State legislature

A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.

The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions:

State legislature (United States)

A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 25 states, the legislature is simply called the Legislature, or the State Legislature, while in 19 states, the legislature is called the General Assembly. In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the legislature is called the General Court, while North Dakota and Oregon designate the legislature the Legislative Assembly.

Composition

Every state except Nebraska has a bicameral legislature, meaning that the legislature consists of two separate legislative chambers or houses. In each case the smaller chamber is called the Senate and is usually referred to as the upper house. This chamber typically, but not always, has the exclusive power to confirm appointments made by the governor and to try articles of impeachment. (In a few states, a separate Executive Council, composed of members elected from large districts, performs the confirmation function.) Members of the smaller chamber represent more citizens and usually serve for longer terms than members of the larger chamber, generally four years. In 41 states, the larger chamber is called the House of Representatives. Five states designate the larger chamber the Assembly and three states call it the House of Delegates. Members of the larger chamber usually serve for terms of two years. The larger chamber customarily has the exclusive power to initiate taxing legislation and articles of impeachment.

Utah State Legislature

The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term limits for either chamber.

The Legislature convenes at the Utah State Capitol in the state capital of Salt Lake City on the fourth Monday of January for an annual 45 day session.

Overview

The Utah State Legislature meets in the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. The Republicans currently have super-majorities in both the House and Senate. They control the House by a margin of 63-12 and the Senate by 24-5. The current Senate President is Wayne Niederhauser (R - Sandy), and the Speaker of the House is Greg H. Hughes (R - Draper).

Districts

The state is divided into 29 Senate districts, each representing approximately 77,000 people and the House is divided into 75 House districts, each representing approximately 29,800 people. Senate districts overlap House districts allowing two legislators for each constituency in Utah.