Functions of a Legislature

1
Functions of a Legislature

• Policy
• Appropriation
• Constituent Service/Casework/pork (particularized
  benefits)
• Oversight
• Redistricting

2
 Legislatures

• Constituency
• Geographic
• Election
• Primary
• Personal

3
Legislatures

• Trustee Model
• Delegate Model
• How should it be?

4
Legislatures

• Professional v. Citizen Legislatures
• Pay Enough to make it a job (NY), a little
  extra (TX), virtually nothing (NH)
• Staff
• Partisan v. non-partisan, personal v. central
• Rise of staff/balance to Gov.
• Length of session
• Which was Kunins? What about NY?

5
Legislatures

• Term Limits?
• Why?
• Why not?
• Direct Democracy
• IR
• Recall
• Other Ballot Measures

6
Legislative Leadership

• How much power should an individual legislator
  have?
• 211 independent minds?
• How are leaders chosen?
• Leadership positions
• Functions Powers of leadership.

7
Source of leaders powers

• Ongoing support from majority of majority
• Stability of majority
• Staff support
• Information
• Carrots (many) and sticks (few) what do you
  suppose happens if a member votes against
  leadership?

8
Legislative Caucuses

• Partisan Caucuses (the 4 parties)
• Campaign Committees
• Regional Caucuses or delegations
• Issue-oriented caucuses (progressive caucus)
• Ethnic or gender-related caucuses

9
Legislative Committees

• How a bill becomes a law in NYS
• Role of chair
• How chair becomes chair

10
Debate in the Legislature

• Committee debate floor debate often pro-forma
• Red Hooper example not common in NYS
• Conference debate
• One-on-one negotiations

11
Paper Review

• Two types of papers
• Those from students who clearly read the
  assignment (majority). Of this variety, some
  students had questions, which they asked and were
  answered.
• Those from students who clearly did not. Of this
  latter variety, some came from students who seem
  to have not even done the assigned readings, and
  seem only to have read one of the two sets of
  speeches (both were assigned to all students).

12
Review of broad requirements

• At least two, top two grades
• One verbal presentation
• Actual Instructions (handed out, on web site)

13
Problems Deviation from format

• Names on papers no grade, as per instruction.
• Wrong size font
• No page numbers
• No student ID on every page
• How to do headers footers
• How to do end notes
• Long papers.
• A single-space paper.
• Incorrect citations.

14
Problems Insufficient research

• Little research beyond assigned readings
• Uncritical acceptance of a small number of
  sources (espec. Govs and Assemblys assessment
  of the budget w/o 3rd party corroboration)
• Uncritical acceptance of biased sources that are
  not themselves supported by factual evidence,
  such as press releases.
• Critical reading of info important in
  understanding state government, news and
  government in general. Important beyond how to
  write this type of paper.

15
Problems Lack of diversity of sources

• Internet a great resource, but shouldnt be the
  only resource.
• Interviews great and under-used (requires
  planning ahead)
• Also books, articles, academic journal articles,
  lectures (should be cited), original research.

16
Problems Unclear theses

• Unclear theses lack of focus. Writers would
  jump around topic, but not link every sentence to
  the thesis or presentation of alternative view.
  Especially important in papers of such a small
  length.

17
Problems The Other Side

• Other side not fairly presented. A true
  understanding of how the other side reaches its
  conclusion, which in itself involves outside
  research, is a great way to strengthen ones
  argument. It is a risky way because occasionally
  it will lead to a change of mind. Also, a great
  test for the thesis.

18
Suggestions

• Read the assignment
• Finish the paper by Wednesday so the paper isnt
  late
• Call, visit or email me if you have questions
• Research first, theorize after
• Taken notes on your reading, take notes in class,
  make use of the class web page.

19
Next Class

• Campaigns, elections parties
• Next papers
• The Bragman Coup or
• Professional Legislatures v. Citizen
  Legislatures Which Make Better Laws? (why this
  one is different).
• Presenters Coudriet, Dolgiy, Cosme, Torres