The Arizona State Legislature is the
state legislature
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
of
Arizona. It is a
bicameral legislature that consists of a
lower house, the
House of Representatives, and an
upper house, the
Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, the state legislature meets in the
Capitol Complex in the state capital of
Phoenix, Arizona. Created by the
Arizona Constitution upon statehood in 1912, the Arizona State Legislature met biennially until 1950. Today, they meet annually.
Arizona's electoral districts are different from those in most
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
s. The state is divided into 30 legislative districts, each of which elects one senator and two representatives. Legislators are term limited to eight consecutive years in office, but can run again after two years or run for a seat in the other house.
History
Pre-statehood
Congress formed the
New Mexico Territory
The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomin ...
in 1850 consisting of the land that is now Arizona north of the
Gila River
The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of n ...
, along with what is now
New Mexico, parts of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
and
Nevada.
In 1853, the territory expanded under the
Gadsden Purchase agreement by nearly 30,000 square miles of land south of the Gila River in Arizona, forming the state’s
current boundary with
Mexico.
In 1863, President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
signed the
Arizona Organic Act
The Arizona Organic Act was an organic act passed in the United States federal law introduced as H.R. 357 in the second session of the 37th U.S. Congress on March 12, 1862, by Rep. James M. Ashley of Ohio. The Act provided for the creation of th ...
creating the
Territory of Arizona
The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...
. In 1864, the First Territorial Legislature convened in
Prescott, the territory’s
first capital.
The capital moved from Prescott to
Tucson and back to Prescott before being permanently established in Phoenix in 1889.
Early years of statehood
On June 20, 1910, President
William Howard Taft signed the
Enabling Act, allowing the Arizona Territory to hold a
constitutional convention. Elected Arizona delegates convened in Phoenix at the territorial capitol on October 10, 1910, to draft the
Arizona Constitution.
Although constitutional provisions for
prohibition and
women’s suffrage were rejected, voters added both within three years of statehood.
The new constitution was ratified by voters on February 9, 1911, and Arizona statehood took place on February 14, 1912, after eliminating a provision to recall judges that caused an initial veto by President Taft. A few months later, illustrating Arizona's independent streak, voters reinstated the provision permitting the recall of judges.
Arizona's First Legislature had 19 state senators and 35 state representatives and convened March 18, 1912.
The Legislature met on a biennial basis until 1950, when a
constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, t ...
provided for annual
sessions.
Legislative process
The Arizona Legislature is responsible for making laws in the state of
Arizona. The first step in the legislative process is bill drafting. First, legislators must submit a bill request to the legislative council staff.
Additionally, a legislator-elect may submit a bill request or private citizens can obtain authorization from a legislator to use the legislator's name before giving instructions to the legislative council staff.
The legislative council staff delivers a bill draft to the sponsor or requester and if directed, will prepare the bill for introduction.
Bills undergo three or four readings during the legislative process. After the first reading, they are assigned to committee. Committees can amend measures or hold legislation and prevent it from advancing. Once committee action is completed, the bill undergoes a second hearing and a third hearing, which happens just before the floor vote on it.
The bill is then sent to the opposite legislative house for consideration. If approved, without amendment, it is sent to the governor. If there is amendment, however, the Senate may either reconsider the bill with amendments or ask for the establishment of a conference committee to work out differences in the versions of the bill passed by each chamber. Once a piece of legislation approved by both houses is forwarded to the governor, it may either be signed or vetoed. If it is signed, it takes effect on the effective date of the legislation. If it is vetoed, lawmakers may override the veto with a vote by a three-fifths majority in both chambers.
Alternatively, instead of presenting the measure to the Governor, the Legislature may order that it be submitted to the people. If the measure is approved by the people, the Governor has no power to veto it, and the Legislature may not repeal it, and may not amend it unless the amending legislation furthers the purposes of such measure and at least three-fourths of the members of each house of the Legislature, by a roll call of ayes and nays, vote to amend such measure.
[Ariz. Const. Art. IV, Part I, § 1(6)(C).]
Membership
Districting
There are 30 legislative districts in Arizona, each of which is a multi-member constituency. Each district elects a state senator and two state representatives for a two-year term. The combining of upper and lower house districts into a single constituency is known as
nesting and is found in only seven U.S. state legislatures: Arizona,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
,
Maryland,
New Jersey,
North Dakota,
South Dakota, and
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
Term limits
Under article 4, part 2, section 21 of the
Constitution of Arizona
The Constitution of the State of Arizona is the governing document and framework for the State of Arizona. The current constitution is the first and only adopted by the state of Arizona.
History
The Arizona Territory was authorized to hold a ...
, members of the Arizona Legislature serve two-year terms, and legislators are subject to
term limits.
Members may only serve four consecutive terms (or eight years) in each house; however, once serving the limit, former members are re-eligible for election after a 2-year respite.
Members who are term-limited in one house frequently seek election to other positions within the state.
Party composition and elections
Party division of the legislature since the 1996 Elections:
References
External links
Official Arizona State Legislature website*
Arizona House of Representatives websiteHouse roster (54th Legislature)Arizona State Senate websiteSenate roster (54th Legislature)
{{Authority control
Legislature
Bicameral legislatures