Exam 1: Section 1: Organization and Structure of Government - Learning Objectives

Federal Government - Roles (S1.A1)

National Defense

Foreign Policy

Interstate Commerce

Currency

Federal Government - Components (S1.C)

Executive Branch (Leadership - Highest Level, Leadership - Lower Level, Operations)

Legislative Branch (Highest Level, Lower Level)

Judicial Branch (Highest Level, Lower Level)

Executive Branch

Leadership - Highest Level: President, VP

Leadership - Lower Level: OMB, Advisory commissions (policy) (Ex: Council on Economic Affairs)

Operations: (Top-Down Flow) Departments, Agencies (Ex: FBI under DOJ), Independent regulatory commissions (execute) (Ex: SEC, FCC, FTC), Divisions

Legislative Branch:

Highest Level: Congress (Senate, House of Representatives)

Lower Level: Support Agencies (GAO)

Judicial Branch:

Highest Level: Supreme Court

Lower Level: Court of Appeals, District Courts

Federal Government - Revenue Source (S1.A1)

Type

Regulating Body

Type

Income Taxes - Individual, Corporate

Payroll Taxes

Regulating Body: OMB

State Government - Roles (S1.A1)

Higher education

Transportation

State Parks

Prisons

Pass-through programs from federal to local level

Matters not handles at the federal level

Regulate local government

State Government - Components (S1.C)

Executive Branch (Leadership - Highest Level, Leadership - Lower Level, Operations)

Legislative Branch (Highest Level, Lower Level)

Judicial Branch (Highest Level, Lower Level)

Executive Branch

Leadership - Highest Level: Governor, Lt Governor

Leadership - Lower Level: Elected Offices (Attorney General, Secretary of State), Advisory commissions (policy)

Operations: Departments (DOT, Education), regulatory commissions (execute) (Ex: State Ethics Commission, Board of Regents)

Legislative Branch

Highest Level: General Assembly (Senate, House of Representative)

Lower Level: Legislative Services Agency

Judicial Branch

Highest Level: State Supreme Court

Lower Level: Clerks of Court, Appellate Courts, Trial Courts, State Law Library

State Government - Revenue Source (S1.A1)

Type

Regulating Body

Type

Sales Tax

Income Taxes - Individual

Grants

Regulating Body: Department of Finance

Local Government - Roles (S1.A1)

K-12 Education

Public safety protection

Public works and engineering

Public library

Run programming within guidelines set by the federal and state government

Local Government - Components (S1.C)

Executive Branch (Leadership - Highest Level, Leadership - Lower Level, Operations)

Legislative Branch (Highest Level, Lower Level)

Judicial Branch (Highest Level, Lower Level)

Executive Branch

Leadership - Highest Level: Mayor (strong), County Administrator

Leadership - Lower Level: Mayor (weak), City Managers Office, regulatory commissions (execute) (Ex: Civil Service Commission, Utility Board)

Operations: Departments

Legislative Branch

Highest Level: City Council, Board of Supervisors, School Board

Lower Level: Advisory commissions (policy) (Ex: Planning and Zoning)

Judicial Branch

Highest Level: Municipal Courts, Traffic Courts

Lower Level:

Local Government - Revenue Source (S1.A1)

Type

Regulating Body

Type

Property Tax

Local Sales Tax

User Fees

Grants

Regulating Body: Department of Finance

Interrelationships - Federal, State, Local (S1.A2)

Purpose

Funding

Operations

Purpose: Provide services to citizens

Funding: Federal provides grant funds to state for programs operated at the local level

Operations: States and local government can test policies and procedures for federal government, National Guard (state during peacetime, federal during national emergencies)

Legislative Branch (Federal Level) - Roles (S1.B1)

Enact laws

Collect taxes

Coin money

Raise armies

Declare war

Executive Branch (Federal Level) - Roles (S1.B1)

Command armed forces

Grant pardons

Appoint ambassadors / supreme court justices (with Senate approval - Legislative branch)

Judicial Branch (Federal Level) - Roles (S1.B1)

Legal cases involving constitution, ambassadors, and treat cases

Controversies between 2+ states

Controversies between members of different states

Interrelationships - Executive, Legislative, Judicial (S1.B2)

Passing Laws

Summary: Legislative branch passes, Executive branch implements laws (executes), Judicial branch interprets/settles disputes over laws

1) Law proposed to Legislative branch (Congress votes until one version passes)

2) Bill goes to Executive branch to be reviewed (President)

2a) Signed into law by Executive branch, or vetoed

2b) Veto can be challenged by Legislative branch with 2/3 vote in both senate and house of representatives

3) Judicial branch can overturn law if deemed unconstitutional through Judicial Review

4) Law entered into US Code

5) Executive branch writes regulations for implementation

Describe the doctrine of separation of powers, principle of checks and balances, and judicial review (S1.B3)

Separation of Powers: intentional division of responsibilities among three branches of government (Executive, Legislative, Judicial)

Checks and Balances: No branch of government is completely independent of the others

Judicial Review: Judicial branch can overturn laws passed by Legislative branch and signed by Executive branch

Hierarchy of Government Authorities (S1.D)

1) Constitution

2) Laws/Statutes (Legislative branch)

3) Executive Orders (Executive branch)

4) Statutory rules and regulations to implement laws (Executive branch)

5) Agency rules and regulations for daily administration (Executive branch)

Federal Government - Source of Authority (S1.D1)

US Constitution

State Government - Source of Authority (S1.D2)

State Constitution

Reserved Clause (10th Amendment) - any powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people

Local Government - Source of Authority (S1.D3)

Parent state government (creature of the state)

Ordinance: law enacted by local legislative body below state level

Federal Government - Limitations (S1.D1)

US Constitution and Bill and Rights

Separation of Powers / Check and Balances

Reserved Clause

State Government - Limitations (S1.D2)

US Constitution

State Constitution

Local Government - Limitations (S1.D3)

US Constitution

State Constitution

State Financial and Debt Limits

Citizens - Source of Authority (S1.D)

Popular Sovereignty

Initiative

Referendum

Recall

Ballot Box

Tribal Government - Relationships (S1.D4)

Federal Government

State Government

Local Government

Federal Government

Nation-to-nation relationship (not subordinate to US)

Cooperate for items of mutual concern

Council subject to federal income tax (not individual members)

State Government

Similar level of sovereignty

Local Government

No jurisdiction over tribes

Requires voluntary cooperation

Local Government - General-Purpose Government (S1.E)

Boundary and Leadership Structure

County

Municipality

Township

County

Boundary: Formed by state constitution

Leadership Structure: Elected board of supervisors appoint a county administrator

Municipality

Boundary

Anything not classified as County or Township (Cities, Towns, Boroughs, Villages)

Can change to serve a concentration of people in a certain area

Leadership Structure: Council-Manager of Mayor-Council

Township

Boundary: Historical and geographic roots

Leadership Structure: Elected board of supervisors

Local Government - Special-Purpose Government (S1.E)

Purpose, Fiscal Autonomy, and Leadership Structure

School District

Special District

School District

Purpose: Provide education

Fiscal Autonomy

Levy Taxes

Issue Debt

Leadership Structure: Elected school board appoints superintendent

Special District

Purpose: Demand for new/specialized service not provided by parent government

Fiscal Autonomy

Levy Taxes

Issue Debt

Leadership Structure: Elected or appointed officials

Quasi-Governmental Entities (S1.E1)

Purpose

Fiscal Autonomy

Leadership Structure

Purpose: Support businesslike functions

Fiscal Autonomy

Issue Debt

Expenses are expected to be covered by revenues/fees

Leadership Structure: Board of directors appointed by parent general-purpose government

Interrelationships - General-Purpose Government, Special-Purpose Government, Quasi-governmental Entities (S1.E2)

General-purpose governments give authority to special-purpose and quasi-governmental

General-purpose and Special-purpose can overlap geographically

Increases in special-purpose and quasi-governmental entities raises risk of fragmentation and overlap in government services

Commission (S1.C)

Leadership

Permanent

Temporary

Leadership: Commissioners either elected or appointed

Permanent: fulfills regulatory roll (Ex: SEC, FTC, FCC)

Temporary: study a particular issue (Ex: Warren Commission (JFK assassination), National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States (9/11)

Jointly Governed Organizations (S1.E3)

Purpose

Leadership Structure

Purpose

Coordinate services amount two or more government entities

Often developed in response to federal programs

Leadership Structure: board comprised of officials from cooperating government agencies

Number of Government Entity Trends

General-Purpose

Special-Purpose School District

Special-Purpose Non-School District

General-Purpose: number remains stable

Special-Purpose School District: consolidated (reduced in number)

Special-Purpose Non-School District: significant increase