WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

The 'West Virginia Legislature' is the state legislature of the U.S. state of West Virginia. A bicameral legislative body, the Legislature is split between the upper Senate and the lower House of Delegates. It was established under Article VI of the West Virginia Constitution following the state's split from Virginia during the American Civil War in 1863. As with its neighbor and former constituent Virginia General Assembly, the lower house is also referred to as a "House of Delegates."
The Legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Charleston.

Contents

Terms

Sessions

Origination of bills

Veto override

See also

External links

Terms

Senators are elected for terms of four years, and delegates for terms of two years. These terms are staggered, meaning that not all 34 State Senate seats are up every election. Some are up for grabs during the Presidential Election years and some are up during "mid-term" elections.

Sessions

Regular sessions of the Legislature commence on the second Wednesday of January of each year. However, following the election of a new governor, the session starts in January with the governor's address but then adjourns until February. On the first day of the session, members of both the House and the Senate sit in joint session in the House Chamber where the governor presents his or her legislative program. The length of the general session may not go beyond 60 calendar days unless extended by a concurrent resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of each house. The governor may convene the Legislature for extraordinary sessions. Governor Joe Manchin III has already called three special sessions of the legislature during the first year of his first term. Given the part time nature of the legislature of West Virginia, this is not uncommon.

Origination of bills

Bills, even revenue bills, and resolutions may originate in either house.

Veto override

Two-thirds of the members elected to each house are required to override the governor's veto of a bill or items or parts thereof.

See also

★ West Virginia House of Delegates

★ West Virginia Senate

★ West Virginia State Capitol

★ List of members of the 78th West Virginia House of Delegates

★ List of members of the 78th West Virginia Senate

★ List of members of the 77th West Virginia House of Delegates

★ List of members of the 77th West Virginia Senate

External links

★ West Virginia Legislature Homepage