Rights and ResponsibilitiesRights and Responsibilities
Section 1: Section 1: Democratic GovernmentDemocratic GovernmentSection 2: Section 2: Structure of State GovernmentStructure of State GovernmentSection 3: Section 3: Local GovernmentsLocal GovernmentsSection 4: Section 4: Citizens and GovernmentCitizens and Government
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Slide 3
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:–How does Louisiana’s constitution
set out a plan for organizing the government?
Section 1: Section 1: Democratic GovernmentDemocratic Government
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Slide 4 Section 1: Section 1: Democratic GovernmentDemocratic Government
What words do I need to know?1. government2. parish3. constitution 4. federalism
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Slide 5 The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana
• Influenced by its colonial founders• Spanish: parishes (geographical
divisions of the Catholic church)• French & Spanish government
influences: civil laws based on civil codes
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Slide 6 The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana The History of Louisiana
GovernmentGovernmentGovernmentGovernmentGovernmentGovernmentGovernmentGovernment• Also based on British common law
system• common law (follows precedents)• civil law (uses a written code)• criminal law
(protects society from criminals)
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Slide 7 Foundations of GovernmentFoundations of GovernmentFoundations of GovernmentFoundations of GovernmentFoundations of GovernmentFoundations of GovernmentFoundations of GovernmentFoundations of Government
• People given authority to write a state constitution prior to statehood
• April 30, 1812: Louisiana 18th state to enter the Union
• Constitutional government• State powers derived via US
Constitution, describing specific state and local responsibilities
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Slide 8 The United States Constitution
• Reflects government by the citizens:“We the People” (1st phrase in Preamble)
• Identifies purpose, organization, & purpose of government
• Establishes division of power (federalism)• Article 4: U.S. Constitution
– Discusses shared relationship between state & federal governments
– Indicates powers belonging to the state• Bill of Rights (Tenth Amendment)
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Slide 9 The State Constitution
• Provides a framework for the state government
• Acts in the interest of the people• Protects the rights of citizens• State bill of rights stronger than the US
Bill of Rights– non-discrimination laws stronger & more
detailed and specific• Louisiana history includes 11
constitutions Click here to return to Main Menu.
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Slide 10 Section 2: Structure of State Section 2: Structure of State
GovernmentGovernment
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:– How does Louisiana’s government
operate?
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Slide 11 Section 2: Structure of State Section 2: Structure of State GovernmentGovernment
Executive Branch• Governor• Lieutenant Governor• Attorney General• Secretary of State• Treasurer• Other Elected
OfficialsLegislative Branch• State Legislators• Legislative Sessions• Law Making
Judicial BranchCivil and Criminal LawLouisiana’s Court SystemJuries
Funding State GovernmentThe State BudgetTaxesOther Sources of Revenue
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Slide 12 Section 2: Structure of State Section 2: Structure of State GovernmentGovernment
7. attorney general8. secretary of state9. treasurer
10. legislative branch11. bicameral12. census (Continued)
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Slide 13 Section 2: Structure of State Section 2: Structure of State GovernmentGovernment
13. reapportionment14. speaker of the house15. president of the senate16. constituent17. bill18. judicial branch19. civil law20. criminal law21. jury22. taxes
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Slide 14 Section 2: Structure of State Section 2: Structure of State
GovernmentGovernment
• Louisiana’s constitution:–Patterned after US Constitution–Three branches of government–Power divided
• Checks and balances• veto: refuse to approve
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Slide 15 Executive Executive BranchBranch
• Implements the laws• Operates state government• Oversees state services• Governor – chief executive officer• Other elected officials include –
lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, commissioner of agriculture and forestry, & commissioner of insurance
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Slide 16 GovernorGovernor
• Must be at least 25 years old
• A citizen of the US & Louisiana at least five years
• Elected for a four-year term
• Can serve two back-to-back terms
• Duties: prepares & submits a budget to the legislature
• Appoints citizens to boards & commissions
• Calls special sessions of the legislature
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Slide 17 Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant Governor
• Serves as a public relations office for the state
• Heads the State Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
• Somewhat like being vice president of the United States
• Acts as or replaces governor if needed
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Slide 18 Attorney GeneralAttorney General
• Heads the state’s legal office, the Department of Justice
• Provides opinions on questions of law to all state agencies & other government groups
• Can bring legal action on behalf of the state
• 1990s – Louisiana joins other states’ actions to sue tobacco companies
• Defends Louisiana laws if challenged
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Slide 19 Secretary of StateSecretary of State
• Chief election officer for Louisiana• Sole supervision duties of state held
elections• Keeps official records• Publishes the acts and journals of the
legislature• Keeper of the Great Seal of the state
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Slide 20 TreasurerTreasurer
• Elected head of the Department of the Treasury
• In charge of the state’s money• Keeps records of the state’s income
and expenses• Invests state monies not needed• Provides the governor and the
legislature a yearly financial report
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Slide 21 Other Elected OfficialsOther Elected Officials
• Commissioner of Agriculture– Promotes
agriculture & forestry
– Oversees soil & water conservation
• Commissioner of Insurance– Enforces insurance
laws passed by the legislature
• The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)– Supervises
education – Appoints the state
superintendent of education
– Three members of the board governor appointees
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Slide 22 Legislative BranchLegislative Branch
• Consists of two bodies: (1) house of representatives (2) senate
• Based on model called bicameral (two chambers): camera - Latin word for “chamber”
• Contains 144 members (39 Senators / 105 Representatives) elected from geographic districts
• New districts redrawn every 10 years based on US census and new population numbers (reapportionment)
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Slide 23 State LegislatorsState Legislators
• Old enough to vote (18 years old) old enough to be elected
• Candidate must be a registered voter• A resident of the state at least 2 years• One year resident of the district• Elected for two-year term• Maximum of three terms (total of 12 years)
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Slide 24 Legislative SessionsLegislative Sessions
• Meets every year• Even-numbered
years: meets 30 days during a 45-day period
• Tax bills: can only be passed in even-numbered years
• Odd-numbered years: meets 60 days during an 85-day period
• Speaker of the House: resides over the House of Representatives
• President of the Senate: resides over the Senate
• constituents: people legislators represent
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Slide 25 Law MakingLaw Making
• Writes and approves laws• Proposed laws (bills) in either
chamber• A bill becomes law:
– Approved by both the house & senate– Signed by the governor
• Interprets & applies the constitution and laws of the state
• Protects the rights of the citizens– life, liberty, or property– exception: by due process of law
• Rules established by courts
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Slide 27 Civil and Criminal LawCivil and Criminal Law
• Laws divided into two categories• Civil laws: relationships between &
among individuals• Elected & appointed officials• Laws enforced by sheriffs, police, &
city marshals• District attorneys: prosecutes criminal
cases in district courts• Clerks of court: keeps official records
for a parish
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Slide 28 Louisiana’s Court SystemLouisiana’s Court System
• Three levels• District courts, courts of appeal, & the
Louisiana supreme court• District courts (main trial courts)
• Hears both civil & criminal cases• Court of appeals (2nd step in the judicial process)
• to appeal – take a case to a higher court for rehearing
• Louisiana state supreme court (hears appeals from lower-level courts)
• Always reviews case in which defendant has been sentenced to death
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Slide 29 JuriesJuries
• Three reason for going to court• as a witness• as a participant in a civil lawsuit• as a person charged with a crime
• jury duty – when a citizen serves on a jury• Grand jury
• 12 citizens serve for six months• 1st step against accused criminal• Decision to indict a person
• Regular trial hears evidence and rules on the defendant’s innocence or guilt
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Slide 30 Funding State GovernmentFunding State Government
• State needs money to function• Budget requires detailed planning
from state government to meet needs of its people
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Slide 31 The State BudgetThe State Budget
• Budget requires plan of receiving & spending money
• Revenue estimate each year• How much?• How to spend?
• Budget from governor• Includes revenue & expenditure
• Balanced budget state constitutional requirement
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Slide 32 TaxesTaxes
• Taxes: federal, state, and local monies collected from citizens that help provide government services
• Sales tax: charges on items purchased (largest single source of tax revenue)
• Excise tax: charges on gasoline, alcohol, soft drinks, and cigarettes
• Severance tax: charge for removing natural resources
• Income tax: based on salary/income
• Property tax: on homes and land
• Homestead exemption tax: based on value of a home according to the exemption scale
• Taxes on vehicles
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Slide 33 Other Sources of Revenue
• Additional tax revenue•Fees from drivers’ licenses•Fees from business licenses
• Interest from state investments
• Money earned from oil & gas royalties
• Royalties from state-owned lands
• Hundreds of millions of $ paid to state in settlements
• Monies received from the 8g fund
• The Millennium Trust Fund
• of budget received from the federal government
• Borrowing money by selling bonds to investors
• Gaming (legal term for gambling)
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Slide 34 Section 3: Section 3: Local GovernmentsLocal Governments
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:–What are the types of local
governments?
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Slide 35 Section 3: Section 3: Local GovernmentsLocal Governments
- What words do I need to know?1. police jury2. home rule3. municipality
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Slide 36 Parish GovernmentParish Government
• Primary local government division• System of 64 parishes since 1912• Parish government & courthouse
located in town or city known as the parish seat
• 1st set up as church divisions during Spanish colonial Louisiana
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Slide 37 Police JuryPolice Jury
• Citizens chosen to supervise (or police the parish)
• Group referred to as a jury• 46 (out of 64) parishes still the same • 5 – 15 elected members• Passes local laws for the parish• Responsible for building and
maintaining parish roads & buildings
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Slide 38 Police JuryPolice Jury
• Authority to raise money for expenses• Appoints parish registrar of voters &
the treasurer, tax collector, sheriff, district attorney, clerk of the court
• Create special districts • Report only to the voters
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Slide 39 Other Parish Government Other Parish Government PlansPlans
• Local governments have more power through Louisiana’s current constitution
• home rule: power of political subdivisions to govern themselves
• home rule charter: community can organize local government in a form other than police jury
• combined government: city and parish government in one body
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Slide 40 School BoardsSchool Boards
• Same political boundaries as the parishesExceptions: City districts of Baker, Bogalusa, Monroe, and Zachary
• Board members elected based on population• Four-year terms for members• Not a part of parish government• Closely regulated by the state• School operating monies come from the state
and from local taxes and bonds• Board appointed superintendent in each local
system
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Slide 41 MunicipalitiesMunicipalities
• Political boundaries• Cities and towns• villages: smallest municipalities
(population from 150 to 999)• town: larger municipalities (when the
population reaches 1,000)• city: 5000+ population• A mayor & a council (or a group of
commissioners): elected by each local group
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Slide 42 Section 4: Section 4:
Citizens and GovernmentCitizens and Government
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:–What are the rights and
responsibilities of citizens?
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Slide 43 Section 4: Section 4:
Citizens and GovernmentCitizens and Government
What words do I need to know?1. open primary2. lobbying3. civic
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Slide 44 Voting and ElectionsVoting and Elections
• 26th amendment (1971): US constitution changes right to vote from 21 to 18
• Must live in parish to register in that parish• register at registrar of voters’ office, by
mail, or at the Office of Motor Vehicles• Voter not limited to one party• runoff election: when two candidates
receive the most votes – either from the same party or different political parties
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Slide 45 Political PartiesPolitical Parties
• Organizations of people having similar ideas about how government should be operated
• 1st parties: formed around Thomas Jefferson & Alexander Hamilton
• Major political parties: Republican Party & Democratic Party
• In Louisiana, more registered Democrats• Vote more by factions • factions: groups of voters with a common
interest – includes Catholics, Protestants, Acadians, & African Americans, etc.
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Slide 46 CampaignsCampaigns
• Candidates: campaign to win votes• Methods of campaigning
– Traditionally: Spoke directly to the people
– More recently: television, radio & newspaper ads
• Hiring of political consultants• Fund-raising now essential• Campaign financing limited by law• Disclosure required of amount of money
contributed and contributor
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Slide 47 LobbyingLobbyingLobbyingLobbyingLobbyingLobbyingLobbyingLobbying• Efforts made to influence a legislator• Lobbyist not limited to a special group, person,
or persons• Lobbying: done through letters and visits to the
Capital• Some lobbyists volunteer, others paid• MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving):
example of a lobbying group• Methods of lobbyist limited – example: using
money to buy influence prohibited• Lobbying at State & National levels often affects
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