Lesson 2 – Legislative Branch in Georgia Georgia Studies Unit 9 – Government Lesson 2 – Legislative Branch in Georgia Study Presentation

Lesson 2 - Legislative Branch in Georgia ESSENTIAL QUESTION How do the desires of citizens to be secure and free develop into actions by members of the General Assembly? This is an essential question for this section of the chapter.

Federal System In a Federal system of government powers are shared between the national and state governments. The Federal government is divided into three branches – Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The State government of Georgia is also divided into three branches – Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The United States Legislative Branch is known as Congress. GA’s Legislative Branch is known as the General Assembly.

General Assembly Like the Congress of the United States the General Assembly is bicameral (two houses). In Georgia’s General Assembly the House of Representatives has 180 members (Representatives) and the Senate has 56 members (Senators). Senators must be at least 25 years old and citizens of the US. Representatives must be at least 21 years old. Representatives and Senators must be a legal resident of the district they represent and have lived in GA for two years. In Georgia, Representatives and Senators each serve two year terms and are elected in General Elections.

Duties of the Legislative Branch in Georgia Most important duties are making GA’s laws and passing GA’s budget. While the Governor of Georgia is responsible for distributing money the General Assembly makes the bills that actually raise the money. Amendments or changes to the Constitution are made by the General Assembly after passing a two-thirds vote.

Organization of the General Assembly General Assembly meets for its regular session starting on the second Monday of January each year. The regular session usually lasts less than two months. Most of the work is done through committees that deal with certain issues. The majority party (political party with the most elected members) usually heads the committees. Most members join committees that deal with issues important to the people they represent.

Legislative Process 5 Steps for a Bill to become a Law: Drafting – Legislators write the text of the bill (proposed law). Introduction – The bill is introduced to either the Senate or House of Representatives for discussion. Committee Consideration – The bill is assigned to a committee that studies the bill. The bill may be changed at this time. Floor Consideration – A vote is called during a regular session. If the bill is passed in one house, it goes to the other house for consideration. Governor Consideration – Once both houses pass the bill it is sent to the governor. The governor can then sign the bill into law or veto the bill (send it back to the General Assembly to be changed or rewritten).