Legislatures and Legislation

h.- Section II LEGISLATURES AND LEGISLATION 1. Legislative Organization and Services 2. Legislation '•••• \" "^ ai , / \ • tJ-t ::-^v 'ib ^. V'"'": •^. 1 Legislative Organization aiid Services .-.i,\ STRUCTURES AND PROCEDURES HE citizens of "he states through their (including Nebraska) they serve for two. constitutions have vested the supr-ecne Shorter terms are the rule for members of Tlaw-making power in their legisia^ ower houses. In^forty-tliree states House tures. They" have provided for the popular raembiers serve two-year terms; only.in election at frequent intervals of those who Alabama, Louisiana, Maryland and Mis-, comprise the legislative, bodies. Except in sissippi do they have four-year terms. Nebraska they have established two-house Several states during the past biennium legislatures in each state. have approved changes in the size of their Beyond these common elements, a wide legislatures. In Illinois, as part of a re variety of constitutional provisions, statu apportionment plan, Senators have in tory requirenients, rules and precedents creased from fifty-one to fifty-eight and govern the workings of the state legisla House members from 153 to 177. In New tures. Together they determine the many Mexico the lower house was raised from details of legislative structure, organiza fifty-five to sixty-six members. Four new tion and procedure, the purpose of which is legislative seats were created in Ohio and ./ ! to enable the legislatures to carry out their six in Utah. North Dakota's House, by responsibilities in an orderly and effective statute;: was reduced by three seats. In manner. 1956 voters in Alabama rejected a measure to increase the number of legislators from • SIZES AND TERMS 141 to 219, and Florida voters disapproved In size American state legislatures range an increase from 133 to 202 members, both : from a total of forty-three members in the as part of reapportionment. plan^ The unicameral Nebraska legislature to 424 in Connecticut legislature in 1957 approved New Hampshire. The sniallest bicameral an amendment to expand the Senate from legislature is that of Delaware, with fifty- thirty-six to" fifty-four members, a proposal two members. State Senates vary in mem which must receive legisla;tive -approval bership from sevehteen each in Delaware once more before going to the voters. and Nevada to sixty-seven in Minnesota. Ohio voters in 1956 approved an amend The lower houses differ even more widely ment to lengthen Senate terms from two to —from thirty-five rnembers in Delaware four years to go into effect on a staggered and less than.sixty each in Idaho, Nevada basis during 1958-60. North Dakota voters and Wyoming up to 240 in Massachusetts, in 1958 will consider a proposal to increase 246 in-Vermont, 280 in Connecticut and terms of legislative and elective officials, 400 in New Hampshire.. from two to four years. In all states legislative terms are either two years or four. State Senators in thirty- ., SESSIONS two states ser\'e for four years; in sixteen As indicated in the table "Legislative 29 30 THE BOOK OF THE STATES Sessions," legisfettires of fourteen states, have been extensive changes in recent and of Guamj, the Virgin Islands and the years. In 1943 less than.half of the states Commonwealth of Puerto Rico meet an used the salary plan; at present thirty-one nually. The remaining thirty-four ^states states use it. The range of legislative and two territories hold biennial regular salaries, per biennium, in these thirty-one sessions, and all except three (Kentucky, states is frorri 8200 in New Hampshire to Mississippi and Virginia) in the odd-num $15,000 in New York. The median bien bered years. c; nial salary is'in the S3,000-S3,600 range. The postwar trend toward annual ses Nineteen states employ a daily pay plan sions,, has slowed somewhat during the past for legislators (payable during sessions), biennium. No additional states have two of them—Coloirado and Oklahoma- adopted annuSl sessiojns. The legislatures using a combination, of daily pay and in Nevada and Texas in 195,7, however, biennial salary. The amounts paid under approved annual session amendments daily pay plans vary greatly—from $5.00 which will be voted on by their elec- in Kansas, NorthDakotaand Rhode Island torates in Novembrer, 1958. Missouri voters up to $50 in Louisiana. For these nineteen rejected the annual session plan in 1956, states, the median daily pay is SI5. but at the same time Louisiana voters re- As indicated in an accompanying table, jected an amendment to repeal the annua:! legislators in a number of states receive ap- budget session adopted two years earlier. preciable expense allowances in addition Restrictions on length of the regular to other compensation. In sixteen states session exist in thirty-two states. They take this allowance is payable in the form of a a variety of forms, both direct and indirect. per dxtm. during the session. In nine other Sixty calendar days is the most common states there are lump-sum or monthly al limitation. Where they exist, most limits on lowances. These, include Louisiana, where session length are expressly provided in the $150 a month is paid when the legislature constitutions. In nine states, however, the is not in session. Travel allowances in some length is limited indirectly, through cessa- form are paid legislators in all states. In tion of legislative pay after a specified Alabama, Arizona, Kansas and North period of time. In the case of special ses Dakota the expense allowance amounts to sions, twenty-seven states have no direct more than the daily pay. 't* limits on length, except that in four of them Basic pay rates were increased djuring —Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island the biennium in twelve states; expense and and South Carolina—restrictions on legis travel allowances were raised in fourteen lative compensation or allowance con states, including North Carolina, where an stitute indirect limits. amendment approved in 1956 permitted Constitutional amendments approved m these allpvyarices for the first time. Voters 1956 will affect sessions in various vvays. A Jn Arizona, Missouri, North Dakota and North Carolina amendment postpones the ^regon rejected legislative pay raise pro- date of convening of the regular session one/'^ posals in 1956,-57. Connecticut voters in month, from early January to early Febru- November, 1958, will consider an amend- ary, and adds thirty days to the length of mfent to' permit the legislature to set its regular sessions. A Florida amendment salaries and expense allowances. permits the legislature to call itself into special session, and a California amend I COMMrTTEES ment advances the opening of the off-year Much of the work of the legislative ses session from March to February. J sions is done by standing committees. For a number of^ years it has been urged that COMPENSATION \ jiiost legislative bodies should reduce the There is general agreement that com numbers of their committees to facilitate pensation of state legislators has been and efficient conduct of work and to eliminate "^ in most statdi?>continues to be too low. It conflicts of committee rrieetings, inade- also has been recommended, increasingly, quate advance notice of hearings, and as- that annual szdaries rather than daily pay signment of legislators to more committees » ' Pplanl s be employed. In both respects there than they can serve effectively. The trend v LEGISLATURES AND LEGISLATION i 31 of action has been in conformity with these 1917 (when the first such machine was in recommendations: reductions in commit stalled in the Wisconsin Asserhbly) and tees between 1946 and 1957 have lowered 1943, a total of thirteen machines were the median number of House standing placed in operation in eleven states. Since committees from thirty-nine to twenty- that time, an additional twenty, have three and of Senate committees from been installed, most recently in the Con thirty-one to twenty-one. The following necticut, Georgia and Kansas Houses and table illustra|es these decreases. jthe Tennessee Senate. One was authorized in 1956 for the Kentucky House. —jVumb 'T of States in eaci raniê r-Ih msc—, • r-Senat€{.a)~^ \- Joint—, Use of radio and television broadcasting Xumber nj ;. 7010 /!?.i7 in conjunction with legislative sessions and. slnnding commiltees 1916 1940. 7957 7957 (A) ib) committee hearings still appears.to be, in 10 or under. , 0 •4 0 4. 23 23 the experimental stage, although 1957 11-20..;...; 2 16 8 18 ; 0 0 sessions in some states, Oklahoma and 21-30....... 9 10 IS •• 17 . i 0 2 31-40....... 15 7 13 . 8 • •2 1 Texas, for example, saw greatly expanded. 41-50 . 12 •7 9 « 1 • •l- 0 coverage. 51-60:...... 7 : 1 2 Vo , /'O : 0 61-:70........ 2 2 1 • 0.'': 0'^ i <^ Av.MLABlXlTY OF NEW L.AVVS -f'. (a) Nebraska is included 'only u ndcr " Senate!" " In all states arrangements exist for pub . fb) Excludes 21 states ref>brJJ,Vi?^.nbjoin t standing mittces. T lication of the bound volumes of session Jaws. The time lag between enactment oi The number of House standing com-' laws and appearance of the volume usually mittees, excluding states where th'e major is quite appreciable, however, amounting share of rjbferral work is by joint commit to half a year or more in a great numiier of tees, ranges from eight in South Carolina states. More than forty states, accordingly, up to sixty-three in Missouri and sixty- have taken steps to make copies of new- five .in Arkansas. Seriate standing com laws available more quickly-în newspaper mittees, with the same exclusion, range editions in four states; as advance sheets or from seven in New Mexico, eleven in printer's signatures, released at intervals, Wisconsin and fourteen in Maryland and in thirteen states; and as slip laws in the Jsêbraska, up to forty in Florida and majority of:states.

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