What are the 3 Levels of

Government?Local

State

National

Levels of Government• Decisions made for the whole country are made by the National Government

• Decisions made for the whole state are made by the State Government

• Decisions made for our community (Naperville) are made by the Local Government

Local Government• The local government is the government of

your community.

• Our community is Naperville, IL.

Local Government• Who are the leaders in a local

government?

The Mayor and the City Council are the leaders in a local government.

George Pradel has been our mayor since 1995.

Local Government

Where does the mayor work?

The mayor works in the

City Hall.

Local Government

What is the City Council?

The city council is a group of people who come together to make decisions for our

community. The mayor is on the council.

Local GovernmentWhat do the Mayor and City Council do?

• The council passes new laws. If the mayor likes the laws, he signs them.

• The mayor makes sure that people follow the laws.

• The mayor and council decide how to spend our tax money.

Local GovernmentWhat are government service jobs?

Teacher

Principals

Police Chief

Fire Chief

City Librarian

State Government• The state government is in charge of the

state you live in.

• Our state is Illinois.

State Government• Who are the leaders in a state

government?

The Governor and the State Legislature are the leaders of the state government.

Pat Quinn is the current governor of Illinois.

State Government Where does the

governor work?

The governor works in the Capital Building.

Our capital city is in Springfield, IL.

State GovernmentWhat is the State Legislature?

The state legislature is made up of people from different areas in the state. They help make

laws. The Legislature is divided into two groups: Senate and the House of

Representatives.

The laws they try to pass are called bills.

State GovernmentWhat do the governor and State

Legislature do?

• They make sure people follow the laws.

• They make state laws called bills.

• They help run schools.

• They help take care of our environment.

National Government

• The national government is in charge of our entire country.

• Our country is The United States of America (USA).

National Government

• Who are the leaders in a national government?

The President, Vice President and Congress are the leaders in a national government.

President Barack Obama has been in office since 2008.

National Government

Where does the president work?

The president works in the

White House.The White House is in Washington,

DC.

National GovernmentWho is our Vice President?

Our Vice President is Joe Biden.

*He helps the president make decisions.

*He runs Senate meetings.

*If the president gets sick or dies, the VP takes over.

National Government

What is the Congress?

The Congress is a group of people elected to represent the 50 states. The Congress

and President work together to make laws.

National Government

What do the president and Congress do?

• The president and his cabinet (his helpers) are in charge of the country’s health, education,

farming, armed forces, and many other important departments.

• They make and enforce laws.• They keep good relations with other countries.

• They decide how to spend our tax money.

National Government

How could I be president?

To run for president:

You have to be at least 35 years old.

You have to be born in the United States.

You have to have lived in the U.S. for the past 14 years.

National Government

Who will be our next President?