New Jersey Legislature: Information from Answers.com

The New Jersey Legislature is the U.S. state of New Jersey's legislative branch, seated in the New Jersey State House at the state's capital, Trenton. The Legislature is bicameral, consisting of two houses: the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate.

Overview

The General Assembly is the "lower house" of the Legislature. It consists of eighty members. In order to become an Assemblyman, one must be at least 21 years old and have resided in the state for the past two years, and must live in the district represented. The "upper house," the Senate, includes forty members. The qualifications include 30 years of age and four years' residence in the state, and must live in the district represented. The district boundaries are determined by a bipartisan Apportionment Commission.

Legislative elections are held in November of every odd-numbered year. (The state is in this regard unusual, as most states hold legislative elections in even-numbered years, when Congressional elections are also held.) Assemblymen serve two-year terms, while Senators serve four-year terms, except in the first term of a new decade, which only lasts for two years. The "2-4-4" cycle was put into place so that Senate elections can reflect the changes made to the district boundaries on the basis of the decennial United States Census. (If the cycle were not put into place, then the boundaries would sometimes be four years out of date before being used for Senate elections. Rather, with the varied term, the boundaries are only two years out of date.)

The New Jersey Constitution provides that each Legislature is constituted for a term of two years, split into two annual sessions. Because the Constitution also specifies that all business from the first year may be continued into the second year, the distinction between the two annual sessions is more ceremonial than actual. The two-year legislative term begins at noon on the second Tuesday in January of each even-numbered year, which for the 2006-2008 term was on January 10, 2006. At the end of the second year, all unfinished business expires.

The General Assembly is headed by the Speaker, while the Senate is headed by the President. Each house also has a Majority Leader, a Minority Leader, assistant Leaders, and whips.

The Legislature is empowered to make new law, subject to the Governor of New Jersey's power to veto a bill. However, the veto may be overridden by the Legislature if there is a two-thirds majority in favor of overriding in each House.

Furthermore, by a three-fifths vote, the Legislature may propose an amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution. An amendment may also be proposed if the Legislature passes it by a majority in two consecutive years. Whichever manner is adopted, the Amendment must be approved in a referendum to become valid as a part of the Constitution. Another major legislative power is vested in the Senate, which has the sole authority to confirm or reject gubernatorial nominees for judicial and some executive positions.

Unlike most state legislatures, many New Jersey legislators also concurrently hold another office at the county or municipal level.

Legislative Districts

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled New Jersey Legislative Districts, 2001 redistricting. (Discuss)

as per 2001 redistricting

detail of northeastern portion

The members of the New Jersey Legislature are chosen by forty electoral districts, each district electing one member to the Senate and two members of the Assembly. New Jersey is one of only seven U.S. states (with Arizona, Idaho, Maryland, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington) in which the upper and lower house districts coincide as a single constituency.^{[citation needed]}

Districts are redefined by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission after each decennial U.S. Census. Based on the results of the United States 2000 Census conducted by the Census Bureau, the following district definitions went into effect in 2001.

District 18

The 18th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Barbara Buono (D, Edison) and in the Assembly by Peter J. Barnes III (D, Edison) and Patrick J. Diegnan (D, South Plainfield). On March 14, 2007, Peter J. Barnes, Jr. resigned his Assembly seat and was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate to assume the role of Parole Board Chairman. Barnes' son, Edison Councilman Peter J. Barnes III, was chosen to fill his father's vacant seat.