Wyoming State Legislature | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Houses |
Senate House of Representatives |
Leadership | |
Structure | |
Seats |
90 voting members: 30 Senators 60 Representatives |
Senate political groups
|
Republican (26) Democratic (4) |
House political groups
|
Republican (51) Democratic (9) |
Authority | Article III, Wyoming Constitution |
Salary | $150/day + per diem |
Elections | |
Senate last election
|
November 8, 2016 |
House last election
|
November 8, 2016 |
Meeting place | |
Wyoming State Capitol, Cheyenne | |
Website | |
http://legisweb.state.wy.us |
Republican (26)
Republican (51)
The Wyoming State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is a bicameral state legislature, consisting of a 60-member Wyoming House of Representatives, and a 30-member Wyoming Senate. The legislature meets at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne. There are no term limits for either chamber.
The Republican Party holds a supermajority in the current legislature, which began meeting in 2013; 51 of the 60 seats in the House and 26 of the 30 seats in the Senate are held by Republicans.
The Wyoming State Legislature began like other Western states as a territorial legislature, with nearly (though with not all) the parliamentary regulations that guide other fully-fledged state legislatures.
During its territorial era, the Wyoming Legislature played a crucial role in the Suffragette Movement in the United States. In 1869, only four years following the American Civil War, and another 35 years before women's suffrage became a highly visible political issue in both the U.S., Britain, and elsewhere, the Wyoming Legislature granted all women above the age of 21 the right to vote. The legislature's move made Wyoming the first territory of the United States where women were explicitly granted the voting franchise. News spread quickly to other neighboring territories and states. In 1870, the Utah Territorial Legislature followed suit and granted the voting franchise to women.