Kentucky House of Representatives | |
---|---|
Kentucky General Assembly | |
Type | |
Type | |
Term limits
|
None |
History | |
New session started
|
January 5, 2017 |
Leadership | |
Speaker pro Tempore
|
|
Majority Leader
|
|
Minority Leader
|
|
Structure | |
Seats | 100 |
Political groups
|
Governing party
Opposition Party
|
Length of term
|
2 years |
Authority | The Legislative Department, Section 29, Kentucky Constitution |
Salary | $186.73/day + per diem |
Elections | |
Last election
|
November 8, 2016 |
Next election
|
November 6, 2018 (100 seats) |
Redistricting | Legislative Control |
Meeting place | |
House of Representatives Chamber Kentucky State Capitol Frankfort, Kentucky |
|
Website | |
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |
Governing party
Opposition Party
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve the principle of equal representation. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits. The Kentucky House of Representatives convenes at the State Capitol in Frankfort.
The first meeting of the Kentucky House of Representatives was in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1792, shortly after statehood. During the first legislative session, legislators chose Frankfort, Kentucky to be the permanent state capital.
After women gained suffrage in Kentucky, Mary Elliott Flanery was elected as the first female member of the Kentucky House of Representative. She took her seat January 1922 and was the first female legislator elected south of the Mason–Dixon line.
In 2017, the Republican party became the majority party in the House. Previous to this, the Kentucky House of Representatives had been the last legislative chamber in the South that was still controlled by the Democratic party.
Section 47 of the Kentucky Constitution stipulates that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives.
According to Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution, a state representative must: be a citizen of Kentucky, be at least 24 years old at the time of election, have resided in the state at least 2 years and the district at least 1 year prior to election. Per section 30 of the Kentucky Constitution, representatives are elected every two years in the November following a regular session of the General Assembly.
The Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives is the chief presiding officer of the Kentucky House. The Speaker's official duties include maintaining order in the House, recognizing members during debate, appointing committee chairs and determining the composition of committees, and determining which committee has jurisdiction over which bill. Traditionally, the Speaker has also served as Chair of the Rules Committee and the Committee on Committees.