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Florida State Legislature
| Florida State Legislature | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | State legislature |
| Term limits: | 2 terms (8 years) in Senate, 4 terms (8 years) in House |
| 2013 session start: | January 10, 2012 |
| Website: | Official Legislature Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Mike Haridopolos (R) |
| House Speaker: | Dean Cannon (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Andy Gardiner (R) (Senate), Carlos Lopez-Cantera (R) (House) |
| Minority leader: | Nan Rich (D) (Senate), Ron Saunders (D) (House) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 40 (Senate), 120 (House) |
| Length of term: | 4 years (Senate), 2 years (House) |
| Authority: | Art I, Section 1, Florida Constitution |
| Salary: | $29,697/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 2, 2010 20 seats (Senate) 120 seats (House) |
| Next election: | November 6, 2012 40 seats (Senate) 120 seats (House) |
| Redistricting: | Florida Legislature has control |
Contents |
The two houses convene within the Florida State Capitol complex in Tallahassee.
The Florida Legislature is a part-time body, meeting only 60 day regular sessions annually with the possibility of special sessions as needed. Outside of these regular sessions, the members of both houses participate in hearings, town hall meetings and legislative discussions throughout the year.
In 2010, the Legislature was in session from March 2nd to April 30th.[1]
Sessions
Article III of the Florida Constitution establishes when the Legislature is to be in session. Section 3 of Article III states that the regular session of the Legislature is to convene on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each year. Regular sessions of the Legislature are not to exceed sixty days, unless extended by a three-fifths vote of each house.
Section 3 also allows for the convening of special sessions, either by the proclamation of the Governor of Florida or as otherwise provided by law.
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the Legislature will be in session from January 10 through March 9.
Major issues
Lawmakers will have to address a $2 billion budget shortfall as well as complete new legislative and congressional district maps.[2]
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the Legislature was in session from March 8 through May 6.
Session highlights
In 2011, the legislature reduced government spending and avoided raising taxes. Spending will be reduced by $1 billion from last year, and $4 billion less than in 2006. Florida also removed 14,000 businesses from corporate tax income rolls. Areas that spending was cut include education and social programs. The legislature removed funding from a veteran's homeless support group, reduced payments to social workers by 15 percent, and will spend $2.5 billion less on education than last year. [3]
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the Legislature was in session from March 2nd to April 30th.
Role in the Legislature
- Main article: Florida state budget
By the end of February each year, the Legislature of Florida receives an annual budget proposal from the Governor. The annual budget proposal is for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st. The Legislature then revises this budget over the course of the next couple of months. In April or May, the Legislature votes on a budget. For a budget to pass, a majority of legislatures must vote in support of it [4]
Recently, Florida's Legislature has passed unbalanced budgets. As a result of this, Florida's Director of the Office of Policy and Budget, Jerry L. McDaniel, had to send out a memorandum on October 12, 2009 to the executives of state agencies, advising them of an anticipated $2.6 billion shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year 2010 budget. [5]
Legislators
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2010, members of the Florida legislature are paid $29,697 per year. Legislators are allowed $133 per day for per diem, tied to the federal rate. Travel vouchers are required.[6]
The $29,697 that Florida legislators are paid as of 2010 is a decrease from the $39,996 that they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $126 per day in 2007 to $133 per day in 2010. The same per diem rules apply in 2010 as 2007 -- per diem tied to days in session and travel vouchers are required.[7]
When sworn in
Florida legislators assume office two weeks following their election.
Leaders
The House is headed by the Speaker, while the Senate is headed by the President. The House Speaker and Senate President the assignment of committees and leadership positions, along with control of the agenda in their chambers. The two leaders are considered powerful statewide leaders and along with the Governor of Florida control most of the agenda of state business in Florida.
Senate
- President of the Senate: Mike Haridopolos
- President pro tempore of the Senate: Michael Bennett
- Majority Leader of the Senate: Andy Gardiner
- Minority Leader of the Senate: Nan Rich
House
- Speaker of the House: Dean Cannon
- Speaker pro tempore of the House: John Legg
- Majority Leader of the House: Carlos Lopez-Cantera
- Minority Leader of the House: Ron Saunders
Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida State Legislature. There are 40 members in the senate. Generally, Senators in odd-numbered districts are elected in years divisible by four (in tandem with U.S. Presidential elections), and Senators in even-numbered districts are elected alongside elections for Florida's statewide offices. In years ending in the digit 2, all Senators are up for re-election. Thus, odd-number district Senators were elected to two-year terms in 2002, and even-number district Senators will be elected to two-year terms in 2012. Each member represents an average of 470,033 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[8] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 399,559.[9]
Florida Senate districts are both organized by population over geographic areas. Although there are exactly three times as many members of the House (120) as in the Senate (40), the Senate districts do not consist of three Representative districts; the boundaries are independent.
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | |
| Total | 40 | |
House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida State Legislature. It is composed of 120 members, each representing a district. Each member represents an average of 156,678 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[10] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 133,186.[11]
Representatives are elected to two-year terms during even-numbered years. A representative must be at least 21 years of age, a resident of the district in which he or she will serve, and a resident of Florida for at least two years before being qualified to run for election. Once elected, representatives are limited to four terms.
The entire Florida Legislature meets every year in a session beginning on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March and lasting 60 calendar days. Special sessions may be called either by the Governor or by the leaders of both chambers acting jointly.
The Speaker of the House is elected by the representatives for a two-year term. The Speaker has the power to preside over the chamber during a session, to appoint committee members and chairs of committees, to influence the placement of bills on the calendar, and to rule on procedural motions. The Speaker pro tempore presides if the Speaker leaves the Chair or if there is a vacancy.
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 44 | |
| Republican Party | 75 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | |
| Total | 120 | |
Joint committees
- Joint Administrative Procedures
- Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight
- Joint Legislative Auditing
- Joint Legislative Budget
- Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining
External links
- Florida Legislature
- Florida Senate
- Official site Florida House
- Official site Florida Elections Division
References
- ↑ 2010 session dates for Florida legislature
- ↑ Miami Herald, "State lawmakers open session facing $2 billion budget shortfall," January 8, 2012
- ↑ Stateline.org, States balance budgets with cuts, not taxes, June 15, 2011
- ↑ National Association of State Budget Offices, 2008 Budget Processes in the States
- ↑ Jerry L. McDaniel, Director Office of Policy & Budget Memorandum, “FY 2010-2011 Legislative Budget Requests,” October 12, 2009
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
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