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Illinois GovernmentState Government
The state government is divided into three branches; the legislative, the executive and the judicial. This provides a system of checks and balances that prevents any one branch from controlling the government. The legislative branch of the government makes the laws for the state. The state legislature is called the General Assembly and is made up of two houses: the House of Representatives with 118 members and the Senate with 59 members. Representatives are elected for two-year terms. Senators are elected for four-year terms. The political party with a majority of members selects the leader of each house. Bills, which are proposed laws, can be introduced in the legislature by any senator or representative. For a Bill to become a law, both the Senate and the House of Representatives must pass it by a simple majority and the Governor must sign it. If the Governor disagrees with the Bill, he can veto it and send the Bill back to the legislators. The legislators can override the veto with a three-fifths majority vote of both houses. The executive branch of government provides services to the citizens of the state. Elected state officials include the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General and State Treasurer. All of these officials are elected to four-year terms. The governor is the leader of the executive branch and appoints the department heads of the state agencies. These agencies see that the laws are enforced and government services are provided for all citizens of Illinois. The Governor also plans the budget for the state and makes suggestions to the legislature for new laws. The Lieutenant Governor is the first assistant to the Governor and would take over if the Governor were unable to perform his/her duties. The Secretary of State oversees state elections, keeps track of official state paperwork and publishes state materials. The Attorney General is the state's top lawyer. The Attorney General's office represents the state in court, enforces state laws and advises other state officials on legal matters concerning the state. The State Treasurer is in charge of the state's revenues, collecting state taxes and fees and paying bills. The judicial branch of the government hears cases about the meaning of state laws or whether people have broken the state laws. It handles disputes concerning personal rights (civil cases), and crimes against persons or the state (criminal cases). The Illinois Supreme Court is the highest judicial body and has seven justices elected to ten-year terms. The Supreme Court hears cases about the constitutionality of Illinois laws, or cases appealed from a lower state court. Lower state courts include the Appellate Court, which has 34 judges elected to ten-year terms, and twenty-one Circuit Courts, with Circuit Court judges elected to six-year terms and Associate judges appointed to four-year terms. Local Government County and municipal governments provide local government and services to the people. There are 102 counties in Illinois and each has a county seat. The duties of the county government include enforcing state and local laws, collecting taxes and other revenue and maintaining county roads. County officials include the county commissioners, county treasurer, county clerk, county attorney and the county coroner. Most county officials are elected to four-year terms. Municipal governments or cities also have their own laws, as long as they don't conflict with state or federal laws. They can levy local taxes and provide services to their citizens, such as street repairs or issuing wedding licenses. There are many elected municipal officials and their duties and terms of office vary from city to city.
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Study Guide Questions
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