1. Chapter 13 Lesson 1 State Constitutions Florida

2. State Constitutions Every state has a constitution.Every state has a constitution. Sets the structure for the state government.Sets the structure for the state government. Establishes the three branches of the government.Establishes the three branches of the government.

3. Florida Constitution 1 st Constitution was in 1838. Mostly a declaration of rights. In 1868, Florida adopted a new constitution −Voting rights to males over 21.

4. Florida Constitution In 1885, new constitution was adopted. Added in poll taxes Then it was amended and changed 149 times!! In 1968, our current constitution was ratified. −Reorganized the governor’s cabinet, state board of education, elections.

5. Florida Constitution Article I: Declaration of Rights (All people are equal) Article II: Defines state boundaries and location of state government. Rules for public offices. Article III, IV, V: Establish the 3 branches of government. Article VI: V oting and election rules. Article VII: T ax rules.

6. Florida Constitution Article VIII: Organization and power of county governments. Article IX: Public schools and state universities. Article X: Miscellaneous: All kinds of topics such as lottery, animal cruelty, & monorail system. Article XI: Amendments Article XII: Schedule for transitition between Constitutions

7. State Legislature

8. Legislators and Leaders 49 states have a bicameral legislature. Florida legislature is modeled after the federal govnt.

9. Legislators and Leaders Fl. House of Representatives Requirements: Must be 21, resident of district, resident of FL 2 years prior to election. Serve a 2 year term No more than 120 members Leader: Speaker

10. Legislators and Leaders Florida Senate (Upper House) Requirements: Must be 21, resident of district, live in state 2 years prior to election. 4 year term 40 members Leader: President of the Senate

11. Representation Districts Redistricting must occur after a census to ensure districts are equally represented. Districts that do not equally represent the voting population is called malapportionment.

12. Representation Districts Some districts had large populations while rural areas only had a small number of voters. SC ruled in 1962 that state leg. Districts had to be roughly equal in terms of population.

13. Legislatures at work SessionsIn FL 60 day sessions starting in March. Governor can call special sessions. Legislature can extend sessions for special things.

14. Legislatures at work PowersApprove governor appointees. Help people in district solve problems. Bring money to districts.

15. Legislatures at work Bills Main job: Pass bills Same process as in the federal government. Introduced by lawmaker. Reviewed by a committee. Goes to chamber for discussion and vote. If majority passes, then it goes to the other house. Once both houses approve a final version, goes to governor.

16. Legislatures at Work Citizen Power Legislature referendum : leg. Ask voters to approve a law. Such as borrowing money or raising taxes. Popular referendum : allows voters to repeal a law.

17. State Economic Issues Revenue and Spending Taxes are major source of income −Income −Sales Can come from other sources Fees on licenses

18. State Economic Issues Revenue and Spending Most taxes and fees goes to pay for services −Health care −Education −State workers −Police/Fire −Maintaining roads

19. State of Florida’s Executive Branch

20. The Governor Requirements Term 30 years old Resident & registered voter for 7 years. 4 year term Can only serve 2 consecutive terms. Can sit out a term and then run again.

21. The Governor Florida’s Governor – Rick Scott − Chief Executive – Carries out state laws (Main Job), appoints officials, & prepares a budget. Delivers “State of the State”. − Commander in Chief – In charge of National Guard (state Militia) − Ceremonial Leader – Greets important visitors & represents the state.

22. The Governor − Legislative Leader – Proposes legislation & approves or vetoes legislation. Can use a line-item veto (veto specific parts of a bill) − Judicial Leader – Offers pardons, commutes (reduces) sentences & grants parole (early release). − Party Leader – Leads the political party in the state.

23. Next in Line Lieutenant Governor– Carlos López-Cantera −Was appointed on January 14, 2014. −Florida’s first Hispanic Lieutenant Governor. −Next in line if Governor dies, resigns or is impeached. −Few actual duties. Mostly assists the Governor.

24. Florida’s Cabinet Members of the Cabinet are independently elected in Florida (Governor does not appoint them). All 3 were elected in November of 2010. Consists of 3 separate positions. − Attorney General – Pam Bondi Chief Legal Officer Responsible for the Department of Legal Affairs.

25. Florida’s Cabinet − Chief Financial Officer – Jeff Atwater Monitors the state’s finances. Audits and assures state programs are properly spending money. Oversees the proper management of revenue & spending of the state. − Commissioner of Agriculture – Adam Putnam Head of the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

26. State of Florida’s Judicial Branch

27. Lower-Level Courts Lower-Level Courts ( AKA Trial Courts – Judge or jury listen to evidence presented to reach a verdict [decision]) − County Courts – At least 1 county court judge in each county. 6-year terms Handles misdemeanor cases (least serious crimes, such as theft of a small amount of money or trespassing.)

28. Lower-Level Courts − Circuit Courts – Florida divided into 20 judicial circuits. 6-year terms Handles criminal cases - Person accused of committing a crime. Handles civil cases - 2 parties involved in a dispute with one claiming to have been harmed in some way. − Plaintiff – Person claiming to have been harmed. − Defendant – Person said to have caused harm.

29. Higher-Level Courts − District Court of Appeals – Florida has 5 appellate districts. To appeal means to ask a judge to review and reverse the decision of a lower court. The party who appeals may think there were errors made during trial that affected the outcome. Group of judges hear these cases. Serve 6- year terms. Decide to let earlier ruling stand, or overturn it.

30. Higher-Level Courts − Florida Supreme Court – The state’s highest trial court. 7 Justices (1 st appointed by the Governor, then must run for re-election every 6 years). Hears appeals from lower courts involving the death penalty, validity of a state law, or a provision in the state constitution. Issue (give out) written explanations of their rulings to guide judges in similar cases in the future.