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Iowa Legislature

            The Iowa Legislature's official name is the General Assembly. The General Assembly has the power to make and pass laws that decide what the government should do and also helps the Executive branch to carry out the laws. We elect the General assembly to represent the voters. According to the constitution, the General Assembly also holds the power to reduce or increase the power and the role of the government.
             The General Assembly is made up of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is composed of fifty people and the House of Representatives, one hundred. The members of the House serve a term of two years and must be 21 years old, while the Senate members serve a four-year term and must be at least 25 years old. In both houses the members must be both a citizen of the U.S. and have lived in Iowa for 2 years. .
             Since the Iowa legislature is a part time citizen legislature, mostly all of the members return to jobs and professions in their home districts. Employers with twenty or more employees must by law grant unpaid leaves of absence to all the elected officials.
             The General Assembly meets on the second Monday in January every year. Every individual General assembly is organized for two years, and is divided into two sessions. The first session (in odd-numbered years) which lasts about 110 days and then the second session (in even-numbered) years which lasts about 100 days. The Legislature can stay in session longer because the law or constitution does not set their limits.
             At the beginning of each of these sessions both of the houses elect presiding officers and officially hire their staff. The two titles of the presiding officers are the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate. Their main duties are to recognize the speakers during a debate and assign bills to committees. .
             Traditionally, members of the Legislature belong to either of the two major political parties - the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.


Essays Related to Iowa Legislature

1. Iowa natural history

... the geode is the state rock. Geodes are unique mineral objects within a rock layer of different composition. It was declared the state rock in 1967by the Iowa General Assembly. Geodes are very interesting in how they are made the following is a very good explanation that I found on the internet How Geodes Are ... so rich in so many different types of fossils. Some of the other interesting things that I discovered was the amount of sea life that inhabited the Iowa landscape in its earlier years. Such as the shark fossil that was found in a quarry in Madrid This is a jaw bone from a shark ...

  • Word Count: 555
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Jury Nullification

... evidence, and to render a verdict dictated by conscientious consideration." (Iowa State Bar: Position Papers) After careful consideration the legislation was rejected. Opponents of Jury Nullification One of the major oppositions to the proposed Iowa legislation was the Iowa State Bar. According to them "jury nullification is a direct attack on the legislature." But is that not the purpose of juries: to question the ... legislature? Democracy relies on a separation of powers, so that those powers may challenge on another. To ... deny the jury's ability to check the legislature will lead ...

  • Word Count: 2789
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography

3. Missouri Compromise

... United States national territory about one hundred and forty percent. Later this same territory would form into states we know today as Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, most of Louisiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Colorado and Oklahoma. The origin of ... later title of the "Great Compromiser," formulated a "Second Missouri Compromise." Admission of Missouri as a state depended on assurance from the Missouri legislature that it would never construe the offending clause in such a way as to sanction denial of privileges that citizens hel...

  • Word Count: 3691
  • Approx Pages: 15
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Overview of State Abortion Laws

... of abortion or if the woman deserves more of a say. Before Roe v. Wade, unborn fetuses were protected from abortion by laws that were in every state's legislature. Between 1967 and 1973 some states, starting with Colorado, had weakened these protections. Ever since the federal government handed down their decision, certain states have revised their ... done to ensure the woman's health and to be sure an ectopic pregnancy is not involved. At the moment seventeen states ban this type of abortion: Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska...

  • Word Count: 2668
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Gay Marriage - Love and Law

... City Council approved the legislation allowing same-sex couples the right to marry, Vermont legalized same-sex marriage, The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed that their previous ban of same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and therefore permitted same-sex marriage and The New Hampshire legislature passed and governor John Lynch signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill took effect on January 1, 2010 ... two people of the same-sex (Nunan). This law took effect in 2007. In May of 2007, a law creating domestic partnerships, for same-sex couples was passed by the state legislature of...

  • Word Count: 2296
  • Approx Pages: 9
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  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Libertarianism

... will emerge. Thomas Paine played a pivotal role in galvanizing American thought, with his revolutionary pamphlet, Common Sense, which spoke of such radical ideas as natural rights and independence. Statesman, diplomat, legislature and future president Thomas Jefferson, undoubtedly influenced by Locke, Smith and Paine issued the Declaration of Independence, which led to the eventual adoption of Libertarian principles. Jefferson clearly declared on ... dead last in student achievement is Mississippi." (34:1) The schools that do rank in the top in terms of student achievement Minnesota and...

  • Word Count: 7034
  • Approx Pages: 28
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7. Libertarianism

... will emerge. Thomas Paine played a pivotal role in galvanizing American thought, with his revolutionary pamphlet, Common Sense, which spoke of such radical ideas as natural rights and independence. Statesman, diplomat, legislature and future president Thomas Jefferson, undoubtedly influenced by Locke, Smith and Paine issued the Declaration of Independence, which led to the eventual adoption of Libertarian principles. Jefferson clearly declared on ... dead last in student achievement is Mississippi." (34:1) The schools that do rank in the top in terms of student achievement Minnesota and...

  • Word Count: 7038
  • Approx Pages: 28
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. The Six Primary Regions of the USA

... the tourists with many attractions such as Disney World, Miami Beach etc. It is also a significant trading center for dairy products or nuts. The Midwest region includes Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Michigan. The Midwest is known as a farming region consisting of small towns. For the sake of cultural diversity it is ... also the third most populous city in the United States. Chicago is regarded as the industrial and transportation center in the Midwest. Iowa is a state almost completely devoted to agricu...

  • Word Count: 1514
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Common Core State Standards

... Committee and the Heritage Foundation have joined the fight and criticism of Common Core. Charles Grassley is a Senator from Iowa who is leading the way for Common Core reform. In Washington Eleven U.S. senators signed a letter led by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today asking Senate appropriators to block the use of funding to the Education Department to promote the Common Core education ... over education. This brings up the most controversial argument about Common Core. Is it unconstitutional? Many feel that Common Core is the government overstepping its boundaries impending on Sate Go...

  • Word Count: 1414
  • Approx Pages: 6

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