American Government and Politics Today
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Transcript American Government and Politics Today
1
Chapter
Nineteen:
State and
Local
Government
Learning Objectives
2
Describe in general terms the differences
between the U.S. Constitution and state
constitutions, and the reasons for these
differences.
Describe the structure of the typical state
executive branch, including the weak executive,
and describe the obstacles to reforming the
system.
Explain the veto and line-item veto power of
state executives and contrast the exercise of
this power with the U.S. president’s veto power.
Learning Objectives
3
Explain the importance of legislative
apportionment, court decisions on
gerrymandering and racial gerrymandering, and
the principle of one person, one vote.
Evaluate the proposals for reform related to
legislative apportionment.
Describe and explain the significance of the
tools of direct democracy, including the
initiative, referendum, and recall.
Learning Objectives
4
Explain the various units of local governments,
including municipalities, counties, towns,
townships, and special districts.
Explain the various plans for municipal
governments, including the commission plan,
the council-manager plan, the mayoradministrator plan, and the mayor-council plan.
Learning Objectives
5
Describe how state and local governments
raise revenue through general sales tax and
property tax, and evaluate why state and local
governments are so vulnerable to economic
cycles.
Explain what services are provided with this
revenue, including education and public
welfare.
U.S. Constitution and the State Governments
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The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the
land.
States have the authority to lay taxes, spend,
and regulate intrastate commerce.
State constitutions tend to be much longer than
the U.S. Constitution.
Constitutional Convention and Constitutional
Initiative
The State Executive Branch
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Weak Executive
Reforming the System
Governor’s Veto Power
The State Legislature
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Legislative Apportionment:
Minority
Representation
Political Gerrymandering
Term Limits for State Legislators
The State Legislature
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Ethics and Campaign Finance Reforms in the
States
Direct Democracy: Initiative, Referendum, and
Recall
The State Legislature
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The State Legislature
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The State Legislature
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The State Legislature
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The State Legislature
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The State Judiciary
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Trial Courts
Appellate Courts
Judicial Elections and Appointments
The State Judiciary
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How Local Government Operates
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Legal Existence of Local Government
Local Governmental Units:
Municipalities
Counties
Towns
and Townships
Special Districts and School Districts
How Local Government Operates
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How Local Government Operates
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Consolidation of Governments
The
purpose of many COGs is the pursuit of
federal grants.
COGs can only recommend actions. They do not
have the power to make binding decisions on all
of the governmental units who have joined the
organization.
How Local Government Operates
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How Municipalities Are Governed
Commission
Plan
Council-Manager Plan
Mayor-Administrator Plan
Mayor-Council Plan
How Local Government Operates
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Machine Versus Reform in City
Politics
Machine
politics was an
important political structure in the
19th and early 20th centuries.
These political organizations
helped new immigrants by
providing jobs and services in
return for their votes to keep
them in power.
How Local Government Operates
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Governing Metropolitan Areas
Various
policy problems, such as crime, traffic
congestion and pollution, are not contained
within municipal political boundaries.
How Local Government Operates
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Governing Metropolitan Areas (Continued)
Possible solutions include :
Annexation by a city of surrounding suburbs.
Consolidation of city and county governments.
Set up a system of metropolitan government.
Create special districts.
Paying for State and Local Government
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State and Local Government Expenditures
State and Local Government Revenues
Struggle to Balance State Budgets
Borrowing
too much
Poor productivity
Health care costs
Paying for State and Local Government
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Paying for State and Local Government
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Paying for State and Local Government
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Web Links
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National Conference of State Legislatures:
bipartisan organization that serves the
legislators and staffs and provides research,
technical assistance and opportunities for
policymakers to exchange ideas: www.ncsl.org.
FindLaw: searchable database of state law
codes (statutes) and state court cases:
www.findlaw.com/casecode/state.html.
What If…All States Offered School Vouchers?
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All public education systems in the United
States are funded and controlled by local and
state governments.
School choice is open only to those families
willing to spend thousands to send their
children to private or parochial schools.
School vouchers could give parents choices to
send their children to any public or private
school.
What If…All States Offered School Vouchers?
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Voucher system would create competition for
students among public and private schools.
Critics fear that some public schools could not
attract students and survive.
Other critics argue that it violates the
separation of church and state if state monies
are spent at religious schools.
You Can Make a Difference: Learning About Local
Politics and Government in Your Community
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Local government impacts areas of education,
health, employment, and crime, which affects
you, your family, and your friends.
You Can Make a Difference: Learning About Local
Politics and Government in Your Community
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Students can:
Attend a neighborhood association meeting.
Attend a city council meeting.
Attend a school board meeting.
Volunteer for a local or state campaign.
Run for office.
Attend proceedings at local courts.