The General Court of New
Hampshire is the bicameral
state legislature
of the U.S. state of New Hampshire
. The
lower house
is the
New
Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The
upper house is the
New Hampshire Senate with 24 members.
With 424
members, the General Court is the largest state legislature in the
United
States
and the fourth-largest English-speaking legislative
body in the world, behind the Parliament of
the United Kingdom
, the Parliament of
India, and the United States
Congress. The General Court has one of the greatest
disparities in size between chambers of a bicameral
legislature.
Following the
2006
U.S. general elections, the General Court convened its 160th
session and certified the results from the state general election.
The election gave
Democrats majority control
of both chambers for the first time since
1874,
14-10 in the Senate and 239-161 in the House.
The General Court
convenes in the New Hampshire State House
in downtown Concord
, just off U.S.
Route 3.
House of Representatives
Current percent of Representatives
from each party by District
The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from
103 districts across the state created from divisions of the
state's counties each making up about 3,000 residents for every one
legislator. If the same level of representation were present in
Congress, the
U.S. House of
Representatives would have approximately 99,000 members
according to current population estimates.
Unlike in many legislation halls, there is no central "aisle" to
cross, instead there are five sections with aisles between them.
Party seating location is not enforced as seating is often decided
on the personal preference of the legislator except in the case of
the sixth section, which is the speaker's seat at the head of the
hall.
Historically, the House was dominated by the
Republican Party, which
held a 249–151 majority at the end of the 2004-6 session. However,
even with this 98-vote majority, the Republicans were often divided
between the more conservative
Republican House Alliance and
moderates known as the
Main
Street Republicans. The division was approximately 141 voting
with along RHA lines and 110 voting along Main Street lines if the
difference is considered to be the 50% line of the RHA's 2004
scorecard. However, in the 2006 election, the Democrats swept into
control of the chamber and currently hold a majority of seats in
the House. It is as yet unclear if divisions between the RHA and
Main Street Republicans will remain while in the minority.
Composition of the House of Representatives
New Hampshire Senate
New Hampshire Senate Districts for the
160th Session, with Republican seats in red and Democratic seats in
blue.
The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It consists
of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population.
Currently, there are 14 Democrats and 10 Republicans in the Senate.
In the November 2008 general election, the New Hampshire State
Senate became the first state legislative body in the United States
to have more female than male members. When the new session
convened in December 2008, the state senate's membership comprised
13 women and 11 men. The senate positions of President, President
Pro Tem, Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, and Majority Whip
will each be held by women in the 2008-2009 session.
Composition of the Senate
Media coverage
Trivia
- When numbered seats were installed in Representatives Hall, the
number thirteen was purposely omitted in deference to triskaidekaphobia.
- In 1819, the House of Representatives and Senate moved into
their respective chambers in the State House. Both continue to meet
in their original chambers, making each house have the oldest
chamber in United States still in continuous legislative use.
References
- NH.gov - New Hampshire Almanac - State Government
Overview
- "New NH Senate is majority female." United Press International,
7 November 2008.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/07/New_NH_Senate_is_majority_female/UPI-28981226035253/
- "Larsen Nominates Hassan as Senate Majority Leader."
SeacoastOnline.com, 9 November 2008.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20081109-NEWS-81107038
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