New Jersey General Assembly | |
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New Jersey State Legislature | |
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Type | |
Type | |
Term limits | None |
History | |
New session started | January 9, 2018 |
Leadership | |
Speaker of the General Assembly | |
Majority Leader | |
Speaker pro Tempore | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 80 |
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Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 2 years |
Authority | Article IV, New Jersey Constitution |
Salary | $49,000/year |
Elections | |
Plurality-at-large voting | |
Last election | November 5, 2019 (80 seats) |
Next election | November 2021 (80 seats) |
Redistricting | New Jersey Apportionment Commission |
Meeting place | |
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General Assembly Chamber New Jersey State House Trenton, New Jersey | |
Website | |
New Jersey State Legislature |
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average populations of 210,359 (2000 figures). To be eligible to run, a potential candidate must be at least 21 years of age, and must have lived in their district for at least one year prior to the election, and have lived in the state of New Jersey for two years. They also must be residents of their districts. Membership in the Assembly is considered a part-time job, and many members have employment in addition to their legislative work. Assembly members serve two-year terms, elected every odd-numbered year in November. Several members of the Assembly hold other elective office, as they are grandfathered in under a New Jersey law that banned multiple office holding in 2007.
The Assembly is led by the Speaker of the Assembly, who is elected by the membership of the chamber. After the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey and the President of the New Jersey Senate, the Speaker of the Assembly is third in the line of succession to replace the Governor of New Jersey in the event that he or she is unable to execute the duties of that office. The Speaker decides the schedule for the Assembly, which bills will be considered, appoints committee chairmen, and generally runs the Assembly's agenda. The current Speaker is Craig Coughlin (D-Woodbridge).
Members of the NJ General Assembly receive an annual base salary of $49,000 with the Senate President and the Assembly Speaker earning slightly more. [1] [2] Members receive $110,000 for staff salaries. In addition, they receive 12,500 postage stamps, stationery and a telephone card. They receive New Jersey State health insurance and other benefits. The total cost to the State of New Jersey for each member of the general assembly is approximately $200,000 annually. [3]
Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
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Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
Previous legislature (2018–2019) | 54 | 26 | 80 | 0 |
Current legislature (2020–2021) | 52 | 28 | 80 | 0 |
Latest voting share | 65% | 35% |
Committee chairs for the 2020-2021 Legislative Session are: [4]
The following is a list of Speakers of the Assembly since 1703. [5]
On December 6, 1775, Gov. William Franklin prorogued the New Jersey Legislature until January 3, 1776, but it never met again. [6] On May 30, 1776, Franklin attempted to convene the legislature, but was met instead with an order by the New Jersey Provincial Congress for his arrest. [7] On July 2, 1776, the Provincial Congress approved a new constitution which ordered new elections; on August 13 an entire new legislature was elected.
The Constitution of 1844 expanded the General Assembly to 60 members, elected annually and apportioned to the then-nineteen counties by population. [8]
Scouting in New Jersey has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The second Boy Scouts of America National Headquarters was in North Brunswick, although it was referred to in BSA publications as being in neighboring New Brunswick.
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with average populations of 210,359. Each district has one senator and two members of the New Jersey General Assembly, the lower house of the legislature. Prior to the election in which they are chosen, senators must be a minimum of 30 years old and a resident of the state for four years to be eligible to serve in office.
New Jersey is one of the fifty U.S. states. The state is considered a Democratic stronghold, since it has consistently voted for Democrats in presidential elections since 1992. Democrats have also controlled both chambers of the state legislature since 2002. New Jersey currently has two Democratic United States senators. New Jersey's Class I Senate seat has been Democratic since 1959. New Jersey's Class II Senate seat has been Democratic since 1979. In addition, New Jersey's House congressional delegation has had a Democratic majority since 1964 with the exceptions of 1993-1997, 2006, and 2013-2017. As of July 1, 2020, there are more registered Democrats than unaffiliated voters for the first time in history.
New Jersey has seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget. The New York City and Philadelphia MSAs are also divided into divisions, of which there are five in New Jersey. Every statistical area and county in New Jersey belong to the Northeast Megalopolis.
The Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area encompassing portions of fourteen counties in New Jersey that were the scene of significant actions in the American Revolutionary War in late 1776 through 1778. The designated area covers the Delaware and Hudson valleys in New Jersey and the central portion of the state between the valleys where the Continental Army fought forces under British command. The National Heritage Area includes Morristown National Historical Park and sites associated with the Battle of Monmouth as well as Princeton, New Jersey, the meeting place of the Continental Congress when peace was declared in 1783.
The Vice-President of Council of the New Jersey Legislature would succeed the Governor if a vacancy occurred in that office.
The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844.
The members of the New Jersey Legislature are chosen from 40 electoral districts. Each district elects one Senator and two Assemblymen.
There are three metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) in New Jersey. The organizations are the main decision-making forums for selecting projects for the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) in deliberations involving the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJT), county and municipal transportation planners and engineers, other transportation implementing agencies, the public and elected officials at the state, county, and municipal levels.
The 1973 New Jersey State Senate Senate elections coincided with Brendan Byrne's victory in the gubernatorial election. Byrne's large margin of victory over Republican Charles W. Sandman, Jr.—he won by 721,378 votes (66.4%-31.1%) helped Democrats gain 13 seats in the State Senate, giving Democrats control, 29-10, with one Independent. Republicans were also not helped by a divisive primary that saw the incumbent, William Cahill, a moderate, lose to the more conservative Sandman. Cahill barely supported Sandman in the general election. This election marked the first time since 1967 that Democrats controlled the State Senate.
The 1977 New Jersey State Senate election coincided with Brendan Byrne's re-election to a second term as Governor of New Jersey.
The 1971 New Jersey State Senate Elections was the mid-term election of Republican William Cahill's term as Governor of New Jersey. Democrats picked up nine Senate seats. Sixteen incumbents did not seek re-election.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of New Jersey on November 3, 2015. Primary elections were held on June 2. The only state positions up in this election cycle were all 80 seats in the New Jersey General Assembly and one Senate special election in the 5th Legislative District. In addition to the State Legislative elections, numerous county offices and freeholders in addition to municipal offices were up for election. There were no statewide ballot questions this year though some counties and municipalities may have had a local question asked. Non-partisan local elections, some school board elections, and some fire district elections also happened throughout the year.
There are 21 counties in the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Superior Court subsumed and replaced the New Jersey County Courts, which were abolished in 1978. The Superior Court has 15 vicinages, some encompassing two or three counties, each of which has its own courthouse or courthouses. Frequently the county courthouse is home to the appropriate vicinage of the Superior Court. Some counties have different facilities for different divisions, such as the criminal, civil, family, and finance courts. In some counties there are other buildings which house court facilities where proceedings take place, some of which are historic county courthouse or administration buildings, which may also serve as offices for county, state or federal agencies.
Coordinates: 40°13′15″N74°46′09″W / 40.220813°N 74.769301°W