State Legislatures

Organization All states have a House of Representatives and a Senate Only Nebraska has a unicameral (one house) legislature State legislatures vary in size 1964 case of Reynolds v. Sims established all state election districts must be equal in population Gives everybody’s vote an equal value

Qualifications, Terms, Compensations Senators and Representatives must: Be U.S. citizens Live in the district they represent At least 25, some states 21 Most senators serve four year terms, most representatives two Term limits ruled unconstitutional- infringe on our right to elect lawmaking officials Salaries and benefits vary widely among states Rhode Island = $10,000 a year; New York = $79,500 a year

State Legislatures at Work Most states meet in regular sessions every year Dates, length, and consistency of these sessions varies among states Beginning: Presiding officers, other leaders chosen Committees appointed Lt. Governor presides over the Senate; Speaker presides over the House

State Legislatures at Work Just like in the U.S. Congress, most of the work done by state legislatures occurs in committees The lawmaking process in state legislatures is similar to that in Congress

Passing State Laws Bill is Introduced Bill Is Sent to the Committee Member of either house introduces Presiding officer reads bill and sends it to appropriate committee Bill Is Sent to the Committee Committee researches effects of and discusses the bill Votes to pass, change, or kill the bill Bill Reaches the Floor Bill is returned to the house it originated, read aloud, and members discuss Debates or amendment proposals Members vote on the bill; if passed they are signed by presiding officer and sent to the other house

Passing State Laws 4. Bill is Sent to the Second House Sent to appropriate committee in second house If it survives the committee, sent to the floor to be debated or amended again If it fails to pass in second house, it is dead If it passes in a different form, it is sent to a joint-conference committee 5. Bill is Sent to a Joint-Conference Committee Committee members try to reach a compromise acceptable to both house Compromise bill is voted on by members of both houses

Passing State Laws 6. Bill is Sent to the Governor If governor signs, it becomes a law Governor may veto if he or she does not support a law (NC governor couldn’t do this until 1997) Most states give the governor the power to veto only ONE part of the bill (item veto) If the governor vetoes a bill, the state legislature can override it with a 2/3 vote

Citizen Action Initiative- Citizens can initiate, or start, new legislation Draw up a petition describing a proposal, and get a required number of voters to sign the petition The proposition, or proposed law, can appear on election ballot and be voted into law Some laws passed by legislatures have to be voted on first by the people Referendum- referring potential laws directly to the people for consideration Recall- States give voters the power to recall, or vote out, an elected official from office

? How are all states organized (except for Nebraska)? Who presides over state senates? Over state houses? List the steps of how a bill becomes a law in state legislatures in order (you do not have to give details). How can citizens get laws passed? What is the definition of referendums?