ARTICLE 4

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ARTICLE 4

• THE LEGISLATURE

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• SECTION 1
• Purpose of the Legislature is to make the laws
  
• General Assembly is made up of Senate and
  House of Representatives
• There are 59 Legislative Districts, and 118
  Representative Districts
• SECTION 2
• 59 Senators- one from each district
• 118 Representatives- one from each district

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• Senators serve 4 years
• Representatives serve 2 years
• Qualifications to be in the General Assembly
• At least 21 years old
• A U.S. citizen
• A resident of the state for 2 years before the
  election
• If a vacancy occurs in the General Assembly, a
  person from the same political party as the
  previous person fills the vacancy

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• SECTION 3
• Legislative and Representative Districts should
  be about equal in population
• In the year following the federal census, the
  General Assembly will redistrict the districts
• SECTION 4
• General elections are held in even numbered years
• SECTION 5
• The General Assembly begins on the second
  Wednesday of January
• The governor can call special sessions

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• Meetings of the General Assembly are open to
  public, unless it is in the publics best
  interest to keep it closed
• SECTION 6
• A majority of the members of each house makes up
  a quorum
• Speaker of the House is the head of the House
• President of the Senate is the head of the Senate
• Minority Leader of each house is the leader of
  the party other than the party that the Speaker
  or President belongs to

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• SECTION 8
• Either house of the General Assembly may
  introduce a bill
• For a bill to become a law, a majority in each
  house must vote for it
• A copy of each bill must be given to each member
  before final passage
• Bills are only to cover one subject

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• SECTION 9
• After a bill is passed, it has to presented to
  the Governor within 30 days
• If he signs the bill, it becomes law- he has 60
  days to decide, if he does nothing, it becomes
  law
• Governor can veto a bill
• A item veto is a veto of a part of the bill
• A reduction veto is used to reduce the amount of
  an appropriation (money)

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• If Governor vetoes a bill, it is sent back to the
  house where it came from, and they have 15 days
  to override the veto
• In order to override the veto, 3/5ths of both
  houses must vote to override it
• SECTION 11
• The legislature votes for its own salary, but not
  for the term elected
• SECTION 14
• The House has the power to bring charges for
  impeachment
• Impeachment hearings are heard by the Senate, a
  2/3rds majority is needed

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• SECTION 15
• Neither house can adjourn for more than 3 days
  without the consent of the other house
• Neither house can change its place of meeting
  without the consent of the other house