Missouri constitution

3.What is one of the Missouri constitution's basic principles and what does it mean?

"... all political power is vested in, and derived from the people." This quote means that the people are in charge of state government.

10.How many departments are in the Executive Branch?

14 departments

6.When was Missouri first admitted to the Union?

1821

36.What are the qualifications for serving in the House?

A person must be at least 24 years old, a qualified voter in the state for at least two years, and a resident in his district for at least one year.

5.Who was Missouri's first governor?

Alexander McNair

41.*Explain the differences between criminal law and civil law.

Criminal law cases are those in which there has been a violation of the law, which causes an injury to the state or society. Civil law cases are those in which there has been a dispute between persons.

37. *What are the duties of the Speaker of the House?

Duties of the Speaker of the House are; the presiding officer of the House is the Speaker. His responsibilities include appointing all committee members and chairpersons. He also assigns new bills to House committees and signs all official papers of the House.

24. ******What is the name of the Missouri legislature?

General Assembly

4.Briefly describe the major provisions of Missouri's first constitution.

It gave the voters the right to regulate state Gov., gave voters the right to alter or abolish the state constitution either in part or in full. 13 articles that covered a) powers of the government b) powers of legislature c) powers of executive d) interpretive powers of the judicial branch. And it also provided guidelines on education, banking, the state militia, and amending the constitution.

7.How is the government of Missouri similar to the United States and the other 49 states?

It is divided into three principal branches: the legislative, the executive and the judicial.

21.*What does the Missouri Secretary of State do?

It is the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Missouri and custodian of the state's records. Throughout the years the Secretary of State becomes the state's chief elections officer, enforcer of business and investment laws, overseer of campaign practices and a major publisher of books and documents.

25.*What are the two houses of the Missouri legislature and how many members are in each?

It splits into two bodies. The chamber with the largest membership is the House of Representatives with 163 members. The smaller chamber is the Senate which has 34 members.

8.When was the present constitution written?

It was written in 1945

11. Explain what a referendum is.

It's when a measure is put to the people for a vote by the General Assembly, or by the referendum petition, is approved by the people. The item becomes law upon that approval.

14.*Who is the governor of Missouri?

Jay Nixon

28.***********What is Missouri's state capital?

Jefferson City

16. *How many terms may a governor serve?

Serves a term of four years, maximum of two terms.

19.What are some legislative powers of the governor?

Some legislative powers vested in the Governor are; the Missouri Constitution enables him to send messages to the legislative covering his suggested budget and legislative program, approve or veto bills, ****and call special sessions of the General Assembly. Because of his power to regulate appropriation bills, much of his attention must be devoted to money issues.

27. What is so special about a special session of the General Assembly?

Special sessions of the Assembly are called by the Governor at any time, and the General Assembly can call itself into special session if three-fourths of the members in both chambers agree (U.S. Congress doesn't have this power)

23. *Explain the duties of the Attorney General.

The Attorney General must prosecute or defend all appeals to which the state is a party. This deals with every felony criminal case, which is appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court and courts of appeal. The Attorney General is also required to represent various state officials, boards and agencies in appeals taken from their decisions and orders. They have the responsibility of giving official opinions to the General Assembly, the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, the heads of various state departments and the circuit or prosecuting attorneys on any question relating to their duties.

2.What document helped guide the delegates in writing the constitution?

The Constitution of Kentucky U.S constitution bill of rights

45. What type of cases does the Court of Appeals hear?

The Court of Appeals has general appellate jurisdiction in all cases not within the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

15. *When and how often is the governor elected?

The Governor is elected by the voters of the state in the presidential election year. Which is every four years

18. *What are some of the executive duties of the governor?

The Governor's primary duty is to carry out the laws of the state. He also appoints many officials whose jobs involve the enforcement of laws. He appoints the judges of those state courts which operate under the non-partisan court plan. The Governor has the authority to fill all vacancies occurring in state and county offices. Carries out the laws of the state

9.What six offices are in the Executive Branch?

The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Treasurer and State Auditor.

22. *What is the difference between the Missouri State Auditor and the State Treasurer?

The Missouri State Auditor establishes proper methods of accounting for all public officials of the state, to audit the accounts of all state agencies and to make all other audits required by law such as of school districts. The State Treasure is/are the custodians of state funds. They determine the amount of state moneys not needed for current operating expenses and to invest that money. The State Treasure is required when investing state funds to invest the moneys of the state in the safest accounts with the highest yield possible.

38. What does the Speaker Pro Tem do?

The Speaker Pro Tem presides over the House when the Speaker is absent. Both the Speaker and Speaker Pro Tem are nominated by the majority caucus and elected at the beginning of the legislative session.

47.What type of cases does the Supreme Court hear?

The Supreme Court hears cases concerning the constitutions of either the United State or of the State of Missouri.

13. How is the Missouri executive branch different from the federal government?

The executive branch is where all six officers are elected individually and independently of one another, which means that the Governor has no basic control over the other five executive branches.

42.Explain how the "nonpartisan court plan" works.

The nonpartisan court plan is the method used in filling judgeship vacancies in many Missouri courts. 1) when a vacancy occurs in a judgeship, a judicial commission recommends three names to the Governor. 2) the Governor appoints one of three to fill the vacancy. The new judge assumes his duties immediately, but his appointive term expires on December 31 following the next regular election. 3) if the judge wishes to continue to hold his job, he must file his candidacy for election in November. 4) If a majority of the voters choose to keep the judge, he will serve a full term.

12.Explain what an initiative is.

The process of initiative happens when a group of people write a proposal for a law and acquire enough signatures on a petition. When a measure proposed by initiative is approved by the people it becomes a law of the state.

17.*What are the qualifications for being governor of Missouri?

The qualifications to be the governor include: being at least 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States for at least 15 years and a resident of Missouri for at least 10 years.

40. What is the responsibility of the judicial branch?

The responsibility of the judicial branch is to interpret the laws of the state as passed by the legislative, and it also attempts to settle controversial issues.

48. *How many justices serve on the Missouri Supreme Court?

There are 7

44. How many court of appeal are there and where are they located?

There are three courts of appeals in Missouri: St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield.

30. Why are half of all senators elected every two years?

They are elected every two years to insure that there will always be 17 experienced senators.

35. How long is a term for a Missouri representative?

They are elected for two-year terms.

29. How long is a term for a Missouri senator?

They are four-year terms.

43.Where do legal activities begin?

They begin or take place in the Circuit Court.

39. What do Party Whips do?

They direct the support of members of their party for the party's programs and objectives.

26. When does the Missouri legislature meet?

They meet on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January every year. Until middle of may

50. *How is the chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court chosen and how long do they serve?

They select one of their number/members to be chief justice, usually for a period of two years.

49. *How long is one term for a Missouri Supreme Court justice?

They serve 12 year terms

46. *How long do judges of the Court of Appeals serve?

They serve 12-year terms.

34. What does the Secretary of the Senate do?

This person is responsible for the recording of each days' proceedings and maintaining all records.

32.Describe the office of President Pro Tem.

This person is the ranking member of Senate. These people appoint all committees, are elected by the Senate to serve on all standing committees. They are always from the majority party in the Senate.

33. What do the Majority and Minority floor leaders do?

This person manages all floor legislative action that the party is interested in. The Majority Floor Leader sets the schedule and order of business for the Senate.

20. What are the responsibilities of the Lieutenant Governor?

Under the Missouri Constitution, the Lieutenant Governor presides over the Missouri Senate. If the Governor leaves the office for any reason, the powers and duties of the Governor become the responsibility of the Lieutenant Governor until the end of his term.

1.When and where was Missouri's first constitution written?

When: March 1820. Where: St. Louis

31. *What are the qualifications for being a Missouri senator?

You must be 30 years old, a qualified voter in the state of three years and a resident of his/her district for one year.