Iowa General Assembly

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The Iowa General Assembly (or IGA) is the state legislature of Iowa. The General Assembly convenes within the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. It is a bicameral legislature composed of an upper house, the Iowa State Senate, and a lower house, the Iowa House of Representatives.

Prior to the 2006 election, Iowa had one of the most evenly divided state legislatures in the country, with a 25-25 split in the Senate and the House composed of 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats.

In 2010, the General Assembly was in session from January 11th to March 30th.^[1]

Sessions

In 2010, the General Assembly was in session from January 11th to March 30th.

The Legislative Department of the Iowa Constitution establishes when the General Assembly is to be in session. Section 2 of the article states that the General Assembly is to convene its regular session on the second Monday of January of each year. The General Assembly can also be called into special session by a proclamation of the Governor of Iowa or by a written request of two-thirds of both houses of the General Assembly.

Bills may be pre-filed for the senate between odd year and even year sessions.^[2]

Role in State Budget

Main article: Iowa state budget

Sometime in January of every year, the Iowa General Assembly receives an annual budget proposal from the Governor. The annual budget proposal is for the next fiscal year, which begins October 1st. The Legislature then revises this budget over the course of the next couple of months. ^[3]

In hard economic times, the Iowa Legislature has scrambled to balance the budget. Reduced revenue projections back in April of 2009 led Gov. Culver to revise and cut 7.9% from his FY 2010 budget recommendation to the Legislature during its session.^[4]

Legislators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2010, members of the Iowa legislature are paid $25,000/year. Additionally, legislators receive $137/day per diem tied to the federal rate. Polk County legislators receive $102.75/day.^[5]

The $25,000/year that Idaho legislators are paid as of 2010 is the same as they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $118/day in 2007 to $137/day in 2010. Additionally, Polk County legislators received $88.50/day per diem in 2007 but now receive $102.75).^[6]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Iowa legislators assume office the first day of January after their election.

Senate

The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 members of the Senate, representing fifty single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 58,586.^[7] The Senate meets at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.

Unlike the lower house, the Iowa House of Representatives, Senators serve four-year terms and half of the chamber is up for re-election every two years. There are no term limits.

Party		As of July 2010
	Democratic Party	32
	Republican Party	18
Total		50

House of Representatives

The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 100 members of the House of Representatives, respresenting 100 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 29,293.^[8]

Unlike the upper house, the Iowa Senate, state representatives serve two-year terms with the whole chamber up for re-election in even-numbered years. There are no term limits.

Party		As of July 2010
	Democratic Party	56
	Republican Party	44
Total		100

External links

• Iowa General Assembly website
• Iowa Code
• Iowa Constitution
• Wikipedia: Iowa General Assembly

References

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