Missouri Government Test Review

What happened in 1821?

Missouri became a state

Missouri had 4 of these. What was the date of the most recent one?

4 ConstitutionsMost recent was 1945

Missouri has 8 of these.

Missouri has 8 in the U.S. House of Representatives (and 2 Senators)

Missouri has 10 of these.

10 Electoral Votes

(8 Reps + 2 Senators = 10)

There are 9 of these at the federal level and 7 in Missouri.

We have 7 Missouri Supreme Court Justices

Terms of Missouri Reps, Senator and Governor:

REPS: 2 YRS

SENATOR: 4 YRS

GOVERNOR: 4 YRS

How many terms can a Governor serve?

2 Terms

We have 45 in Missouri:

Circuit Courts

What it takes to override a Governor’s veto:

2/3rds Votes

The General Assembly has 34 members in the .

Senate

The General Assembly has 163 members in the .

House of Representatives

This lasts12 years.

Term of state judges

What are the qualifications, terms, duties of the Missouri Representatives?

24 yrs old, qualified voter for 2 years, resident of district for 1 year.

DUTIES: Lawmaking, starts impeachment

2 yrs, can be re-elected an unlimited # of times.

What are the qualifications, terms, duties of the Missouri Senators?

30 yrs old, qualified voter for 3 years, resident of district for 1 year.

DUTIES: Lawmaking, jury in impeachment, approves appointments.

4 yrs, can be re-elected an unlimited # of times.

What are the qualifications, terms, duties of the Governor?

30 yrs old, qualified voter, resident of Missouri for 10 years, U.S. citizen for 15 years.

DUTIES: Enforcing and administering the law, veto, appoints, pardons, calls special sessions, State of the State, chief of militia.

4 yrs, can only serves 2 terms.

Governor’s successors:

1) Lt. Governor2) President Pro Tempore of

the Senate3) Speaker of the House

List the officers of the House.

Presiding Officer=SpeakerIf Speaker is gone=Speaker

Pro TemporeMajority Leader, Minority

Leader and Maj, Min. Whips

List the officers of the Senate.

Presiding Officer=Lt. GovernorIf Lt. Governor is gone=

President Pro TemporeMajority Leader, Minority

Leader and Maj, Min. Whips

What are the duties and length of term of the Lt. Governor?

DUTIES: Presides over the Senate, rules on parliamentary points and exercises only tie breaking votes. He is the Governor’s successor, serves on many committees and represents the Governor.

4 year term

What are the duties and length of term of the Attorney General?

DUTIES: Chief law enforcement officer and legal counsel of the state.

Term: 4 years

What are the duties and length of term of the Secretary of State?

DUTIES: Records, files and certifies public documents of the state. Responsible for agencies that issue driver’s license and auto titles. Central election officer and keeper of The Great Seal.

Term: 4 years

What are the duties and length of term of the Auditor?

DUTIES: Examines the accounts of all state agencies to see if they are operating within the law. Submits annual report to Governor and General Assembly.

Term: 4 years

What is Missouri’s highest court and what are the duties?

The Missouri Supreme Court

Duties: Final authority on the state Constitution and the highest tribunal for any action begun in state courts, except when a federal question is raised.

# of Judges, length of term and qualifications for S.C. Judges:

7 S.C. Justices12 year termQualifications: U.S. citizen for

15 years, qualified voters of the state for 9 yrs, 30 yrs old.

What is Missouri’s second highest court and what are the duties?

Missouri Court of Appeals

Duties: Criminal convictions handed down by the Circuit courts may be appealed to the Court of Appeals.

# of Judges, length of term and qualifications for Court of Appeals Judges:

14 in East District +11 in West District +7 in Southern District=

32 total.12 yr termsQualifications: U.S. citizens for 15

yrs, qualified voter for 9 yrs and 30 yrs old, resident of their district.

What is Missouri’s lowest court and what are the duties?

Circuit Courts= 45 in state

Duties: Principal trial courts in the state.

# of Judges, length of term and qualifications for Circuit Court Judges:

133 Judges & 175 Associate Judges

6 yrs for Court Judges and 4 yrs for Associate Judges

Qualifications: U.S. citizen for 10 yrs, qualified voters for 3 yrs, 30 yrs old, residents of circuit for 1 yr.

Terms to Know: Committees

Committees-General Assembly members are organized into committees to conduct legislative business.

Types of Committees: Standing, Joint, Special, Conference and Ad Hoc Task Force.

Terms to Know: Line Item Veto

Line Item Veto – Governor can veto parts of a bill having to do with appropriations ($).

Terms to Know: General Assembly

General Assembly – The state version of Congress. It has two branches, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Terms to Know: Jefferson City

Jefferson City – State Capitol

Terms to Know: Reserved Powers

Reserved Powers – Those powers that the Constitution neither gives to Congress nor denies the states in the 10th Amendment.

Terms to Know: Delegated Powers

Delegated Powers – Those powers specifically spelled out and given to Congress in the Constitution.

Terms to Know: Missouri Plan

Missouri Plan: Special Commission selects a panel of 3

lawyers Governor selects and appoints a judge from

one of three candidates After judge has served a yr, he/she runs for

retention If people vote to retain, he/she serves 12 yrs

Advantages/Disadvantages of elected vs. appointed cabinet:

ADVANTAGES: The people have more say

in who gets the job. Less nepotism. People know more about the

cabinet members when elected.

More likely decisions will be nonpartisan.

DISADVANTAGES: There may be less

cooperation between cabinet members of different parties.

Money has to be raised for campaigning meaning cabinet members could be influenced by contributors.

Compare State and Federal Govt.

MEMORIZE 5 DIFFERENCES…..Example: U.S. StateLeader: President GovernorLegis: Congress Gen AssemblyConst: 2 4

Benefits of the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan vs. elections for Judges:

Allows voters to elect someone they agree with.

Limits the power of the Exec. BranchEnsures judges make decisions

consistent with public opinion.Protects against “extremist” judges.Balances the political parties in power.

LOCAL GOVT. – SPECIAL DISTRICT

Some Special Districts are established to solve specific problems.

Special Districts make their own policies, levy taxes and borrow money.

Examples: Water Commission, The Port Authority, the Local School District.

LOCAL GOVT – School funding, where does it come from?

State GovernmentLocal taxes (property taxes)

LOCAL GOVT – Mayor-Council:

The Mayor Council form of Municipal government (50% of U.S. cities use this form)

Elected Mayor, elected CouncilStrong Mayor or Weak Mayor

systems (pg. 666).

LOCAL GOVT – County-board:

A County Board (elected) has the authority to govern most counties. It can be called the County Board of Supervisors, the Board of Commissioners or the Board of Freeholders.

LOCAL GOVT – County-manager

The County Manager's is responsible for: Implementing policies established by

the County Commission. Coordinating the work of County

agencies.Representing the County in dealings

with other govt units and agencies.