar. 11. The presiding officer calls up the bill for calendar. 12. The bill receives a 3rd reading (it can now be debated and voted on). 13. If the bill is approved, it is send to the other house. 14. If the bill is passed by the second house, it is returned. If the bill is not accepted, it is either killed or brought before a conference committee. 15. If accepted by both houses, the bill is sent to the Governor for approval. The governor may sign the bill, veto it, or do nothing (it will still become law). The General Assembly can override the veto with a ⅔ vote. 16. Act is printed and becomes law on the following July 1. © Brain Wrinkles  Let’s Review! This video walks you through the © Brain Wrinkles process of a bill becoming a law in Georgia. © Brain Wrinkles  Funding and Spending AKS 44 d Most people don’t like paying taxes. However, without the government being able to collect money it would be almost impossible to provide safety, security, and services to the citizens. Revenue is money that is brought in (such as taxes). Total Georgia revenue was $37.7 billion in 2023 Expenditures (Spending) is when the money is spent. Georgia spent $30.2 billion in 2023 Video on where our tax money goes © Brain Wrinkles  Georgia Tax Revenue Individual Income Tax: People pay a tax on their income depending upon how much they make (and deductions based on other factors). This is the single biggest source of revenue for the state at 45% of the total. Corporate Income Tax: Since 1969 Georgia has charged a flat tax of 6% on the earnings of a company. This is 5% of the state’s revenue. Insurance Premium Tax: The state charges a tax to sell insurance in GA. This is 3% of revenue. © Brain Wrinkles  Tax Revenue (continued) Sales Tax: The state charges a 4% tax on retail (new) sales. Counties often add to this (it is 7% or even 8% total) in many counties. This brings in a large chunk of tax revenue at 30%. Sales tax was the largest single source of revenue for the state until unprepared food was exempted from state sales tax in 1998. Property Tax: Most property tax goes to county and city governments (most to schools). However, the state receives a small part, totaling only about 1% of state revenue. © Brain Wrinkles  Tax Revenue (still more) Excise Tax: Some items like gasoline, alcohol, and tobacco products are taxed more heavily. This is typically 1-2% of state revenue. Estate (Inheritance) Tax: If someone has a large estate (fairly wealthy) when they die tax must be paid on the inheritance. This is less than 1% of state revenue. © Brain Wrinkles  Non-tax revenue Fees: Some parks/locations and activities (like hunting and fishing) require fees to be paid to the state. This makes up 3-4% of the state’s revenue. Settlement Program: 2% of the state’s revenue is from a lawsuit settled in 1998 where tobacco companies have to pay states a huge amount of money for the damage caused by their products. State Lottery: Since 1993 Georgia has had a state lottery. This generates a large amount of money, 5% of the state’s revenue. Lottery proceeds must be used for education programs (HOPE Scholarship, Pre-K, technology). © Brain Wrinkles