16 December 2008
Government Close to the People
This article is excerpted from the IIP publication Sketchbook USA, a richly illustrated volume that depicts Americans at work, at play, in their communities, and engaging in civic life. View and download the fully formatted Sketchbook.
Just as the U.S. Congress meets in Washington, D.C., state legislatures convene in each of the 50 state capitals to discuss state issues and make laws that apply to citizens within their own borders. Like the U.S. Congress, 49 of the states have two-house legislatures, composed predominantly of members of the two major political parties, Republican and Democratic. Only the state of Nebraska maintains a one-house legislature, and all its members are officially labeled as Independents.
A total of 7,382 Americans serve in state legislatures, elected by their fellow citizens for term lengths prescribed in state constitutions.
Until the 1960s, state legislatures generally met every other year for a limited number of days. Individual legislators were poorly paid and had little or no staff support. Since then, however, many states have held annual legislative sessions, increased legislative pay, and added professional staff support. Still, the amount of time a legislator needs to fulfill his or her job varies greatly from state to state.
In large, industrialized states like California, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, for example, being a state legislator is a full-time job. In small or less populated states, like Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, the work of a state legislator occupies about 50 percent of the time. The other 50 states fall somewhere in between.
Legislators’ salaries reflect the demands of their jobs. Where the work is greatest, legislators are paid enough to live without requiring outside income. At the other end of the spectrum, legislators receive low salaries, and continue to devote time to their private sector careers to make a comfortable living.
CHART: Who Serves in State Legislatures
Total Seats Democrat Republican Independent/Other Vacant
Senate 1,971 1,010 908 53* 0
House 5,411 2,979 2,413 15 4
* 49 Independents serve in Nebraska.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, 2007
Local Government
Each state is divided into any number of local jurisdictions, which are either counties, cities, or towns. A county may include a number of communities that have different names, while a city or town encompasses an area that has one distinct name. The administration of government varies from county to county or city to city, but the mission of all local governments is the same: to provide essential, everyday services that ensure the well-being of its citizens.
To get an idea of the diversity of local government, consider these facts about county government: There are 3,066 counties in the United States, ranging in area from Arlington County, Virginia, with 67 square kilometers, to North Slope Borough, Alaska, with 227,559 square kilometers. Population varies from Loving County, Texas, with 140 residents, to Los Angeles County, California, with 9.2 million.
In general, local governments perform functions that are delegated by their state governments. County governments are responsible for managing the mechanics of elections. They register new voters, mail election information to voters, select voting devices, establish polling sites, recruit poll workers, and count and certify ballots on Election Day. Local governments also perform traditional functions such as property assessment for tax purposes, record keeping of property transactions, and maintaining vital statistics, such as births, marriages, and deaths.
Perhaps most importantly, local governments provide services that affect citizens’ daily routines. Local authorities ensure that the water piped into their homes is safe, that trash is picked up from their neighborhoods, that public schools are accessible to all children, that the roads are paved. When unusual, and possibly dangerous, circumstances arise, local government is there too, with police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel protecting and aiding citizens. Clearly, the work of local government is closest to people’s everyday lives.
