Arizona government
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A chart summarizing the powers and functions of the three branches of Arizona’s government
Arizona government state is made up of three separate branches, thus, the Judiciary, Executive and Legislature (Hull, 2010).
Judicial
The judicial branch consists of the Arizona Supreme court, court of Appeal, Superior Court and the minor courts.
The Superior Courts
The superior court handles felony cases as well as hears laws and cases of equity that involves the possession of real property and misdemeanors.
Supreme Court
The governor appoints five justices that sit on the Arizona Supreme Court which has administrative supervision on all the courts. The chief justice exercises the supervision powers.
Court of Appeal
The court of Appeal reviews appeals from Industrial Commission, rules over unemployment compensation within the Security Economic Department as well as the Arizona Tax court.Minor court hear petty offenses and covers jurisdiction over lawsuits below 5000$
Executive
The Executive branch members are selected by the Arizona people by voting. The members include the Superintendent of public Instruction, the Governor, the state treasurer, Secretary of state and the Attorney General.
The Executive branch has 130 agencies, authorities, departments, institutions commissions, boards, administrations, registrars, councils and offices. It is assigned to several departments thus; Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation and Department of Economic Security.
This branch of organization performs the day to day business of state of government and carrying out law (McClory, 2010).
Legislature
The legislative consists of the Arizona House of Representatives, the Arizona Senate and the Office of the Auditor General, Legislative Council as well as the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.
The legislative branch makes and amends laws
Makes budget on how to spend and raise money from taxes
The president and the speaker are found in this branch
The president and the speaker appoint chairs to the standing committees and removes others as well as deciding when to pass a bill
The people of Arizona and the members of the senate propose a law to this branch
The Minority Leader sets party policy and legislative programs as well as whipping to ensuring that the needed votes are on the floor guaranteeing the channel for a flavored legislation (McClory, 2010)
Outline the procedures for Amending the Arizona Constitution.The Arizona Constitution amendment and the guiding principles as well as the main principles are initiated by the people of the state since they have power. This is enhanced through getting a signed petition by many voters approximately fifteen percent of the governor’s vote cast. The proposed amendments are later renounced to the state people to vote in an election. When majority votes approve the amendment, then it becomes a constitutional bill (Hull, 2010).
Analysis on the amendment process for the Arizona Constitution
I believe the Arizona Constitution is a fair process regarding its study. Most states power of government is placed in the hands of the politicians to choose and vote but, the Arizona constitution puts government’s power in the hands of the citizen. The Arizona Constitution amendment process does not give too much power to its citizen since the government is created to guide, help and protect them. It is rational that the Arizona people have the most power to vote but yet does not have too much power (McClory, 2010).
Moreover, Arizona has been the forty-eighth state that has been admitted in to the union and the Arizona citizens have been able to learn from previous mistakes of other states that they have been feeling it worked as well as what they have been feeling it should be different. I believe the progressive framers would endorse of the way the amendment process has been used thus far. This is because it has been created with huge reflection leading the processes that had been in place within other states and these are the reasons for the Arizona constitution to be consequently long. The progressive movement coincides with the Arizona Constitution because both are strict with the fact that the Arizona people posses the highest power. This encourages a direct democracy that ensures the Arizona people are part of the progressive movement of putting ends to any political, economical and social injustice (Hull, 2010).
Additionally, the three major principals of direct Initiative, democracy, recall and referendum are in maintaining the extreme principals of the Progressive framers as well as the way the process has been run thus far.
Reference
McClory. (2010). Understanding the Arizona constitution. (Illustrated ed., p. 269pages). United
States of America: University of Arizona Press.
Hull, J. D. (2010). Arizona constitution – United States constitution. (2nd ed., p. 52pages).
United States of America: The office.
