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New Jersey General Assembly
| New Jersey General Assembly | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2013 session start: | January 10, 2013 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | Sheila Oliver (D) |
| Majority Leader: | Louis Greenwald (D) |
| Minority leader: | Jon Bramnick (R) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 80 |
| Democratic Party (48) Republican Party (32) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art IV, New Jersey Constitution |
| Salary: | $49,000/year |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 8, 2011 (80 seats) |
| Next election: | November 5, 2013 (80 seats) |
| Redistricting: | New Jersey Redistricting Commission |
Contents |
Sessions
Article IV of the New Jersey Constitution establishes when the New Jersey State Legislature, of which the General Assembly is a part, is to be in session. Section 1 of Article IV states that each annual session is to begin on the second Tuesday of January. The session does not end until the beginning of the next annual session or until the Legislature chooses to adjourn.
Section 1 also allows for special sessions of the Legislature to be called by the Governor of New Jersey or by a majority of the members of each legislative house.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 10 to a date to be determined.
Major issues
The major issue for the Legislature is rebuilding the state after superstorm Sandy. Gun control is also expected to be addressed.[3]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the General Assembly began its legislative session on January 10.
2011
In 2011, the General Assembly was in session from January 12 through a date to be determined by the Legislature. [4]
2010
In 2010, the General Assembly convened on January 12, and remained in session throughout the year.[5]
Elections
Four states, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia hold their state legislative elections in odd-numbered years. New Jersey began holding elections in odd numbered years when the state adopted a new constitution in 1947. Prior to the new constitution, members of the Assembly were elected to one-year terms, members of the Senate to three-year terms and governors to three-year terms. The new constitution changed the term structure to include two years for representatives and four year terms for senators and governors. Because the constitution was adopted in an odd-numbered year, elections were also held in odd-numbered years and have continued in such a manner to this day.[6]
The notion also exists that the reason for odd year elections exists to insulate New Jersey politics from national politics. Former New Jersey Governor Alfred E. Driscoll made the following statement before the constitutional convention in 1947:[6]
- ...the election for a Governor and for Assemblymen should not coincide with a Presidential election. The importance of a gubernatorial election merits an election that will not be overshadowed by a national contest for the Presidency. The problems confronting the State are frequently distinct from those confronting the nation...
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state house in New Jersey in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state house races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[7]
| Total contributions, New Jersey General Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
| 2011 | 215 | $25,001,973 |
| 2009 | 205 | $25,487,974 |
| 2007 | 204 | $26,388,602 |
| 2005 | 212 | $23,299,489 |
| 2003 | 233 | $15,682,188 |
| 2001 | 218 | $12,642,876 |
| 1999 | 216 | $13,178,596 |
| 1997 | 138 | $7,436,476 |
2011
Elections for the office of New Jersey's state house representatives were held in New Jersey on November 8, 2011.
During the 2011 election, the total contributions to the 215 Assembly candidates was $25,001,973. The top 10 contributors were:[7]
| 2011 Donors, New Jersey General Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| New Jersey State Laborers | $344,500 |
| New Jersey Education Association | $325,900 |
| New Jersey Republican Party | $296,965 |
| New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters | $296,950 |
| Election Fund of Cook Conaway & Singleton | $245,493 |
| New Jersey Association of Realtors | $242,450 |
| 1199 Seiu United Healthcare Workers East | $185,400 |
| Communications Workers New Jersey | $162,500 |
| Cmte to Elect Lesniak Cryan & Quijano | $157,485 |
| Democratic Assembly Campaign Cmte | $155,183 |
2007
As of the 2000 Census, New Jersey's 80 state representatives each represented an average population of 105,179 people. In 2007, the candidates for the state general assembly raised a total of $26,388,602 in campaign contributions.
The top 10 donors were:[8]
| 2007 Donors, New Jersey General Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Public Fund | $2,687,684 |
| Panter & Mallet for Assembly | $935,740 |
| Hudson County Democratic Organization | $803,942 |
| New Jersey Republican Party | $573,008 |
| New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters | $269,750 |
| New Jersey Association of Realtors | $268,700 |
| New Jersey State Laborers | $248,850 |
| New Jersey Business & Industry Association | $205,735 |
| New Jersey Education Association | $194,885 |
| Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 9 | $191,950 |
Qualifications
In order to be a candidate to run for the New Jersey General Assembly, a candidate must:
- Be a citizen of the United States
- Reside for no less than two years in the district the candidate plans to represent.
- Be 21 years of age or older.
- Obtain 100 signatures via petition and submit the signatures to the New Jersey Secretary of State[9].
- Disclose any criminal convictions[10].
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
For any vacancy that happens in session, a special election must be conducted within 51 days of the vacancy. All other vacancies must be filled by the county leadership of the political party that holds the seat[11].
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in New Jersey
Redistricting is handled by the bipartisan 10-member New Jersey Redistricting Commission.
2010 census
The State of New Jersey received its local census data on February 3, 2011.[12]. From that point, the Commission had 60 days to ultimately settle on a map. The state's population grew five percent to 8.8 million from 2000 to 2010.[13]
Unable to agree on a map within 30 days, Rutgers law professor Alan Rosenthal was appointed as the nonpartisan 11th member of the commission, as called for. When a compromise could not be reached, he cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of the Democratic map on April 3, 2011.[14]
Assemblymen
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the New Jersey Legislature are paid $49,000/year. There is no per diem.[15]
When sworn in
New Jersey legislators assume office at noon of the second Tuesday in January following the election.
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 48 | |
| Republican Party | 32 | |
| Total | 80 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the New Jersey State House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Leadership
The Speaker of the Assembly is the presiding officer of the body. [16]
Current leadership
Current members
Standing committees
New Jersey General Assembly has 23 standing committees:
- Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Appropriations
- Budget
- Commerce and Economic Development
- Consumer Affairs
- Education
- Environment and Solid Waste
- Financial Institutions and Insurance
- Health and Senior Services
- Higher Education
- Homeland Security and State Preparedness
- Housing and Local Government
- Human Services
- Judiciary
- Labor
- Law and Public Safety
- Military and Veterans' Affairs
- Regulated Professions
- Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee
- State Government
- Telecommunications and Utilities
- Tourism and the Arts
- Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the New Jersey State House of Representatives for the last 12 years and the Republicans were the majority for the first 10 years.
Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of New Jersey, the New Jersey State Senate and the New Jersey House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
- Official website of the New Jersey Legislature
- Official list of the current members of the New Jersey Legislature
- Legislative district map
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Sandy Sets New Agenda for Christie ," January 6, 2013
- ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
- ↑ 2010 session dates for New Jersey Legislature
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Thicket of State Legislatures, Why do Four States Have Odd-Year Elections?, Aug. 25, 2011
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Follow the Money, "New Jersey General Assembly 2011 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Follow the Money: "New Jersey House 2007 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State "Partisan Office Candidate Requirements
- ↑ New Jersey Secretary of State "Memo to General Assembly and Senate Candidates on Criminal Disclosure", April 8, 2005
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature "New Jersey Constitution"(Referenced Section Article IV, Section 4, (1))
- ↑ Star Ledger "With release of census data, N.J. Legislature has 60 days to come up with redistricting map," February 3, 2011
- ↑ Star-Ledger, "New census data shows N.J.'s population grew most in southern counties, became more racially diverse," February 3, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ↑ NorthJersey.com, "What N.J.'s legislative redistricting means to you," April 19, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Assembly Leadership
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