Illinois Constitution- The Legislative Branch

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Illinois Constitution

The Legislative Branch

Article IV: The Legislature

Entrance to the Illinois State Capitol

Article 4 provides rules for the legislative branch of Illinois government, known as the General Assembly. Similar to the U.S. Congress, the General Assembly is divided into 2 houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Illinois is divided into 59 legislative districts. Each legislative district is divided into 2 representative districts. Every ten years, the General Assembly must redistrict, or again divide the state into districts based on new census information. Districts must be “compact, contiguous, and substantially equal in population,” which means a districts can’t be divided into several parts and all districts must have approximately the same number of people.

Each district elects one senator and two representatives, so there are 59 state senators and 118 representatives in the General Assembly. To be elected to the General Assembly a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 21 years old, and a resident of the district to be represented for at least 2 years. Members of the General Assembly are elected every 2 years.

Members of the General Assembly make laws for the state of Illinois. Each law begins as a bill, or proposed law, in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. The bill must be passed by a majority of both the Senate and the House and then must be sent to the Governor within 30 days of its passing. The governor can sign the bill or veto it. If the governor signs the bill, it becomes a law. If the governor vetoes the bill, it cannot become a law, unless the General Assembly overrides the governor’s veto. To override the governor’s veto, three-fifths of the members of both the Senate and the House must vote in favor of the bill, and the bill becomes a law.

The Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch is the law-making branch of Illinois government. The legislature (law-making body) of Illinois meets each year beginning on the second Wednesday of January and concluding when the legislative work of the state has been finished. The governor, after the legislature has adjourned, may call extra sessions.

The General Assembly

The main body of the Legislative Branch is the General Assembly. It consists of the Senate and House of Representatives. (In other words, the Senate and the House of Representatives together are known as the General Assembly). There are 177 members in the General Assembly. The Senate has 59 members and the House of Representatives has 118 members.

All members of the General Assembly are elected by the people. All members of the General Assembly must be 21 years old or older, be a resident of the district for at least 2 years, and be a citizen.

In order to do work, a quorum of its members must be present. A quorum is a majority of the members. Each house determines its own rules and procedures. No member can be expelled, except by a 2/3 vote. Either house can imprison any people who show disrespect to the house, but only for 24 hours. Both houses are organized into committees to help conduct business efficiently.

Districts

There are 59 legislative districts in the state. Each district elects one state senator and 2 state representatives. Mount Prospect is located within the 27th legislative district. Our state Senator is Mr. Tom Rooney.

Special Duties

Besides making the laws, the General Assembly conducts investigations, submits constitutional amendments to the people, acts on amendments to the federal constitution, and confirms appointments made by the governor.

The State Senate

There are 59 state senators, one from each of the legislative districts. A senator's term is for four years and he/she may be re-elected without limit. Elections are held in even-numbered years, with about half the Senate elected every two years. The presiding officer of the Senate is the President of the Senate, who is elected by all the state senators.

Special Duties of the State Senate

In addition to its regular law-making powers, the senate has the following special powers: The Senate tries impeachment cases and the Senate must approve many of the appointments made by the governor.

The State House of Representatives

There are 118 state representatives, 2 from each of the 59 legislative districts. A representative's term is for two years. Elections are held in even-numbered years and representatives may be re-elected without limit. The presiding officer of the House is the Speaker of the House, elected by the representatives themselves. Mount Prospect lies within the 53rd Representative District. Our state representative is Mr. David Harris.

Special Duties of the House

Besides its regular law-making duties, the House of Representatives has the sole power of impeachment. As you may recall, impeachment means to charge an official with wrongdoing.

Federal Officials Who Represent Us

Illinois has 20 U.S. Representatives and 2 U.S. Senators that represent Illinois in the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. Our U.S. Senators are Mr. Richard Durbin and Mr. Mark Kirk. We live in the 9th Congressional District and our U.S. Representative is Janice Schakowsky.