The New Face of State and Local Government

1
The New Face of State and Local Government

• Chapter 21

2
Introduction

• Subnational Governments
• State local governments have been characterized
  by revitalization and diversity since the 1960s.
• States have become more active players in
  policymaking.
• States still remain diverse in their populations
  and policies.

3
State Constitutions

• In General
• Each state has its own unique constitution.
• They are subordinate to the U.S. Constitution.
• State constitutions have more detail about
  specific policies.
• It is argued that specific interests work to
  protect their issues in the constitutions, since
  it is harder to amend the constitution.

4
State Constitutions

• Government under the Texas State Constitution
  (Figure 21.1)

5
State Constitutions

• Amending State Constitutions
• Few states rewrite their constitutions.
• States often use the cut and paste method of
  changing their constitutions by only updating a
  few sections of the document at a time.
• In general, a states legislature proposes a
  constitutional amendment, and then it is put to a
  vote in an election.
• Some states allow citizen initiatives.

6
State Elections

• Gubernatorial Elections
• Elections are becoming more centered on the
  candidates - like presidential elections.
• Elections are generally held in even numbered,
  non-presidential election years so the governor
  is the main candidate.
• The elections are expensive and candidates raise
  most of the money themselves.

7
State Elections

• State Legislative Elections
• State legislators have the smallest
  constituencies, yet the least well known.
• State districts had to be redrawn after 1962s
  Baker v. Carr specified the one person, one
  vote idea in state elections.
• Campaigns are getting more expensive and more
  candidate centered.

8
State Elections

• State Legislative Elections
• Partisan Competition, Legislative Turnovers, and
  Term Limits.
• Partisan competition is close in most states,
  often resulting in divided government.
• There is generally high turnover in state
  legislatures, which some think leads to new
  policy ideas.
• Some states have decided to force turnover by
  using terms limits.

9
State Elections
10
State Elections

• The Changing Face of State Elected Officials
• The old rule of white, male elected leaders is
  going away as more women and minorities are
  getting elected to governorships and
  legislatures.
• Progress has been slow in recent years, in part
  because of women running for federal offices.

11
State Elections

• Female Representation in State Government (Figure
  21.2)

12
Governors and theExecutive Branch

• The Job of Governor
• Expected to fulfill many duties, some formal,
  some not.
• There is a wide diversity in the amount of formal
  powers each governor has.
• Many governors have a line-item veto that allows
  them to cancel parts of a bill.
• Todays governors use personal powers to help
  accomplish their policy goals.

13
Governors and theExecutive Branch
14
Governors and theExecutive Branch

• Other Executive Officers
• Many other state executives are elected
  separately from the governor.
• Major state executives include
• Lieutenant Governor
• Attorney General
• Treasurer
• Secretary of State
• Auditor

15
State Legislatures

• General Information
• Generally operate like Congress
• Have become more professional
• longer sessions
• higher salaries
• more staff
• But others argue that it takes away from the
  citizen legislature favored by many.

16
State Legislatures
17
State Court Systems

• State Court Organization
• Many state court systems are confusing with many
  specialized courts.
• There have been efforts to consolidate the number
  and type of courts.
• Many states have established intermediate courts
  of appeal to take some of the workload off the
  states supreme court.

18
State Court Systems

• Prototypical Modern State Court System (Figure
  21.5)

19
State Court Systems

• Selecting Judges
• States use a variety of methods in choosing
  judges.
• Election (both partisan and non partisan)
• Appointment (mostly with confirmation)
• Relatively new method is the merit plan.
• Governor appoints one of several screened judges
• Voters approve / disapprove in an election

20
State Court Systems
21
Direct Democracy

• Methods of citizen control of the Government
• Initiative Some states allow proposed changes to
  laws be put on the ballot if enough signatures
  are collected.
• Referendum Used by most states to let voters
  approve / disapprove state legislation.
• Recall A few states allow voters to vote someone
  out of office.

22
Direct Democracy
23
State and Local Government Relations

• There is no guide for a state and its local
  governments.
• Dillons Rule Local governments have only those
  powers and duties explicitly given to them by the
  state.
• Some states allow home rule where a local
  government adopts a charter (like a constitution)
  to govern its activities.

24
Local Governments

• Types of Local Government
• Counties
• Townships
• Municipalities
• Town meeting
• Mayor-Council
• Council-Manager (city manager)
• Commission
• School Districts
• Special Districts

25
Local Governments
26
Local Governments

• Mayor-Council Government (Figure 21.6)

27
Local Governments

• Council-Manager Government (Figure 21.7)

28
Local Governments

• Fragmentation, Cooperation, and Competition
• There is not much cooperation among local
  governments in a state to solve problems.
• Regional governments are able to coordinate some
  activities in some areas.
• Differences in opinion on needs and competition
  make cooperation difficult.
• COGs can coordinate some activities as well.

29
State and Local Finance Policy
State Government Revenues and Expenditures
30
State and Local Finance Policy
Local Government Revenue and Expenditures
31
Understanding State and Local Governments

• Democracy at the Subnational Level
• States have been willing to let local governments
  be created to handle local problems and operate
  very openly.
• There are problems with lack of voter
  participation and coordination among local
  governments as well as competition for economic
  development.

32
Understanding State and Local Governments

• The Scope of Subnational Government
• State and local governments are growing faster
  than the national government.
• Some states have sunset legislation that calls
  for the reviewing of agencies to see if their
  programs are still needed.
• Some local governments are better able at
  policymaking than their states and have taken the
  lead in solving problems.