La. Government
Ch 4
Mr. E’s Class
Mr. Olson, McNeese Student Observer
1. Which government: state, federal,
or both, collects taxes?
2. Which government protects your
religious choice?
Oct. 8, 1769 ~ Gov. O'Reilly
restricted New Orleans to only
twelve taverns.
For Your Information
Your poster map is due next
Tuesday, Oct. 14,
no exceptions
Pop Test tomorrow,
over North and
Florida Parish maps
Time to Think
If you could be an elected official what
would it be and why?
Think of local and national leaders
A judge? The Governor? A legislator?
Maybe even the President…
You have 2 minutes
Structure of State Government
What was our definition of government?
An organization in a society with the authority 1)To
Make, 2) Carry Out, 3) and Enforce Laws
LA’s constitution follows the US constitution, with
three branches of government.
Like the US government the state powers are
divided among the Executive, Legislative, and
Judicial branches
Branches
Which branch of the government do you
think enforces laws?
The Legislative, Executive, or Judicial
branch?
Structure of State Government
Fact 1
If you said the Executive branch, pat
yourself on the back!
The Executive branch
implements and
enforces laws.
Structure of State Government
Who do you think is the chief executive
officer of the state of Louisiana?
The Governor
Structure of State Government
Some other key positions that are part of
the Executive branch are:
Lieutenant Governor
Secretary of State
Treasurer
Attorney General
Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry
Commissioner of Insurance
Structure of State Gov’t
Fact 2
Who do you think makes the laws in
Louisiana?
The Legislative branch!
The Legislative branch makes the laws
for the state of Louisiana.
Structure of State Government
Like the United States Congress,
Louisiana’s legislature has 2 bodies-the
house of representatives and the senate.
This is known as “Bicameral” which
literally translated from Latin means “Two
Chambers”.
Structure of State Government
Key Positions
Any one old enough to vote is old enough to
be elected to the Louisiana legislature. The
candidate must be a registered voter, at least
18 years old, and a resident of the state for at
least 2 years, and of the district for at least 1
year.
Can you run for state legislature?
What about in 5 years?
Structure of State Government
The Legislature writes and approves laws.
Proposed laws are known as Bills, and
they may be introduced into either
chamber of the legislature.
Only about 1/3 of the proposed
bills become law.
Structure of State Government
That leaves us with just one branch left!
Which branch carries out (or interprets and
applies) the laws of the state and the
constitution?
The Judicial Branch
Structure of State Gov’t
Fact 3
The Judicial Branch of state government
interprets and applies the constitution and
laws of Louisiana.
There are 2 different types of law that the judicial
branch deals with.
We have covered one type known as…
Civil Law deals with the relationships between
and among people
Structure of State Government
What do you think the other type of law
could the courts deal with?
Criminal Law deal with the protection of
society from the wrongdoing of an
individual.
Structure of State Government
What do you think are some key
positions available in the judicial branch
of state government?
Judges
District Attorneys
Jury members
Limits on Power
Facts 4 and 5
The separation of power creates a system of
Checks and Balances within the government.
The Governor can veto (or refuse to approve)
bills passed by the legislature. The Legislature
can override a veto, but must do this with a
2/3rds vote.
The Judicial branch can limit the power of the
other two branches by exercising the power of
judicial review