Focus Question #1: What are
the three principle functions of legislatures?
Legislators have three
principle functions and those are: policymaking, representation, and oversight.
Policymakers enact laws and
allocate funds. Debates over funding allocation resulted in revision of old
laws, passage of new laws, and changes in spending. Legislators don’t have sole
control, governors, courts, and agencies also determine policy through
executive order, judicial decisions and administrative regulations. The
dominant policymaking institution remains in legislation.
Legislators are expected to
represent their constituents. They are expected to speaking on behalf of the
people they represent and do the will of the public in designing policy
solutions. The issue with this is that often legislatures do not have a clue
about the needs and wants of their constituents. Citizens can write or visit
their legislature to urge them to vote a certain way in a pending bill.
Oversight was created
because of the need to ensure that policies and allocated funds were enforced
properly. Oversight ensures that polices and funds are serving their purpose. Legislatures
themselves have created methods of checking agency implementation and spending,
a role that is not popular among agencies.
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