New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the U.S. state of New Jersey's legislative branch, seated in the New Jersey State House at the state's capital, Trenton. The Legislature is bicameral, consisting of two houses: the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate. The total membership is 120 (40 Senators and 80 Assembly members), and the political groups include: Democratic Party, Green Party, and Republican Party. There are 40 legislative districts in New Jersey. (The district boundaries are determined after each census by a bipartisan Apportionment Commission.)
General Assembly
- This is the "lower house" of the Legislature and consists of eighty members.
- In order to become an Assembly member, one must be at least 21 years old and have resided in the state for the past two years, and must live in the district represented.
- Each district is represented by two Assembly members.
- The General Assembly is headed by a Speaker (currently Joseph J. Roberts, a Democrat, since 2006), and has a Majority Leader, a Minority Leader, Assistant Leaders, and Majority and Minority Whips.
Senate
- This is the "upper house" of the Legislature and consists of forty members.
- Senators must be at least 30 years of age, must have four years' residence in the state, and must live in the district represented.
- Each district is represented by one Senator.
- The Senate is headed by the President (currently Richard Codey, a Democrat, since 2004), and has a Majority Leader, a Minority Leader, Assistant Leaders, and Majority and Minority Whips.
Elections
- Legislative elections are held in November of every odd-numbered year. (New Jersey is unusual in this regard, as most states hold legislative elections in even-numbered years, when Congressional elections are also held.)
- Assembly members serve two-year terms, while Senators serve four-year terms, except in the first term of a new decade, which only lasts for two years. (The "2-4-4" cycle was put into place so that Senate elections can reflect the changes made to the district boundaries on the basis of the decennial United States Census.)
- The New Jersey Constitution provides that each Legislature is constituted for a term of two years, split into two annual sessions (though all business from the first year may be continued into the second year).
Powers of the Legislature
- The Legislature is empowered to make new law, subject to the Governor of New Jersey's power to veto a bill. However, the veto may be overridden by the Legislature with a two-thirds majority in favor of overriding in each House.
- The Legislature may propose an amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution either by a three-fifths vote or if it passes it by a majority in two consecutive years. Whichever manner is adopted, the Amendment must be approved in a referendum to become valid as a part of the Constitution.
- The Senate has the sole authority to confirm or reject gubernatorial nominees for judicial and some executive positions.
Interesting Facts
Unlike most state legislatures, many New Jersey legislators also concurrently hold another office at the county or municipal level. However, recent legislation bans this practice for lawmakers elected for the first time after February 1, 2008.
This Election
- All 120 legislative seats are up on Nov. 6, 2007. Democrats control the Assembly 50-30 and the Senate 22-18. (That's the most seats held by Democrats since 1979. Republicans haven't controlled a house since 2001.)
- In all, 265 people are running for 120 seats, and a record 61 of them are women.
- This election is noteworthy because retirements and primary election losses mean the Legislature will get at least 12 new senators and 23 new Assembly members.
Find your district at www.njleg.state.nj.us.
Sources consulted:
www.dailyrecord.com
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us
http://www.njvoterinfo.org
http://en.wikipedia.org
