Georgia’s Legislative Branch 2018

House of Representatives 1. What power does Georgia’s constitution give the legislative branch?  law-making power What is Georgia’s legislative branch called? Georgia General Assembly Started in 1777 as a uni-cameral legislature Reorganized in 1789 as a bi-cameral legislature with a senate and house of representatives What are the two differences in operations of the Senate v. the House of Representatives? Senate House of Representatives Only the senate can confirm appointments the governor makes to executive offices. Only the house of representatives can write appropriations (spending) bills

House of Representatives   SENATE House of Representatives Number of Members  56 180  Election November, even numbered years Term  2 years/term—unlimited # of terms 2years/term—unlimited # of terms Qualifications Age 25 years 21 years US Citizenship YES GA Citizenship  2 years Resident of district  1 year Duties Serving on standing committees Pass state’s operating budget Enacting laws Redistricting- every 10 years members draw legislative district lines to create maps for the Senate and U.S. House of Representative Vote to place constitutional amendments on the election ballot Presiding Officer for Each Party Lieutenant Governor  Speaker of the House is elected

5. When and for how long does the Georgia General Assembly meet? The session begins on the second Monday in January for 40 days that usually lasts until mid-March. (Breaks and recesses do not count as part of the 40 days) Other leaders in the General Assembly: Majority Leader- responsible for making sure its members vote for the bills and agenda the majority party favors Minority Leader- Same as majority leader Floor Leader- promotes interests of the Governor on the house floor

Committee System What is the purpose of the committee system? To study and review bills Define each type of committee Standing committees- permanent committees or those that continue for every legislative session. House has 36 and Senate has 26. Ad hoc- committees created for a special purpose Joint- a committee made up of members of the Senate and House Conference- Created when the House and Senate create different versions of a bill. The members of each house must compromise and make one bill for it to become a law. 9. How many committees are the General Assembly members required to serve on? Each member of the General Assembly is responsible for serving on at least two or three committees. 10. What do these committees have the power to do? Amend- Change Engross- Approve Kill- Dies in the committee

How a Bill Becomes a Law

1996 Olympics Short Term Long Term Economic Population