Pennsylvania General Assembly

Information about Pennsylvania General Assembly

Capitol Building

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the U.S. state of Pennsylvania's legislative branch, seated at the state's capital, Harrisburg. It has been a bicameral legislature since 1790.

Membership

The General Assembly has 253 members, making it the second-largest state legislature in the nation (behind New Hampshire) and the largest full-time legislature. It consists of a Senate with 50 members and a House of Representatives with 203 members. Republicans hold a 29-21 majority in the Senate. The Democrats currently hold a 102-101 majority in the House; however, a moderate Republican, Dennis M. O'Brien, is Speaker.

The Pennsylvania general elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every even-numbered year. A vacancy for a seat must be filled by special election. The presiding officer of the respective house sets the date for such elections.

Senators must be at least 25 years old and Representatives at least 21 years old. They must also be citizens and inhabitants of the state for a minimum of four years, living in their respective districts for at least one year. Individuals who have been convicted of various felonies including embezzlement bribery and perjury are ineligible for election. The Pennsylvania Constitution also adds the category of "other infamous crimes" which can be broadly interpreted by state courts. No one who has been previously expelled from the General Assembly may be elected in the future.

Legislative districts are drawn every 10 years following the U.S. Census. Districts are drawn by a five-member commission, of which four members are the majority and minority leaders of both houses (or their delegates). The fifth member (and chairperson of the committee) is appointed by the other four and may not be an elected or appointed official. If the leadership cannot decide upon a fifth member, the State Supreme Court may appoint the chairperson.

While in office, legislators cannot hold civil office. Even if a member resigns, the Constitution states that the individual may not be appointed to civil office for the duration of the original term for which they were originally elected.

Legislative Sessions

The Capitol Complex

The General Assembly meets at noon on the first Tuesday of January and then regularly throughout the year. Both houses adjourn on November 30 in even numbered years when the terms of all members of the House and half the members of the Senate expire. Neither body can adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other.

The Governor of Pennsylvania may call a special session in order to press for legislation on important issues. Most recently, a special session was called for the purpose of property tax reform.

The Assembly meets in the Pennsylvania State Capitol which was completed in 1906. Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, the Assembly must meet in the City of Harrisburg and can only move if given the consent of both chambers.

General assembly leadership

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Speaker of the House of Representatives: Dennis M. O'Brien (R) [1]

Majority Party (D)	Leadership Position	Minority Party (R)
H. William DeWeese	Floor Leader	Samuel H. Smith
Keith R. McCall	Whip	David G. Argall
Mark B. Cohen	Caucus Chairperson	Sandra Major
Frank Dermody	Caucus Secretary	Jerry Stern
Dwight Evans	Appropriations Committee Chairman	Mario J. Civera, Jr.
Dan A. Surra	Caucus Administrator	Merle H. Phillips
Todd A. Eachus	Policy Committee Chairman	Mike Turzai

Pennsylvania State Senate

President Pro Tempore: Joseph B. Scarnati III (R)

Majority Party (R)	Leadership Position	Minority Party (D)
Dominic F. Pileggi	Floor Leader	Robert J. Mellow
Jane Clare Orie	Whip	Michael A. O'Pake
Michael L. Waugh	Caucus Chairman	Jay Costa Jr.
Robert D. Robbins	Caucus Secretary	Gerald J. LaValle
Gibson E. Armstrong	Appropriations Committee Chairman	Vincent J. Fumo
	Caucus Administrator	Constance H. Williams
Jake Corman	Policy Committee Chairman	Richard A. Kasunic

2005 pay raise controversy

Main article: 2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly pay raise controversy

Sources

External links

United States of America

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
the United States

Federal government
Constitution
Taxation

President Vice President
Cabinet

Congress
Senate
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Flag of Pennsylvania Seal
Nickname(s): Keystone State, Quaker State,
Coal State, Oil State
Motto(s): Virtue, Liberty and Independence

Capital Harrisburg
Largest city
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A legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws.

Legislatures are known by many names, the most common being parliament and congress, although these terms also have more specific meanings.
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Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Downtown Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania State Capitol, as seen from the Susquehanna River

Seal
Location in Dauphin County and state of Pennsylvania
Coordinates:
Country
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bicameralism (bi + Latin camera, chamber) is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses.
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17th century - 18th century - 19th century
1760s 1770s 1780s - 1790s - 1800s 1810s 1820s
1787 1788 1789 - 1790 - 1791 1792 1793

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Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
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State of New Hampshire

Flag of New Hampshire Seal
Nickname(s): The Granite State
Motto(s): Live Free or Die

Official language(s) English

Capital Concord
Largest city Manchester
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The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislative branch of Pennsylvania government. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building located in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four years.
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The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts.
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Dennis Michael O'Brien is the 137th and current Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

O'Brien represents Pennsylvania's 169th Legislative District, which is located in Northeast Philadelphia.
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The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution.^[1] The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats ("congressional apportionment"), electoral votes, and government program
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civil servant or public servant is a civilian career public sector employee working for a government department or agency. The term explicitly excludes the armed services, although civilian officials will work at "Defence Ministry" headquarters.
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resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player turning his king on its side.
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November 30 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

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This is a list of Governors of Pennsylvania. The office of Pennsylvania governor was created by the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790. Before 1790, those who are listed below had held the office called president of the state Supreme Executive Council, which comprised one member
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The State Capitol of Pennsylvania, located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is the seat of government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style, with strong Italian Renaissance overtones, by architect Joseph M. Huston.
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1870s 1880s 1890s - 1900s - 1910s 1920s 1930s
1903 1904 1905 - 1906 - 1907 1908 1909

Year 1906 (MCMVI
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The current Constitution of Pennsylvania, most recently revised in 1968, forms the law for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Although considered a new document, it is heavily based on the previous Constitution of 1874, and is often considered a revision of the earlier version.
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The speakership is the oldest elected state-wide office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania^[1]. Since its first session under the Frame of Government in 1682, presided over by William Penn, over 130 house members have been elevated to the speaker's chair.
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H. William "Bill" DeWeese (born April 18 1950) is the Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. DeWeese served as 135th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House in 1993-1994.
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Samuel H. "Sam" Smith (b. August 10 1955) A native of Punxsutawney, Representative Sam Smith represents nearly 60,000 residents of Jefferson, Indiana and Armstrong counties.
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Mark B. Cohen (born 1949) is a state legislator and state legislative leader in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Democratic Party.
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Robert J. "Bob" Mellow is the Democratic Leader of the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Mellow was born on December 10, 1943 in Scranton, Pennsylvania to James and Alice (Generotti) Mellow. He is of mixed Irish and Italian ancestry.
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Vincent Joseph "Vince" Fumo (born May 8, 1943) is a State Senator, lawyer and businessman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Fumo holds a B.S.
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In the early morning hours of July 7, 2005, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed pay increases for state lawmakers, judges, and top executive-branch officials. The vote took place at 2 a.m. without public review or commentary and Governor Ed Rendell signed the bill into law.
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Affiliation Members

Democratic Party 102
Republican Party 101
Total
203

Make-up of the Senate following the 2006 elections

Affiliation Members

Republican Party 29
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