Warm-up1. Collect the cut and paste activity worksheet.2. Complete the activity on the bottom of the

last warm-up sheet. HAVE OUT VOCAB HW FOR ME TO

CHECK

Warm-up1. Name the 3 branches of government

2. Name the 3 levels of government

Branches

Legislative Executive Judicial

Federal

State

Local

(page 108)

HAVE OUT VOCAB HW FOR ME TO

CHECK

Vocabulary Check- State Government

•System of government in which the federal government shares power with the state governments

Federalism

•Sharing powers between the central government and the statesFederal

System

•(List of) powers that are shared by the state and federal governmentsConcurrent

Powers

•(List of) powers that the Constitution does not give the national government that are kept b y the statesReserved

Powers

•Leader of the executive branch at the state level (similar to a president)

Governor

•Second in command of the executive branch at the state level (similar to a vice president)

Lt. Governor

•Legislative body of state government ( similar to Congress)

General Assembly

•A person not yet legally an adultJuvenile

•State trial courts that hear criminal and civil cases

Circuit Courts

•Cpuirt that offer quick, informal and inexpensive ways of resolving civil cases, also called the “People’s Court”Small Claims

Court

Vocabulary Check- Local Government

•A group of people who share the same interests and concerns Community

•Large territory and political division of a stateCounty

•A subdivision of a county that has its own governmentTown

•Power of cities to choose their own type of government, manage their own affairs separate from state or local governments but still follow state rules

Home Rule

•Document granting power to a local governmentCity Charter

•Town within the county that serves as the center of government and is where the courthouse is locatedCounty

Seat

•An elected legislative body for a county that is responsible for making decisions Board of

Supervisors•An elected legislative body for a city or town

governmentCity/Town Council

•An elected or appointed board that oversees the operations of the K-12 public schoolsSchool

Board

•Local law for a city or county Ordinance

•Executive leader of a townMayor

•Official employed by an elected council to direct the administration of its governmentCity Manager•County police officer (often elected) who is in charge of maintain the law and order of the county Sheriff

•An official entrusted to administer the laws (lower level judge)

Magistrate

•Local magistrate in charge of performing minor legal actionsJustice of the

Peace

State Legislative Branch

Virginia

Levels of the Legislative Branch

U.S.A. (national)• Congress– Bicameral

• Senate (100)• House of Reps

(435)

You have learned about…

Levels of the Legislative Branch

VIRGINIA (state)

• Virginia General Assembly

Today you will learned about…

The Virginia State Legislative BranchYour state government is Virginia1. Gets power from the national government

and Constitution

2. Exercises reserved powers according to the 10th Amendment

3. Has its own state constitution

4. Has 3 branches of government

5. Called the Commonwealth of Virginia

What is a “commonwealth

”?

A commonwealth is a “state in which supreme power is vested (given) to the people”. Government is a contract with

the people who are created equally free and independent.

Pairs Reading ActivityPass out the reading material on Virginia’s

legislative branch and the worksheet.

Students should read through the material and complete the questions on the notes.

VIRGINIAVirginia’s Legislature is called the

General Assembly

It has two houses, so it is bicameral

It is located in Richmond, Virginia (our state capital)

It meets annually for a fixed number of days.

STATE SENATE HOUSE OFDELEGATES

40 members 100 members

Serve 4 year terms Serve 2 year term

Your State Senator

Mark Herring (D)Salary $18,000 per year

Your State Delegate

David I. Ramadan (R) Salary $17, 640

•Must be at least 18 years old•Must be a resident of the state •Must be a resident of the local district that the person represents

Virginia’s Counties and citiesWe are here

The primary responsibilities of the Virginia General Assembly include:

1) Makes laws for the state of Virginia

2) The Assembly makes laws in response to problems or issues within the state

3) Just like Congress, the Assembly is influenced byindividuals and interest groups.

Issues of Concern for the General Assembly

Education promote informed and engaged

citizens

Example: Establish minimum standards for local

schools (SOLS)

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/3207868/va_s_tebow_law_finding_needed_support

Public Health promote and protect citizen’s health

Example: Fund health care benefits

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/3274483/broken_hearts_day

Environment protect natural resources

Example: Improve water quality in the

Chesapeake Bay

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1244602/will_virginia_create_a_plastic_bag_fee

State BudgetApprove a biennial (2 year) budget

Example: Prepared by the governor based on tax

dollars

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1352381/virginia_general_assembly_budget_vote

RevenueLevy and collect taxes

Example: Workers pay state income tax

• http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/2181966/film_day_at_the_general_assembly

Watch the General Assembly live!Sorry !... The General Assembly is out of session right now

http://legis.state.va.us/

Click the mouse button or press theSpace Bar to display the answer.

How Laws are passed in the General Assembly (lawmaking process)

A bill must pass through both houses of the General Assembly. The two houses are

State Senate and House of Delegates

The Process…….Introduce a bill

Work on the bill in committees

Debate on the bill on the floor of each

house

Vote on the bill in each house

Send the bill to the governor to sign into

law

Honors activity•http://lis.virginia.gov/