State of Georgia's Legislative Branch

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Georgia’s Government

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The legislative branch is the one that makes the laws,
and according to separation of powers, no other
branch has the right to make Georgia’s laws.

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In Georgia, the General Assembly acts as the state’s
legislative branch of government.

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The legislative branch is bicameral. It consists of two
houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

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Under Georgia’s Constitution, the House must have at
least 180 members and the Senate must have at least
56.

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Georgia State Capitol – Atlanta

Home of General Assembly

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In order to serve in the General Assembly, individuals
must meet certain qualifications.

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Qualifications for legislators in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate include US citizenship,
Georgia citizenship for at least two years, and legal
residence in their districts for at least one year.

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Senators must be at least 25 years old and
Representatives must be 21.

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Someone who is currently serving in the military is not
allowed to be either a senator or representative.

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Members of both the House of Representative
and the Senate of the General Assembly serve
two-year terms with no limit on consecutive
terms.

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General Assembly members are elected in
general elections in their local districts.

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The entire membership of each body is elected
at the same time and elections occur in even
numbered years.

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The legislative session begins on the second
Monday in January and lasts for 40 days.

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For the rest of their two-year terms, the duties
of senators and representatives take place in
special sessions and committees.

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Members work on making laws to ensure the
welfare of citizens, proposing Georgia’s budget,
and amending the constitution.

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Georgia Senators

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While many legislative powers are shared by
the House and Senate, some powers are
reserved for one house but not the other.

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Only the House of Representatives may
introduce bills designed to raise revenue,
appropriate funds, or impeach.

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Only the Senate may determine the guilt or
innocence of impeached officials or
approve/reject appointments by the governor.

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The speaker of the House acts as the head of the House of
Representatives.
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Members of the House elect him/her from among their
members.

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The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate.
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Georgians elect him/her in a statewide election by
popular vote.

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The Senate elects a president pro tempore and the House
elects a speaker pro tempore to serve in place of the
lieutenant governor and speaker when they are absent.

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The Senate also has a secretary of the Senate and the
House a clerk of the House of Representatives.

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Both the speaker of the House and the lieutenant
governor appoint committees that focus on
different issues and make recommendations about
specific bills.

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The committee system is an important part of the
legislative process as much of the work done in
Georgia’s General Assembly takes place in
committees.

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Both houses use committees to study bills before
they are sent to the members for debate and vote.

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There are about 36 regular committees in the House of
Representatives.

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Each representative sits on 2-3 committees that deal with
things such as public safety, education, agriculture,
transportation, etc.

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There are about 26 committees in the Senate.

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Each Senator is a member of at least three committees, and
the lieutenant governor chooses each committee’s chair.

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Some committees are permanent, lasting from one

session to the next. These are called

standing

committees.

* Some of the standing committees include

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Ways and Means Committee

, which handles bills

involving taxes;

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The Appropriations Committee

, which works on the

budget;

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The Judiciary Committee

, which deals with bills

concerning the state’s laws and court system.

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Senate Rules Committee

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Other committees are organized for a specific task and

only last until their work is completed.

* One type of special committee is an

interim

committee (Ad Hoc)

,

one that works on assigned issues

and concerns between sessions of the legislature.

*Another special committee is a

conference

committee

, which is appointed when the House and

Senate pass different versions of a bill. This committee is

made up of 3 senators & 3 representatives and must try to

find a way to write one bill that both houses will pass.

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A

joint committee

, another special

committee, is made up of members from

both houses and works on an assigned

topic or issue.

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In order for a bill to become a law, it must go
through a specific legislative process.

1. Drafting – With the help of lawyers, legislators

write the text of the bill.

2. Introduction – Either a senator or representative

introduces the bill to the house s/he belongs to.

3. Committee Consideration – The committee

studies the bill and decides whether or not it
should become a law. If it is to become a law it is

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Floor Consideration – The bill is read aloud in either
the House or the Senate and members vote on the
bill. If the majority votes “no”, then the bill dies. If
the majority votes “yes”, then the bill goes to the
other house where the process is repeated.

Governor Consideration – A bill that passes both
houses is sent to the governor. The governor can sign
the bill and it becomes a law, or veto the bill. It then
goes back to the General Assembly for
reconsideration. They can override the governor’s
veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses.

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4.

5.

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