Blog 6

Three principal functions of legislatures are to policy make like enacting laws, revising old laws and allocating funds. Legislatures compete with governors in the policymaking process. Governors have the power to veto, but legislators have the power to override a gubernatorial veto.
 Issues that attract legislators are improving productivity of public colleges, addressing both legal and illegal immigration, deciding which incentives and tax credits are most effective and many more issues. Another function is to represent the people who live in their districts. This can be difficult because on quiet issues, they hardly have much of a clue on public opinion but on noisy topics opinion is usually divided, making it difficult to find a solution. Sometimes, legislators serve constituents through casework where dividends are paid at the polls when a constituent favors the legislature that assisted him or her.The third function is to oversee. In other words, to ensure that the laws they passed and funds are being allocated properly. They pay special attention to state bureaucracy. By overseeing legislatures can often take the administrative realm but agencies do not like this even though it is a logical extension of their policymaking function. Legislatures operate with their own formal and informal rules. Violations of institutional norms result in sanctions.
Legislatures in 2011 had legislative term limits in effect in 15 states. Term limits create open seats which creates an increase in competition for legislative seats. But when legislative terms are limited, other institutional actors such as the governor gain power.