Chapter 6: State Legislatures

Legislatures engage in three principle functions: policymaking, representation, and oversight. The first, policymaking, includes enacting laws and allocating funds. The start of the second decade of the twenty-first century found legislators debating issues as budget shortfalls, healthcare, higher education, and alternative energy sources. These deliberations resulted in the revision of old laws, the passage of new laws, and changes in spending, which is what policymaking is all about. Legislatures do not have sole control of the state policymaking function; governors, courts, and agencies also determine policy, through executive orders, judicial decisions, and administrative regulations, respectively.
In their second function, legislators are expected to represent their constituents, the people who live in their district, in two ways. At least in the theory, they are expected to speak for their constituents in the legislative chamber, to do the will of the public in designing policy solutions. A legislator seldom has much of a clue about public opinion. Moreover, on noisy issues, constituents' will is rarely unanimous. Individuals and organized groups with different perspectives may write to or visit their legislator to her their their vote on a certain law or a pending bill.
The third function, oversight, is different from the policymaking and representation functions. Concerned that the laws they passed and the funds they allocated frequently do not produce or create the intended effect, lawmakers will begin to pay more attention to the performance of the state bureaucracy. Legislatures have a number of methods for checking up on agency implementation and spending.
Now, how does this all fit in with how California and their legislature handle a certain objective within law? Its quite simple, with those simple three functions: policymaking, representation, and oversight. These are the basic fundamentals any state legislature should know.

iLead and its mission

Hello intellectuals of the world,

As you know my CP (community partner) iLead, is an organization that is part of a bigger organization called Hagar Coalition Services. Now, regarding iLead and its future. iLead does not rely on money nor services, because iLead is an individual internship program that only allows the help and the integrity of fellow young adults like myself. As of late, iLead relies on the application of young adults who are willing to participate in making a huge impact in their communities, but mostly for the world. That's the beauty about iLead, they wish to see more young adults active in their communities and hopefully change them for the better; for future generations to come. Furthermore, iLead is just a small concept that not a lot of people know about, however, iLead's intention is to f=inform the young adults and younger generation to strive for a better community, strive for better leadership skills and strive for a better, equal world.

Hagar Coalition Services and their Hallmarks

Hello intellectuals of the modern world,

My community partner Hagar Coalition Services is a political organization, whose main purpose to teach and serve those who are in deed in search of justice or more political activism. There are many values that Hagar or iLead has to offer. They spend their money and their resources all on the community, thus ensuring that their community prospers.

Hallmarks:

Hallmark 2: We Honor the Dignity and Sacredness of Each Person.

Hallmark 3: We Educate for and act of behalf of Justice and Peace in the World.

Hallmark 4: We commit ourselves to community service.

Hallmark 5: We embrace the gift of diversity.

Hallmark 7: We develop holistic learning communities which educate for life.


All of the Hallmarks mentioned above are the keys for what iLead is comprised of. iLead is an educational roller coaster that provides each and everyone of the young people they try to influence to make a change in this world. As I mentioned before iLead spends their money and their budgets on the community, specifically the young people who choose to make a difference in this world. Hopefully, with their involvement their actions within the iLead program, their wishes shall be granted.