Government Notes

General Information There are 3 branches to the United States Government: the Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch. They were written into the U.S. Constitution so that one group would not have too much power.

Jobs of the Branches Executive: This is headed by the President. Some of his powers: Signs & enforces laws Head of our armed forces Making treaties with other nations. (The Senate must approve all treaties)

Judicial: This branch includes the Supreme Court and other lower courts. The Supreme Court decides if laws agree with the U.S. Constitution. Inside the Supreme Court

Legislative: This branch is headed by Congress and makes new laws. Other powers include collecting and spending money from taxes and declaring war.

Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government. (Bicameral means there are 2 legislative chambers) The two houses of Congress are the Senate and the House of Representatives.

There are 535 voting Members of Congress; the House of Representatives has a membership of 435 and the Senate has a membership of 100. The NM State Legislature is made up of a 42- member Senate and a 70-member House of Representatives. The New Mexico State Legislature convenes in regular sessions on the third Tuesday in January each year. The Legislature meets for 60 days in odd-numbered years and 30 days in even- numbered years.

The NM Legislature meets in the Capitol in Santa Fe.

Levels of the Government: 1. Federal – This is the national government

2. State – Sets rules for county, city, town, and village governments. NM State Capitol (Roundhouse) in Santa Fe

State Government Continued: All state governments are modeled after federal government and consist of three branches. The governor heads the executive branch in the state government. Positions within the Executive New Mexico Legislature

3. County and City (Municipal) NM has 33 counties and 103 city governments. Each county is run by county commissioners who are elected for 4-year terms. They act as the executive and legislative branches. The legislative branch of a city is a city council. ABQ has 9 council members. ABQ City Council

A. Mayor-Council form: This is what Albuquerque and Santa Fe have. An elected mayor runs the city. The mayor is helped by an elected council that passes local laws. ABQ Mayor Richard Berry Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales

B. Commission-Manager Form: This is when a commission with five board members runs the city or town. They hire a manager who directs the daily business of the city. Sandoval County is an example of this. Hidalgo County Commissioner: Richard Chaires Hidalgo County Commissioner: Darr Shannon

Various State and City Officials: Governor – Susana Martinez Her duty is to carry out laws passed by the legislature. She can grant pardons on crimes. She prepares the state budget. She can institute a military draft of the National Guard. Plus many other jobs.

Lieutenant Governor – John Sanchez The main job of the Lieutenant Governor is president of the Senate. He is also the acting Governor when Martinez is gone from the state. He also serves on seven boards and committees.

State Treasurer – James B. Lewis One duty of the State Treasurer’s Office is to act as the state’s bank and records the receipt and disbursement of all state moneys defined by statute as being in the custody of or payable to the State Treasurer.

Mayor of Albuquerque – Richard Berry The Mayor basically runs the city. This includes getting the city’s financial house in order, beefing up public safety, water conservation, plus many more jobs.

Native American Governments 1. Pueblos: They govern themselves. The All Indian Pueblo Council was officially formed on November 5, 1922, at Santo Domingo Pueblo. Governors of the Pueblos act as representatives in the AIPC. This council deals directly with federal and state governments.

2. Navajos: The Navajos have the largest form of American Indian government. They created a tribal government in 1923 and have an elected tribal president. There are 88 council delegates representing 110 Navajo Nation chapters. Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye

3. Apaches: A. Jicarillas: The tribal government was established in 1937 with its own constitution and by-laws. The Nation is setup as a three branch government. They have an elected president, vice-president, and eight council members. B. Mescaleros: The Mescalero Apache Tribal Government includes a Tribal Council, President, and Vice-President. There are 17 Tribal Departments, each with a department director.

Big Ideas Federal and state governments are very similar and run much the same. Native American governments are separate from federal and state governments.