The Alaska House of Representatives is the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

in the

Alaska State Legislature The Alaska State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a bicameral institution consisting of the 40-member Alaska House of Representatives (lower house) and the 20-member Alaska Senate (upper house). There are 4 ...

, the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

of the U.S. state of

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people per 2010 census figures. Members serve two-year terms without

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...

. With 40 representatives, the Alaska House is the smallest state legislative lower chamber in the United States. The House convenes at the

State Capitol A capitol, or seat of government, is the building or complex of buildings from which a government such as that of a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or the organized territories of the United States, exercises its authority. Although m ...

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

Powers and process

Members of the Alaska House of Representatives are responsible for a portion of the process of making and amending state law. The first step of the legislative process is filing a bill by giving it to the chief clerk of the Alaska House of Representatives.Legislative Process
, Alaska Legislature (accessed April 27, 2013) The chief clerk will then assign bills a number. Bills are introduced and read the first time with the number, sponsor or sponsors, and the title of the bill and then referred to a committee(s). Committee chairs can choose whether or not hear a bill and committees can vote to approve a bill in its original form or make modifications through a committee substitute. Once bills or substitutes are approved, the legislation is referred to the next committee of assignment or to the Rules Committee, which can further amend the bill or assign it to the daily floor calendar. Once a bill is scheduled on the floor, it appears on the calendar in Second Reading. The bill is again read by number, sponsor or sponsors, and title along with the standing committee reports. A motion is made on the floor to adopt any committee substitutes. Amendments can also be offered and voted on. Third Reading is where the motion is made to vote on the bill.

Senate action

After final passage in the Alaska House of Representatives, a bill is engrossed and sent to the

Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or reje ...

to go through the same process of introduction, committee referral and three readings. Likewise, bills that have been approved on Third Reading in the

are engrossed and sent to the Alaska House of Representatives.

Enrollment or conference

When a bill is not modified in the second house, it can be sent to the governor on Third Reading, through enrollment. If the bill is modified, the house of origin must vote to accept or reject amendments by the opposite house. A Fourth Reading, in the case of acceptance, will send the bill to the governor, through enrollment. If amendments are rejected, the bill can be sent to conference, where members of the Senate and House hash out a final version and send it to a Fourth Reading in both houses.

Governor and veto override

The governor can choose to sign or veto the legislation. In the case of the veto, a two-thirds majority of a joint session can override the veto. An appropriations bill requires a three-fourths majority vote in a joint session to override a veto. If signed or approved by a veto override, the legislation becomes law.

Membership

Terms and qualifications

State representatives must be a qualified voter and resident of Alaska for no less than three years, and a resident of the district from which elected for one year immediately preceding filing for office.Alaska Handbook to State Government
(accessed April 25, 2013) A state representative must be 21 years of age at the time the oath of office is taken. The Alaska House of Representatives may expel a member with the concurrence of two-thirds of the membership of the house. Legislative terms begin on the second Monday in January following a presidential election year and on the third Tuesday in January following a gubernatorial election.
Lieutenant Governor's Office (accessed April 26, 2013) State representatives serve for terms of two years.

Leadership

AlaskaHouseOfRepresentativesDirectory2009

The

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. In addition to presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation and committee assignments. Other House leaders, such as the

majority A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the "#Related terms, Related terms" section below. It is a subset of a Set (mathematics), set consisting of more than half of the se ...

and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber.

Current composition

The 21-member majority caucus consists of all 14 Democrats, all 5 Independents and 2 Republicans. The 19-member minority caucus consists of 19 Republicans. Past partisan compositions can be found on

Political party strength in Alaska The following table indicates the parties of elected officials in the U.S. state of Alaska: * Governor, including pre-statehood governors, who were appointed by the U.S. president and usually of the same political party; and * Lieutenant Governor ...

Committees

Current committees include: * Judiciary * Resources * State Affairs * Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, and the Arctic * Fisheries * Committee on Committees * Task Force on Sustainable Education * Community & Regional Affairs * Education * Energy * Military & Veterans' Affairs * Health & Social Services * Labor & Commerce * Transportation * Rules * Finance ** Education & Early Development ** Governor ** Labor & Workforce Development ** Health & Social Services ** Legislature ** Military & Veterans' Affairs ** Natural Resources ** Public Safety ** Revenue ** Transportation & Public Facilities ** University Of Alaska ** Administration ** Commerce, Community & Economic Dev ** Corrections ** Court System ** Environmental Conservation ** Fish & Game ** Law ** Fiscal Policy

Current members (34th Alaska State Legislature)

Past composition of the House of Representatives

Notes

References

External links

Alaska State Legislature
* House Republicans website
Alaska House Coalition
Minority Coalition website (Coalition of Democrats, Independents and Republicans) {{Coord, 58.302198, -134.410467, region:US_type:landmark, display=title * State lower houses in the United States Ted Stevens