Nicholas Pierson
PS 220
Coles
04/28/15
Legislatures

The majority of what legislatures do can be summarized into four basic functions. Although the four functions are all different they are interrelated and often overlap into one another. The first function is lawmaking. This is when governors and executive branches are powerful players and promote ideas that they want. For example they would push harder for bills to pass that they have personally interest in or that would affect them and their constituents directly. And likewise they could try and stop bills that could have a negative effect on them. Legislatures also have to act as referees in this aspect because they try and keep the peace or as close to it as they can. Another part of the lawmaking function is lobbyists. Lobbyists represent clients and help and assist in either promoting or killing a bill. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are two different types of bills. The first type of bills is designed to address immediate problems while the second type of bill is those that take years to be either passed or die. Whenever a bill dies it is a result of a statewide consensus’s lack of interest to solve the problem. While a bulk of work involves formulating the law and keeping an eye on the executive branch the primary responsibility is to ensure that the interest of those for whom they speak are properly considered, this is also known as the representation function. Under this function all the real and persistent problems are eventually addressed. When these problems are eventually addressed it’s important to remember that it is not because of outside pressure but from internal change in the legislature. An important part of this function is we have to remember that before a bill can even be debated an idea has to be developed. How most ideas are developed in the legislature is from talking to each other. This is the reason that so often we see all the different states developing similar bills around the same period of time. The constituent service helps clear up problems that citizens are having with public agencies and sometimes even helping with problems with private companies at times. Legislatures also often act as liaisons between