The Legislative branch

 I. C.13 Legislative and Executive branch of N.C.  II. E.O.C. review  III. West Wing??????

 Bicameral legislature  Senate and House of Representatives  The Senate has 50 members and the house has 120 members.  Member of both houses are elected by popular vote.  There are 50 senate districts and 120 districts for the house.  Both senators and representatives are elected to two year terms.

 The legislative branch in N.C. is called the general assembly.  The powers of the general assembly are:  To make statutory laws that apply to everyone in the state.  To enact local or special laws that only apply to certain counties or cities.  These laws can determine how much money the state government will spend and how state expenses will be paid for. (taxes)

 The general assembly is in charge of oversight, which allows the legislature to review how well the current laws are working.  The General Assembly elects members to the N.C. Board of Governors and the state community college system.  These people can vote to increase tuition to colleges and in N.C.  The general assembly can also impeach judges and members of the Council of State.

 N.C. House: 21 years old, have lived in the district for one year before the election.  N.C. Senate: 25 years old, have lived in the state for two years before the election and one year in the district.

 The house has a speaker who presides over the house and makes key appointments.  The lieutenant governor is the president over the senate and is only a tie breaker.  The president pro tempore in the senate makes all key appointments for the senate and is the actual leader of the senate.

 The General Assembly meets in the Legislative Building in Raleigh  In odd years the legislature meets for a “long session” which usually last from January to June.  In even numbered years they meet for a “short session” which lasts for about 6 weeks in May.

 2005: State Lottery  2006: a new minimum wage of $7.25 an hour

 1. What is the purpose of legislative oversight?  What are the qualifications for members of the general assembly?  3. What are some of the responsibilities of our legislature?

 Our chief executive is the Governor.  Qualifications:  30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least 5 years, and must have lived in N.C. for at least two years before the election.  The term is 4 years. The state constitution limits the governor to two consecutive terms.  However you may leave office and run again.

 Carries out laws, prepares a budget as Executive/Administrative  Propose laws and approves and vetoes legislation.  In charge of military forces of the state and Commander in Chief.  Offers pardons; grants paroles as Judicial leader  Greets important visitors and represents the state as Ceremonial Leader  Leads the his/her political party of the state as Party Leader.

 Qualifications:  Same as governor and has a four year term.  The Lieutenant Governor and Governor run on separate tickets unlike the President and Vice President.  So, they can be from different political parties.

 The Governor appoints 10 head administrators to oversee separate departments. These people are referred to as a cabinet.  The cabinet reports directly to the Governor.

 The council of state is elected by N.C. voters.  These people head 8 state agencies:  Attorney general  Commissioner of agriculture  Commissioner of insurance  Commissioner of labor  Secretary of State  Superintendent of Public Instruction  State Auditor  State Treasurer

 The council operates independently of the Governor.  So the agencies will sometimes work at cross- purposes or even in conflict with each other.

 It gives the voters the chance to elect dept. heads that share their views on education, agriculture, etc….  It gives the attorney general and auditor more freedom to investigate wrong doings in other agencies b/c they do not have to answer to the governor.

 Few voters know anything about the Council of the State.  Having the governor appoint these dept. heads would create greater coordination in state gov’t.

 Who is our current Governor? Governor- elect?  How is the Council of State different from the Cabinet?

NC Supreme Court NC Court of Appeals Trial Courts Superior Court- hear and try felony criminal cases and civil cases involving >$10,000 District Court- only try misdemeanor cases and civil cases < $10,000

 1. What are the two types of trial courts in North Carolina’s Judicial system?  2. How are civil and criminal trials different?  3. Please turn to page 393 in your textbook and read about the Leandro case. When you are finished reading please answer the following question: Why was the Leandro case filed?