Tennessee General Assembly | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Houses |
Senate House of Representatives |
Leadership | |
Randy McNally (R)
Since January 9, 2017 |
|
Beth Harwell (R)
Since January 11, 2011 |
|
Structure | |
Seats |
132 voting members: 33 Senators 99 Representatives |
Senate political groups
|
Republican (28) Democratic (5) |
House political groups
|
Republican (73) Democratic (26) |
Elections | |
Senate last election
|
November 8, 2016 |
House last election
|
November 8, 2016 |
Meeting place | |
Tennessee State Capitol, Nashville | |
Website | |
www |
Republican (28)
Republican (73)
The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title and office of Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee. In addition to passing a budget for state government plus other legislation, the General Assembly appoints three state officers specified by the state constitution. It is also the initiating body in any process to amend the state's constitution.
According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of ninety-nine members.
The representatives are elected to two-year terms; according to a 1966 constitutional amendment the senators are elected to four-year terms which are staggered, with the districts with even numbers being elected in the year of Presidential elections and those in the districts with odd numbers being elected in the years of Tennessee gubernatorial elections.
To keep the legislature a part-time body, it is limited to ninety "legislative days" per two-year term, plus up to fifteen days for organizational purposes at the start of each term. A legislative day is considered any day that the House or Senate formally meets in the chambers of each house. Legislators are paid a base salary of $19,009 along with a per diem expense of $171 per legislative day. If the legislature remains in session longer than ninety legislative days, lawmakers cease to draw their expense money.