Pennsylvania House of Representatives
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives |
|
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania General Assembly | |
 |
|
| Type | |
| Type | |
|
Term limits
|
None |
| History | |
|
New session started
|
January 3, 2017 |
| Leadership | |
|
Speaker of the House
|
|
|
Majority Leader
|
|
|
Minority Leader
|
|
| Structure | |
| Seats | 203 |
 |
|
|
Political groups
|
Governing party
Opposition party
|
|
Length of term
|
2 years |
| Authority | Article II, section 1, Pennsylvania Constitution |
| Salary | $85,338.65/year |
| Elections | |
|
Last election
|
November 8, 2016 (203 seats) |
|
Next election
|
November 6, 2018 (203 seats) |
| Meeting place | |
 |
|
| House of Representatives Chamber Pennsylvania State Capitol Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
|
| Website | |
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives | |
Governing party
Opposition party
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
Following the 2016 elections, the house consisted of 121 Republicans and 82 Democrats. Republican Mike Turzai was first elected Speaker of the House on January 6, 2015. In 2012, a State Representative district had an average population of 60,498 residents.
The house is the largest full-time state legislature in the United States (the New Hampshire House of Representatives is larger but only serves part-time).
The Hall of the House contains important symbols to Pennsylvania history and the work of legislators.
The speakership is the oldest elected statewide office in the Commonwealth. Since its first session in 1682—presided over by William Penn—over 130 house members have been elevated to the speaker's chair. The house cannot hold an official session in the absence of the speaker or his designated speaker pro tempore. Speaker Leroy Irvis was the first African American elected speaker of any state legislature in the United States since Reconstruction. Speaker Dennis O'Brien was the only minority-party Speaker known in Pennsylvania and only the second known nationwide. Pennsylvania has never had a female speaker.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has only 40 women out of 203 total representatives in 2017. This is only 19.7%, which is below the national average of 23.1% women in all statewide legislative positions.
As of December 1, 2016
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Mike Turzai (R)
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Wikipedia