| Maine Legislature |
Article Index for Maine |
Website Links For Maine |
Information AboutMaine Legislature |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MAINE LEGISLATURE | |
| maine state legislature | |
| government of maine | |
|
The Maine Legislature is the State Legislature of the U.S. State of Maine . It is a Bicameral body composed of the Lower House Maine House Of Representatives and the Upper House Maine Senate . The Legislature convenes at the State House in Augusta , where it has met since 1832 . The House of Representatives consists of one-hundred and fifty-one members, each chosen from single-member constituencies. The House is also one of the only State Legislative bodies in the U.S. to set aside special seats for Native Americans , where there are two nonvoting Representatives from the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribes. The Senate includes a varying number of members, which may under the Maine Constitution be thirty-one, thirty-three, or thirty-five; the present number is thirty-five. QUALIFICATIONS In order to be a member of the Legislature, one must be no less than twenty-one years old, have been for five years a citizen of the United States , have been a resident of Maine for one year, and for the 3 months next preceding the time of this person's election shall have been, and, during the period for which elected, continue to be, a resident in the district represented. ELECTIONS Legislative elections are held in November of every even-numbered year, during the state's General Election . The terms for both houses are two years. Since 1996 , members of both the House and Senate are limited to four two-year terms; this is a consecutive, rather than lifetime, limit. POWERS As the Legislative Branch of the Maine state government, the Legislature has the power to make laws, subject to a veto by the Governor . The Legislature, however, by a vote of two-thirds in each house, may override the veto. The Legislature also has the power to propose constitutional amendments by a vote of two-thirds in each house; the proposal must be approved by a majority of voters in a referendum in order to be passed. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|