GMAS Government vocabulary

Speaker of the House

The presiding officer of the Georgia House of Representatives.

Lt. Governor

The presiding officer of the Georgia State Senate

Governor

Oversees operation of the executive branch of Georgia's government

General Assembly

The official name for the Georgia legislative body

Checks and Balances

A political system that allows one branch of government to veto or amend the acts of another to prevent one branch from having too much power

Civil law

Deals with people who have disputes between each other

Criminal law

Deals with people who break the law and are prosecuted by the state

21 years

Minimum age required to be in the state House of Representatives

Four years

Length of term for Lt. Governor and Governor

Appellate Court

Reviews civil and criminal cases that have been previously heard in trial court

Overriding a Governor's veto

A 2/3 majority in each house.

30 years

Age required to be Governor or Lt. Governor

Unlimited

Number of terms a Lt. Governor may serve

Committees

Where most of the work is done in both houses of the General Assembly

Paying taxes and serving on juries

Examples of responsibilities of citizens

Bill of Rights

A list of freedoms found in both the Georgia and United States Constitutions

Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation

Principles found on the Georgia State Seal

Two years

Term length for members of both the Georgia State Senate and the Georgia House of Representatives

Judicial

The branch of government that interprets laws

Legislative

The branch of government that has the power to make laws

Executive

The branch of government that has the power to enforce laws

Constituents

The people in each legislator's district

Three types of local government

Cities, Counties, and Special Purpose

County Seat

The city where the county courthouse is located

Municipality

Legal name for a city

MARTA, Grady Hospital, GA Ports Authority

Examples of special purpose governments

Juvenile

The court that deals with delinquent children

Nonpartisan elections

An election where candidates do not represent a political party - How most judges in Georgia are selected

Deprived

When a child has been neglected or abused

Delinquent Act

An act committed by a juvenile that would be a criminal offense according to adult

law.

Unruly Act

An act committed by a juvenile that would not be a criminal offense according to adult law

Property taxes

Largest source of revenue for counties

Public Safety

Largest expense for counties

County Commission

County governing body

City Council

City governing body