Government StructureAn Overview

How is the Federal Government Structured?3 branches• Legislative• Executive• Judicial

3 branches• Congress• President• Supreme Court

Good sources: Ben’s Guide and Wikipedia

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=8jV4AHYjdL2JqM&tbnid=as06X1dAT_JJIM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foreign_policy_US_government_structure.png&ei=nHxBUp2QBfj-4AOr7oCIDw&bvm=bv.52434380,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNEVoDsoTQv7nApG29ZZNMYIj-_v2A&ust=1380109844766732

Legislative Branch

House of Representative• 435 members (up to 1 per 30,000 of the population)• 5 non-voting members from U.S. territories• One representative from each congressional district• The number of representatives per state is based on the

state’s population based on the census• 2-year term• No term limits• Must be 25 and a citizen for 7 years before running for

office. Must live in the state they represent.

Congress consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate

Legislative BranchSenate• Two representatives from each state• 6-year term (1/3 up for election every 2 years)• No term limits• Must be 30 and a citizen for 9 years before

running for office. Must live in the state they represent.

Find your Congressmen• State representative: House.gov• Senators: Senate.gov

Legislative Branch

• Write legislation (laws), debate and pass legislation• Some deal with taxes and appropriations (how money is

spent)• Approves the making of new money• Federal criminal laws• Can declare war

How a bill does NOT become a law on CNN and The Daily Show

Legislative Branch

How does it work? Source: House.gov

Both houses are equal, but generally bills are introduced and voted on by the House first. If they successfully pass the house, they are passed to the Senate.

There are also • Joint resolutions between both branches• Concurrent resolutions• Simple resolutions

Executive Branch• President• Leads country (Chief of the Government) and is the

“Commander in Chief” of the military• Must be 35, born in the U.S., and have lived in the U.S. for at

least 14 years.• 4-year terms• 2-terms maximum• The President has a Cabinet to help stay up-to-date and make

decisions. More at Ben’s Guide• Vice President: President of the Senate and becomes President if the

President can no longer do the job. • Departments: Department heads advise the President on issues and

help carry out policies. • Independent Agencies: Help carry out policy or provide special

services.

Executive BranchWhat does the President do?• Approves or veto's laws from Congress• Appoints the heads of federal agencies• Federal Reserve Chairman• Cabinet members More at Ben’s Guide

• Appoints the Federal JusticesWhat does the Vice-President do?• Prepare to be President• President of the Senate• Casts the deciding vote in the case of a tie

More information at: whitehouse.gov

Order of succession• The Vice President Joseph Biden• Speaker of the House John Boehner• President pro tempore of the Senate1 Patrick Leahy• Secretary of State John Kerry• Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew• Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel• Attorney General Eric Holder• Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel• Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack• Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker• Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez• Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan• Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx• Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz• Secretary of Education Arne Duncan• Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki• Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson

Judicial Branch• 9 Supreme Court Justices • Highest court in the country• Lower courts can appeal to higher courts

• Selected by the current President• Confirmed by the Senate• Main job is to interpret the U.S. Constitution• Can amend the Constitution

• No requirements• Lifetime term• Website: SupremeCourt.gov

Pennsylvania Executive Branch

Each serves a 4-year term with a 2-term limit (last 2014).• Governor Tom Wolf• http://www.governor.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx#.VPyWvvzF-60

• Lieutenant Governor Michael J. Stack III• Attorney General - Kathleen Kane• https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/SplashPage.aspx

• Auditor General Eugene DePasquale• http://www.paauditor.gov/

• State Treasurer Rob McCord • http://www.patreasury.gov/

Pennsylvania Departments• Department of Aging• Department of Agriculture• Department of Banking• Department of Conservation and Natu

ral Resources• Department of Environmental Protecti

on• Department of General Services• Department of Labor and Industry• Department of Military and Veterans

Affairs• Department of Public Welfare• Department of Revenue• Department of State• Pennsylvania State Police• Department of Community and Econo

mic Development• Office for Information Technology• Office of Administration• Office of the Budget

• Department of Transportation• Department of Health• Department of Education• Office of Consumer Advocate• Office of General Counsel• Insurance Department• Office of Public Liaison• Office of Victim Advocate• State Library• Department of Corrections• Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Cont

ainment Council• Pennsylvania Lottery• Pennsylvania Emergency Managem

ent Agency• State Parks• VisitPA.com

Pennsylvania Legislature

• General Assembly• 50 Senators• 203 Representatives

• Judicial Branch • 60 judicial districts with magisterial district judges

(formerly called district justices and justices of the peace), who preside mainly over minor criminal offenses and small civil claims• Judges serve 10-year terms

Local Government

When you go to vote, you will find local offices have elected officials as well.

Some examples are:• Tax collector• School board members• Coroner• Sherriff• Mayor

Find your representative: Legis.state.pa.us

League of Women Voters

This organization is an excellent source for election news and information.

League of Women Voters Websites• National: http://www.lwv.org/• PA: http://www.palwv.org/• Monroe: http://www.lwvmonroecountypa.com/

Review Questions

1. Who is the Pennsylvania Governor and what political party does s/he represent? Wikipedia

2. What is the name and local contact information for your U.S. Representative in Washington? House.gov

3. What are the names and local contact information for your U.S. Senators in Washington and which political party does each represent? Senate.gov

4. Who is your PA House Representative and what political party does s/he represent? Legis.state.pa.us

Review Questions

5. Which branch for the federal government includes the President and the Vice President?

6. Which branch of the federal government is responsible for making laws?

7. How many U.S. Senators does Pennsylvania have in Washington?

8. How many members of the U.S. House of Representatives are from Pennsylvania? http://house.gov/

9. What is the main job of the Judicial Branch of government? 10. How long does a Federal Supreme Court Justice serve? 11. What is the Pennsylvania equivalent to the national

Congress? 12. How long does a Pennsylvania Judge serve?