MO Constitution

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.

How long do judges of the Court of Appeals serve?

12 Years

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

12 years

How many departments are in the Executive Branch?

14 departments.

When was Missouri admitted to the Union?

1821 as the 24th states of America.

How long is a term for a Missouri representative?

2 year terms.

How many courts of appeals are there and where are they located?

3 Court of Appeals Located in Springfield, KC, and St. Louis.

How long is a term for a Missouri senator?

4 year terms

How many justices serve on the Missouri Supreme Court?

7

Explain what an initiative is.

A group of people write a proposal for a law and get enough signatures on a petition. When the measure proposed and approved by the people it becomes a law of the state.

Explain what a referendum is.

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

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

A special session can be called upon by the governor at anytime and can be called upon by members of the assembly if ¾ of the members from both houses agree.

Who was Missouri's first governor?

Alexander McNair

What are the qualifications for being governor of Missouri?

Be 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.

What documents helped guide the delegates in writing the constitution?

Constitution of Kentucky, United States Constitution, and the Bill Rights

Explain the differences between criminal law and civil law.

Criminal law is a case in which a person can be fined, imprisoned, or executed. Civil law is a dispute between two people that can end up in someone paying for damages.

What do Party Whips do?

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

When and how often is the governor elected?

Elected during the presidential election year and serves a 4 year term.

Who is the governor of Missouri?

Eric Greitens

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

Gave voters the right to regulate state government, and the right to alter or abolish the state constitution either in part or in full. Consisted of 13 articles that covered, powers of government, powers of legislature, powers of executive, interpretive powers of the judicial branch, provided guidelines on education, banking, the state militia, and amending the constitution.

What is the name of the Missouri legislature?

General Assembly

What six offices are in the Executive Branch?

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

What are the responsibilities of the Lieutenant Governor?

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

What does the Speaker Pro Tem do?

He presides over the house when the Speaker of the House is absent. Nominated by the majority caucus and elected at the beginning of the legislative session.

What are some of the executive duties of the governor?

His primary duty is to carry out the laws of the state. He appoints many of the officials whose jobs involve the enforcement of laws and 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 too.

What is the responsibility of the judicial branch?

Interpret civil and criminal the laws of the state as passed by the legislature, and it also attempts to settle controversial issues.

When and where was Missouri's first constitution written?

It was written in March in 1820 and the constitutional convention convened in St. Louis.

Where is Missouri's state capital?

Jefferson City

What does the Missouri Secretary of State do?

Keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, custodian of the state's records, chief elections officer, enforcer of business and investment laws, overseer of campaign practices and a major publisher of books and documents.

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

Largest Chamber- House of Representative with 163 members Smallest Chamber- Senate with 34 members

Where do legal activities begin?

Legal activities begin in the circuit courts.

How many terms may a governor serve?

Maximum of 2 terms

What are the qualifications for being a Missouri senator?

Must be at least 30 years old, have lived in Missouri for three years, and lived in their district for one year.

What are some legislative powers of the governor?

Send messages to the legislature covering his suggested budget and legislative program, approve or veto bills, and call special sessions of the General Assembly.

What type of cases does the court of appeals hear?

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

What are the duties of the Speaker of the House?

The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House and he is responsible for appointing all committee members and chairpersons and assigning new bills to House committees and signs all official papers of the House.

Explain the duties of the Attorney General.

The attorney general is responsible for prosecuting and defending all appeals and presenting the assembly's opinion to the state executives,

What do the Majority and Minority floor leaders do?

The floor leaders 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.

When was the present constitution written?

The fourth states constitution was written in 1945.

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

The government has three branches of the judicial, executive, and legislative that prevent one branch from overpowering the other.

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

The governor has no basic control over the 5 other executives because he doesn't appoint them unlike the president's cabinet.

Explain how the "nonpartisan court plan" works.

The plan operates in the following manner:1) When a vacancy occurs in a judgeship, a judicial commission recommends three names to the Governor.2) The Governor appoints one of the 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.

Describe the President Pro Tem.

The ranking member of the senate that appoints and stands on all committees. Always from the majority party in the senate.

What is the difference between the Missouri State Auditor and the State Treasurer?

The state auditor is responsible for creating 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 treasurer is responsible for figuring out the right amount of funds needed to operate certain agencies and where to invest that money to get the best return and safety for the money.

What type of cases does the Supreme Court hear?

They hear cases concerning the US Constitution and the Missouri Constitution.

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

They justices select one of them to be chief justice usually for a period of 2 years.

When does the Missouri legislature meet?

They meet on the first Wednesday after the first Monday of the month in January. The session ends in the middle of May.

What does the Secretary of the Senate do?

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

Why are half of all senators elected every two years?

This system ensures that there are at least 17 experience senators in office at a time.

What are the qualifications for serving in the House?

To run for State Representative, 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.