Name: Due Monday by 9 a.m.

Georgia’s Legislative Branch –Read Chapter 3 pages 72 - 75 to answer the questions below.
Identify the term, qualifications and duties of the legislative branch.
Senate House of Representatives
Number of Members 56 180
6 years each 6 years each
Election

Term 2 years (no limit on the number of terms) 2 years (no limit on the number of terms)

Qualifications
25 21
Age

US Citizenship 2 years 2 years

GA Citizenship 2 years 2 years

1 year 1 year
Resident of district
Presiding Officer
Speaker of the House The Lieutenant Governor
Presiding Officer

 Make members attend sessions in order to have a quorum (the number of

members—a majority—who must be present in order to conduct business)
 Control debate by deciding which member has the “right to the floor” (the
privilege of speaking) at any given time
Responsibilities of
 Decide on the order of business to be taken up
Presiding Officers
 Refer proposed legislation to committees
 Rule out proposed amendments that do not apply to the subject of the
legislation
Order a roll call vote on any issue
1. What is a constituent?
a person in a legislator’s district
2. How does the state ensure that people living in all parts of the state have an equal voice in the
lawmaking process?
about having the same number of constituents
3. Why are districts different sizes?
designed to provide a cross-section of all points of view
4. How does apportionment work?
Georgia population is divided to determine the number of constituents each House member will represent.
5. What is used to determine a state’s population? How often is it conducted?
Census (the official count of the population) of the United States
Which is conducted every ten years (2010, 2020, and so on)
6. Why is it necessary to redistrict every ten years? Give an example.
People move from place to place over time
A county in rural middle Georgia may have lost population because some of its residents moved to a nearby
county where a manufacturing plant opened up
new jobs.
7. Describe how Georgia is a citizen assembly?
It is members holding other jobs and returning to their home communities after the session ends
8. When is the General Assembly in session?
It begins on the second Monday in January and ends sometimes around the end of March.
Chapter 3: section 2--Organization of the General Assembly: (76 – 78)
9. Explain when the assembly adjourns.
The General Assembly convenes Regular Session each year (beginning in an odd-numbered year) on the
second Wednesday in January and usually adjourns at the end of May.
10. What is the purpose of the committee system?
Its cuts the workload and saves time
11. Why is it necessary for the General Assembly to use the committee system?
accomplish its legislative tasks
12. Define each type of committee:
Standing committees~ divides the workload and saves time
Ad Hoc~ created for a specific purpose
Joint~ made up of members of both the House and the Senate
Conference~ appointed when the House and the Senate pass different versions of a bill
13. How many committees does each chamber have?
Senate- 20 permanent committees, 4 joint committees, and occasionally temporary committees
House – 20 standing committees and one permanent select committee
14. How many committees are the General Assembly members required to serve on?
Each senator may serve on no more than two committees and one panel