| A | B |
|---|
| Rights | Standard or law that ensures that governments and other institutions protect people’s freedom and treat people equally in society and politics. |
| Responsibilities | Knowledge that actions have consequences, and that these consequences affect other people. Ex.- paying taxes, jury duty, protecting the country People living in the US and in GA have certain rights guaranteed to them in the Federal and State Bill of Rights. If people break laws and violate other people’s rights they will face consequences (arrests and court hearings). |
| Voting Requirements | must be 18 years old, be a citizen of the United States, and live in the county of GA where they wish to vote. |
| General Assembly | Is Bicameral (two houses) Every two years Georgians vote for |
| Governor | Every four years Georgians vote for |
| Lieutenant Governor | Every four years Georgians vote for |
| Senator | Elected to 2 year terms. Must be at least 25 years old and citizens of the US. Must be a legal resident of the district they represent and have lived in GA for two years. Most important duties are making GA’s laws and passing GA’s budget. |
| Representative | Elected to 2 year terms. Must be at least 21 years old and citizens of the US. Must be a legal resident of the district they represent and have lived in GA for two years. Most important duties are making GA’s laws and passing GA’s budget. |
| 5 Steps for a Bill to become a Law | Drafting, Introduction, Committee Consideration, Floor Consideration, Governor Consideration |
| Drafting | Legislators write the text of the bill (proposed law). |
| Introduction | The bill is introduced to either the Senate or House of Representatives for discussion. |
| Committee Consideration | The bill is assigned to a committee that studies the bill. The bill may be changed at this time. |
| Floor Consideration | A vote is called during a regular session. If the bill is passed in one house, it goes to the other house for consideration. |
| Governor Consideration | Once both houses pass the bill it is sent to the governor. The governor can then sign the bill into law or veto the bill (send it back to the General Assembly to be changed or rewritten). |
| GA's Executive Branch | Most important duties of the governor are to serve as the leader of the state’s executive branch, veto legislation put forward by the General Assembly, and appoint people to lead executive offices. Most important duties of the lieutenant governor are to serve as governor if the governor dies or gets too sick to work and also serves as the President of the Senate. The governor and lieutenant governor both have to be at least 30 years old, US citizens for at least 15 years, and a GA resident for at least 6 years. The Governor may run for and serve a second term. There is no limit on number of terms a lieutenant governor may serve. Elected to 4 year terms. |
| GA's Judicial Branch | The Judicial Branch is the branch of gov’t that interprets the laws. It consists of judges that serve in the Supreme Court and Lower State Courts. Supreme and Appeals Court judges serve 6 year terms and others 4 years. |
| Trial Courts | People’s actions are judges to see whether or not they have committed a crime. These judgments are made either by a jury (group of citizens) or simply by a judge. |
| Appellate Courts | Look over judgments made by trial courts. If someone believes that a mistake was made during their trial they may make an appeal. The appeal goes to an appellate court which decides if the trial court has made a mistake or not. |
