West Virginia's state government is divided into _____ branches -- The _________, the branch which enforces the laws; The ________, the branch which interprets the laws; and the ___________, the branch which makes the laws.
West Virginia's Legislature is known as a _________legislature, which means there are two bodies -- The Senate and the House of Delegates. West Virginia also has the two party system -- The__________ Party and the __________ Party.
West Virginia's Legislature is composed of West Virginia citizens. Lawmakers are elected by the voters in their district, or area, to represent them in the lawmaking process.
The ______has 34 members and are elected to four-year terms with half of the membership up for election every two years. The _____ __ _________ is composed of 100 members with all the membership up for election every two years.
Both the Senate and the House have presiding officers. In the Senate, that officer is the ______ _________ who is first in the line of succession to Governor's Office. In other words, if for any reason the Governor must resign or becomes unable to fulfill his or her duties, the Senate President would become Governor.
The presiding officer in the House of Delegates is the _______ __ ___ _____, and he/she is second in the line of succession to the Governor's Office. Both of these leaders are elected by the membership of their respective bodies. In addition to maintaining order during the floor sessions, the Speaker and the President also select the ______ and the _______ for each of the committees and refer bills to the appropriate committees.
There are other officers who are appointed by either the Speaker or the President. The ________ ______ and the ________ ___ help promote the party's position on issues, however, the majority leader plays a more visible role.
In the event that the Speaker or President is absent, there is an appointed substitute. Their title is Speaker or President ___ _______.
The party with the least number of members is known as the ________ _____. It has both a leader and a whip who perform the same duties as the Majority Leader and Whip. Both of these leaders are elected by the members of the minority party.
Another officer who is elected by the legislative membership, but is not elected by the voters, is the _____, who is the chief administrative officer for either the House or Senate. The Clerk numbers and files the bills for introduction. The Clerk places the bills that are to be introduced on a daily calendar. Both the Senate and House have their own clerk, with each elected by their respective body.
Answers: 1. three; 2. Executive; 3. Judicial; 4. Legislative; 5. bicameral; 6. Democratic; 7. Republican; 8. Senate; 9. House of Delegates; 10. Senate President; 11. Speaker of the House; 12. chairs; 13. members; 14. majority leader; 15. majority whip; 16. pro tempore; 17. Minority Party; 18. Clerk