1. Unit: State & Local Govt

2.  On these slides, you will find a review of the
activities we did in class and the information
we have learned in this unit on state and local
government. You will also see examples of
multiple choice questions that demonstrate
how you might see the information on the
test.

3.  Overview of state govt
 Amending the Constitution of Virginia
 Virginia’s legislative branch
 Virginia’s executive branch
 Virginia’s judicial branch
 Organization of local govt

4.  What we did in class:
◦ Watched a video by Ms. Mitchem Productions that
did a survey of the unit
◦ Copied down unit vocabulary
◦ Went on a quest through the Virginia Constitution
◦ Completed a venn diagram that compared the
national govt and Virginia’s govt

5.  The Virginia Constitution distributes power among the
legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the state government
 The legislative branch is the General Assembly, a bicameral
legislature – the house of Delegates and the Virginia Senate – that
meets annually for a fixed number of days
 The executive power is exercised by the governor, who is elected for
a four-year term of office. The governor appoints members of the
cabinet, who oversee specific functions of government
 The lieutenant governor and the attorney general are executive
branch officers who are elected for a four-year term of office
 The judicial power is exercised by a court system that consists of
four levels or courts:
◦ Supreme Court
◦ Court of Appeals
◦ Circuit Courts
◦ District Courts (including small claims courts and juvenile and domestic
relations courts

6.  Constitution of Virginia
◦ Amendment process
 Proposal – action by General Assembly or
convention
◦ Ratification – by voters of Virginia

7.  Virginia and the United States both have
bicameral legislatures. This means that each
a. legislature meets twice a year
b. legislature has two houses
c. state has two representatives
d. legislature is elected every two years

8.  The correct answer is b. We know from our
last unit that the word “bicameral” means
having 2 houses. So if there’s a bicameral
legislature, that means the lawmaking body
has 2 houses.

9.  What we did in class:
◦ Took notes
◦ Looked at allegedly real bills in Virginia and in other
states
◦ Completed a worksheet that discussed current bills
going through the General Assembly

10.  The lawmaking process in the Virginia General
Assembly
◦ Introducing a bill Working in committees
◦ Debating the bill on the floor of each house
◦ Voting on the bill in each house
◦ Sending the bill to the governor to sign into law
 Elected officials in the Virginia General
Assembly write laws and take action in
response to problems or issues
 Individuals and interest groups help shape
legislation

11.  The primary issues in the legislative process
at the state level
◦ Education – to promote an informed and engaged
citizenry (i.e., establish minimum standards for
local schools)
◦ Public health – to promote and protect the health
of its citizens (i.e., fund health benefits)
◦ Environment – to protect natural resources (i.e.,
improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay)
◦ State budget – to approve a biennial (two year)
budget prepared by the governor
◦ Revenue – to levy and collect taxes

12.  The main reason the General Assembly has
committees is to
a. group members into different political
parties
b. make an annual budget
c. help newly elected members
d. consider and review bills that may
become state laws

13.  D is the best answer here. Some of the other
answers are true, but remember, the General
Assembly is the legislative branch of Virginia.
The primary job of any legislative branch of
govt is making laws.

14.  What we did in class:
◦ Watched a video clip of Governor McDonnell at
UVA’s graduation
◦ Took notes
◦ Created our hats on which we described different
roles the governor plays
◦ Learned about our projects on state and local govts

15.  The governor of Virginia exercises the formal powers
granted by the Virginia Constitution
 In carrying out both the formal and informal powers of the office,
the governor fills several roles, including
◦ Chief of state
◦ Chief legislator
◦ Chief administrator
◦ Party chief
◦ Commander-in-chief
 Cabinet secretaries and departments, agencies,
commissions, and regulatory boards
◦ Administers laws
◦ Enforces laws
◦ Regulates aspects of business and the economy
◦ Provide services

16.  All of the following help in Virginia’s
executive branch by administering and
enforcing laws, regulating business and the
economy, and providing services EXCEPT
a. cabinet departments
b. judges
c. regulatory boards
d. agencies and commissions

17.  The correct answer is B. Even if you didn’t
know if the other options are in the executive
branch, judges do not belong anywhere in the
executive branch. They are the central figures
of the judicial branch.

18.  We did the following activities in class:
◦ Finished up our sorting hat activity
◦ Watched a video clip of injustice!
◦ Took notes
◦ Analyzed a primary source

19.  Virginia, like each of the other 49 states, has its
own separate court system whose organization and
jurisdiction are derived from Virginia’s constitution
and state laws
◦ Virginia Supreme Court – justices, no jury; appellate
jurisdiction; limited original jurisdiction
◦ Court of Appeals of Virginia – judges, no jury; appellate
jurisdiction to review decisions of Circuit Courts
◦ Circuit Court – judge, with or without jury; original
jurisdiction for felony criminal cases and for certain civil
cases; appellate jurisdiction from District Courts
◦ General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations
Court – judge, no jury; original jurisdiction for
misdemeanors in civil cases generally involving lower dollar
amounts and original jurisdiction in juvenile and family
cases

20.  In Virginia, which of these courts is the only
one to utilize a jury?
a. Virginia Circuit Court
b. General District Court
c. Virginia Supreme Court
d. Virginia Court of Appeals

21.  The correct answer is A. C & D are appeals
courts, and as we saw before with the
national or federal judicial system, there are
only judges at this level. There aren’t any
juries in B, either. These are typically smaller
matters that don’t need a full jury to make a
decision.

22.  In class, we did a whole bunch of fun
things, but you’ll have to wait and see what
they are .

23.  The units of local government in Virginia are counties, towns, and cities. Local
governments exercise legislative, executive, and judicial powers
 Each Virginia county has an elected board of supervisors, which exercises legislative
powers, enacting ordinances (local laws) and adopting an annual budget
 Each Virginia county and city has an elected or appointed school board, which
oversees the operation of the K-12 public schools in the county or city
 Each Virginia incorporated town has an elected town council, which exercises
legislative powers, enacting ordinances and adopting an annual budget. A mayor is
elected either by the voters or the town council members
 Each Virginia city has an elected city council, which exercises legislative powers,
enacting ordinances and adopting an annual budget. A mayor is elected either by
the voters or the city council members.

24.  In Virginia counties, towns, and cities, a manager may be hired by the elected
legislative branch to oversee the operations of the local government
 In every Virginia locality, state courts resolve judicial disputes. Judges of the
circuit courts, district courts, juvenile and domestic relations courts, and
small claims courts hear cases in each locality
 The Virginia Constitution requires that voters in every locality elect a sheriff,
a clerk of the Circuit Court, a commissioner or revenue, and a treasurer
 Virginia local governments exercise defined and limited powers, including
the power to
◦ Enforce state and local laws
◦ Promote public health
◦ Protect public safety
◦ Educate children
◦ Protect the environment
◦ Regulate land use
◦ Levy and collect taxes

25.  All powers of local governments in Virginia
are given to them by the Constitution of
Virginia and acts of the General Assembly
 Not all counties and cities are given the same
powers. Cities have charters listing their
powers

26.  An elected board of supervisors is the local
legislative body in counties and is responsible
for passing laws (ordinances) for the county
 An elected council is the local legislative body
in independent cities and incorporated towns
 Individuals can have the greatest influence on
the decisions made by local government
officials

27.  The relationship between Virginia and its
General Assembly is the same as that
between a county and its
a. city council
b. ordinance
c. town manager
d. board of supervisors

28.  The correct answer is D. At the county level,
the board of supervisors is the lawmaking
body, just like the General Assembly at the
state level and Congress at the national level.

29.  This is it for the material for your test.
 Please also spend a few minutes looking over
your vocabulary as well.
 If you have any last minute questions, please
ask me in class or shoot me an e-mail.
 Good luck!!