4. Administrative departments, § 73: (Give number of members, method of choice, term of office and powers.) (1) Centralized or decentralized system in use? (2) School board. (3) Public safety : a. police board, b. fire board, c. health board. (4) Public improvements and works: a. streets, b. parks, c. library, d. water, e. sewers. (5) Other departments. (6) Civil service in departments? § 74. 5. City courts: (1) Criminal courts, (2) Civil courts. II. ORDINARY ACTIVITIES. 1. Preserving order: (1) Officials and force, §§ 70, 113; 2. Health regulations : (1) Contagious diseases, § 118; (2) Sanitation: a. pure water, § 119; b. building regulations, § 119; c. street cleaning, § 120; e. sewage disposal, § 120. (3) Food regulations: a. enforcement of general laws, § 121; b. inspection of milk, meats, etc., § 121. 3. Protection against fire, § 122. 4. Streets: (1) Laying out, § 137 ; (2) Improving, § 138; (3) Lighting and sprinkling, § 138. 5. Education; (1) Schools, § 125: a. grammar and high schools, b. kindergarten and technical schools. (2) Libraries, § 133. 6. Public charity: (1) Outdoor relief, § 130; 7. General welfare: (1) Parks, § 132; (2) Playgrounds, § 132; (3) Regulating sale of liquors, §§ 134-135. III. PUBLIC UTILITIES. 1. The problem, § 78: (1) The objection to franchises, (2) Question of municipal ownership, 2. Water, § 79: (1) Reasons for municipal plants, (2) Extent of municipal ownership, (3) Success of municipal ownership. 3. Lighting, § 80: (1) Gas: a. use, b. success. (2) Electricity: a. when it is used, b. success. 4. Transportation, § 81 : (1) Municipal railways here and abroad, (2) Advantages and disadvantages of ownership, (3) Advantages and disadvantages of management 5. Conditions affecting municipal ownership, § 82 : (1) Monopolies, (2) Ordinary conditions. IV. FINANCES. 1. Expenditures, § 146: (1) Schools, (2) Streets, (3) Public safety, 2. Revenue : (1) Taxation : a. general property tax, § 149; b. other taxes. (2) Business income, § 156: a. municipal enterprises: (a) finance vs. public welfare, (b) extent of municipal ownership. b. sale of franchises, c. licenses: (a) liquor saloons, (b) others. (3) Fines. (4) Special assessments, § 157. 3. Debts, § 158: (1) Need of special revenue, (2) Methods of selling bonds, latures, overshadow the rest of our system of state government, since powers. they not only make laws upon all subjects that are not expressly and exclusively granted to the national Congress, Reinsch, Am. Legisor denied by the United States or state constitutions to the legislature, but may also interfere in many ways with the 126–130. work of the other departments of the state government. All of the general laws under which our local governments and schools are organized, those referring to the state and local courts and procedure in these courts, those dealing with the making and enforcement of contracts, the transfer of property, marriage and divorce, with the prevention of the spread of diseases, with the incorporation of business houses all of these form only a part of the vast number under the charge of the legislatures, the whole covering a set of subjects of the first importance not only because they are so numerous, but because all are of such interest to us in our home and business life. We can probably get the best idea of the enormous power Restrictions possessed by the legislatures by mentioning the restrictions on powers. placed upon them (§§ 88-90), but we must not forget that the powers still exercised by the legislatures greatly outnumber the powers denied to them. ORGANIZATION 84. Composition and Sessions. The universal form for the state legislatures is that of two houses,' the smaller of 1 The only States that have ever had one-chambered legislatures are Pennsylvania (1776-1790), Georgia (1777-1789), and Vermont (1791-1836). The two houses. Hart, Actual Gov't, §§ 60, 61. Ordinary and special sessions. which is always called the senate, while the larger is usually known as the house of representatives or the assembly. These houses have practically equal powers, as ordinary bills may be introduced in either house, and must be passed by both before becoming laws. The difference between the houses. is therefore principally one of size, as both represent the same people, have practically the same interests, and are chosen by the same voters (§ 30). All of the earliest state constitutions compelled the legislatures to hold at least one session a year, and aimed to prevent long breaks between sessions. Gradually the States recognized the need of less legislation, and biennial sessions became more and more the rule, until now only six States Am. Legis- hold annual sessions. Four of these, and a few of the other Reinsch, latures, 131-133. History and present requirements. older States, place no time limit on legislative meetings, but most of the States think a sixty or ninety day session long enough, while three of them make forty days the limit. Extra sessions may be called by the governors, either at their own wish or on request of a stated proportion of the members of the legislatures. When no agreement can be reached as to the time of adjournment for either a regular or a special session, the executives may set a day for that also. When we 85. Privileges and Disabilities of Members. look over the privileges accorded members of our legislatures, we are unconsciously carried back to the time when the English kings tried to interfere with the action of Parliament by arresting its boldest members. When we consider the disabilities of legislators, we are just as forcibly reminded of the effort made by later Parliaments to prevent corruption of their members by the executive branch of their government. Members of the legislatures in all the States are privileged from arrest during legislative sessions, except for treason, felony, and breach of the peace, and are permitted perfect freedom of speech within the halls of the state capitols; but no legislator may be appointed to a lucrative position created during his term of office. |