state and government

Go online and browse through the web site for the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Next find and then read through the web site for the Florida legislature. Now pick one other state you are interested in and find and then read through the web site for its legislature. Compare and contrast some of the interesting features concerning the two legislatures (both House and Senate) from the following areas (make sure you also include some information from the NCSL website – do not describe what the NCSL does or is – instead browse the site and find information about your state legislatures and include it in the compare and contrast sections): membership (terms, numbers, party control); leadership (for the chambers overall and for the majority and minority party); committees (numbers, types, interesting features); and examples of important and/or interesting legislation from the current or most recent session.
Strong answers will do the following:
Your answer should be between 900 and 1200 words (include the word count at the top of your posting under the title) with stronger answers generally being very close to or exactly 1200 words (you will lose points if you go over 1200 words in fairness to students who keep to the Iimit and would not be able to provide as much detail). Word count includes everything from the word “Introduction” (the first heading of your paper) to the last word of your conclusion (I double check by highlighting that portion of the paper and go by the word count feature in MS word). You can single space but put an extra space between paragraphs/sections. Use 12 points Times New Roman Font.
Your paper should be well organized. You should include a title at the top that reflects your theme and an introductory paragraph that specifically ties your theme to material from the Dye and MacManus book (and cite the book) and lets the reader know how the body is organized (usually I will give you a list of features to compare and contrast and that is a good way to organize the paper). After the body of the paper end with a conclusion that summarizes what you have covered, what you have learned and what you think about this new information. Finally list your references (web site addresses and textbooks).
Use the following format to organize your essay and label each section. Remember to put a space between each section.
Title
Word Count (Maximum 1200 words overall not including References)
Introduction
Comparing and Contrasting Membership: Terms, Numbers, Party Control
Comparing and Contrasting Leadership: Chambers Overall and Majority & Minority Party
Comparing and Contrasting Committees: Numbers, Types, Interesting Features
Comparing and Contrasting Important and Interesting Legislation
Conclusion
References

APSA FORMAT

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