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143-760: The North Carolina General Assembly is the bicameral legislature of the state government of North Carolina . The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives . The General Assembly meets in the North Carolina State Legislative Building in Raleigh . The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes . The General Assembly

286-483: A Senate and a Chamber of Deputies : Buenos Aires , Catamarca , Corrientes , Entre Ríos , Mendoza , Salta , San Luis (since 1987) and Santa Fe . Tucumán and Córdoba changed to unicameral systems in 1990 and 2001 respectively. Santiago del Estero changed to a bicameral legislature in 1884, but changed back to a unicameral system in 1903. When the Australian states were founded as British colonies in

429-548: A Survey of production —an up-to-date compendium of detailed statistics necessary for regulating specific industries. In 1906, the Merchant Shipping Act upgraded the minimum working conditions, and the safety protections for both British sailors, and crews of foreign ships that used British ports. In 1907, the Patents and Design Act gave financial protection to British designs to stop unfair foreign copies. In

572-484: A concurrent majority —the approval of a majority of members in each of the chambers of the legislature. When this is the case, the legislature may be called an example of perfect bicameralism . However, in many parliamentary and semi-presidential systems, the house to which the executive is responsible (e.g. House of Commons of the UK and National Assembly of France ) can overrule the other house (e.g. House of Lords of

715-570: A biennial schedule to annual. African-American men were first elected to the state legislature in 1868, including Henry Epps , Abraham H. Galloway , and John A. Hyman in the Senate and Parker D. Robbins , Wilson Cary Nicholas , B. W. Morris, A. W. Stevens, John S. Leary , Isham Sweat , Henry C. Cherry, John H. Williamson, A.A. Crawford, Cuffie Mayo , W. T. J. Hayes , Ivey Hutchings , John S. W. Eagles , George W. Price , Thomas A. Sykes , James H. Harris, William Cawthorn, and Richard Falkner in

858-670: A blend or hybrid of the Westminster and the United States systems of government , especially since the Australian Senate is a powerful upper house like the U.S. Senate; this notion is expressed in the nickname "the Washminster mutation". Unlike upper houses in most Westminster parliamentary systems , the Australian Senate is vested with significant power, including the capacity to block legislation initiated by

1001-509: A body of freemen who selected 12 deputies to represent their interests. Together with the governor and his council, the deputies served as a provisional legislature for Albemarle County and eventually was named the General Court and Committee. It held its first meeting in the spring of 1665. When the governor and his deputy were absent, the assembly would designate a president or speaker to lead its sessions. Approximately two years later,

1144-689: A body's respective rules committee before being brought before a full house for a vote. The constitution of North Carolina vests the state's legislative power in the General Assembly; the General Assembly writes state laws/statutes. Legislation in North Carolina can either be in the form of general laws or special/local laws. General laws apply to the entire state, while local laws apply only to specific counties or municipalities. The constitution requires that all effective laws be styled "The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:", with only

1287-695: A diverse range of functions, including regulation of domestic and foreign commerce, the development, implementation and interpretation of the Acts of Trade and Navigation , and the review and acceptance of legislation passed in the colonies. Between 1696 and 1782 the Board of Trade, in partnership with the various secretaries of state over that time, held responsibility for colonial affairs, particularly in British America . The newly created office of Home Secretary then held colonial responsibility until 1801, when

1430-528: A government with a separation of powers divided amongst executive, legislative, and judicial branches, though the legislative branch retained the most power. The General Assembly was made a bicameral body, consisting of a Senate made up of one member from each county in the state and a House of Commons with two members from each county and one from each of several specially-designated towns. Property requirements stipulated that House members had to own at least 100 acres and senators at least 300 to serve. The assembly

1573-539: A large elected lower house, and (unlike Britain) a smaller upper house. The Founding Fathers of the United States also favoured a bicameral legislature. The idea was to have the Senate be wealthier and wiser. Benjamin Rush saw this though, and noted that "this type of dominion is almost always connected with opulence". The Senate was created to be a stabilising force, not elected by mass electors, but selected by

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1716-632: A more democratic proportional legislature. For states considering a different constitutional arrangement that may shift power to new groupings, bicameralism could be demanded by currently hegemonic groups who would otherwise prevent any structural shift (e.g. military dictatorships, aristocracies). The growing awareness of the complexity of the notion of representation and the multi-functional nature of modern legislatures may be affording incipient new rationales for second chambers, though these do generally remain contested institutions in ways that first chambers are not. An example of political controversy regarding

1859-592: A new Committee of Council on Trade and Plantations (later known as 'the First Committee') was established by William Pitt the Younger . Initially mandated by an Order in Council on 5 March 1784, the committee was reconstructed and strengthened by a second order, on 23 August 1786, under which it operated for the rest of its existence. The committee has been known as the Board of Trade since 1786, but this name

2002-467: A new constitution was crafted by a convention and ratified by popular vote. The document provided for universal male suffrage and abolished all property requirements and religious tests for officeholders. It changed the name of the House of Commons to the House of Representatives. The constitution also created the office of lieutenant governor which was to be filled by popular statewide election. It replaced

2145-402: A reform that could address many legislative and budgetary problems for states. Board of Trade The board was first established as a temporary committee of England's Privy Council to advise on colonial ( plantation ) questions in the early 17th century, when these settlements were initially forming. The board would evolve gradually into a government department with considerable power and

2288-530: A relevant field of legislation. Though the European Union has a highly unusual character in terms of legislature, one could say that the closest point of equivalency lies within bicameral legislatures. The European Union is considered neither a country nor a state, but it enjoys the power to address national Governments in many areas. In a few countries, bicameralism involves the juxtaposition of democratic and aristocratic elements. The best known example

2431-576: A reputation as a conciliator. In Cabinet, he worked with Lloyd George to champion social reform . He promoted what he called a "network of State intervention and regulation" akin to that in Germany. Churchill's main achievements came in 1909. First was the Labour Exchanges Bill . It set up over 200 labour exchanges with William Beveridge in charge. The unemployed would come in and be assisted in finding employment. He also promoted

2574-468: A second chamber has been the debate over the powers of the Senate of Canada or the election of the Senate of France . Bicameral legislatures as a result have been trending down for some time with unicameral , proportional legislatures seen as more democratic and effective. The relationship between the two chambers varies: in some cases, they have equal power, while in others, one chamber (the directly elected lower house with proportional representation )

2717-472: A separate body. The board carried on this work but also had long periods of inactivity, devolving into chaos after 1761 and dissolved in 1782 by an act of Parliament by the Rockingham Whigs . William Pitt the Younger re-established the committee in 1784, and an Order in Council of 23 August 1786 provided the formal basis that still remains in force. A secretariat was established which included

2860-483: A separate education committee for Wales. The bill passed the House of Commons greatly amended but was completely mangled by the House of Lords. No compromise was possible and the bill was abandoned, allowing the 1902 Act to continue in effect. Nonconformists were bitterly upset by the failure of the Liberal Party to reform the 1902 Education Act, its most important promise to them, and over time their support for

3003-455: A single group. As of 2022 , roughly 40% of the world's national legislatures are bicameral, while unicameralism represents 60% nationally and much more at the subnational level. Often, the members of the two chambers are elected or selected by different methods, which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. This can often lead to the two chambers having very different compositions of members. Enactment of primary legislation often requires

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3146-400: A single speaker. Both houses appoint a principal clerk—who keeps their respective bodies' records, a reading clerk—who reads documents as required by the constitution, house rules, or the presiding officer, and a sergeant at arms —who maintains order in their house. Standing committees in each house consider introduced legislation, hold hearings, and offer amendments. All bills are examined by

3289-528: A state constitutionally-prescribed oath of office. In the event of the vacancy of a seat, the governor is constitutionally obligated to appoint a person nominated by the previous incumbent's political party's respective district executive committee to fill the seat. The assembly is styled after the citizen legislature model, with legislating considered a part-time job. Members receive a base salary of $ 13,951 per year, supplemented by per-diem payments and travel reimbursements. Increases in legislative pay adopted by

3432-435: A three-fifths majority vote of the assembly. Local bills and congressional and legislative reapportionment decisions are not subject to gubernatorial veto. Aside from regular legislation, the two houses of the General Assembly can also issue joint resolutions which are not subject to veto. The assembly wields oversight authority over the state's administrative bureaucracy. It can alter gubernatorial executive orders concerning

3575-560: A transitional government for the state, superseding the authority of the General Assembly and making changes to state law on its own. After the president of the convention declined to convene it to discuss issues of wartime speculation and extortion, authority returned to the state's other civil leaders and institutions. During the Civil War the General Assembly continued to meet in regular biennial sessions, but also convened in seven extraordinary sessions to address wartime issues. In 1868,

3718-696: Is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the North Carolina House of Representatives (formerly called the North Carolina House of Commons until 1868) and the North Carolina Senate . Since 1868, the House has had 120 members, while the Senate has had 50 members. There are no term limits for either chamber. Both chambers have two-year terms and are currently controlled by the Republican Party , but only

3861-536: Is a bicameral legislative body. The House of Representatives has 98 delegates, elected for four-year terms by proportional representation. The House of Peoples has 58 members, 17 delegates from among each of the constituent peoples of the Federation, and 7 delegates from among the other peoples. Republika Srpska , the other entity, has a unicameral parliament, known as the National Assembly , but there

4004-531: Is also a Council of Peoples who is de facto the other legislative house. Only 6 of the 36 states or Union Territories of India have bicameral legislatures, Andhra Pradesh , Bihar , Karnataka , Maharashtra , Telangana , and Uttar Pradesh , while the rest all have unicameral legislatures. The lower houses are called Legislative Assemblies , and their members are elected by universal adult suffrage from single-member constituencies in state elections, which are normally held every five years called Vidhana Sabha. In

4147-425: Is analogous to that in the Senate, except that in place of a president and president pro tempore , the body is led by a speaker and speaker pro tempore . The speaker is in charge of appointing the body's committees. Both officers are elected by the full house from among its members, with the rest determined by party caucuses. In the event of an even political divide in the House, co-speakers may be elected in lieu of

4290-408: Is appointed when the two chambers cannot agree on the same wording of a proposal, and consists of a small number of legislators from each chamber. This tends to place much power in the hands of only a small number of legislators. Whatever legislation, if any, the conference committee finalizes is presented in an unamendable "take-it-or-leave-it" manner by both chambers. During his term as governor of

4433-484: Is called the House of Representatives and the upper house is named the Senate . As of 31 August 2017, the lower house has 151 members, each elected from single-member constituencies, known as electoral divisions (commonly referred to as "electorates" or "seats") using full-preference instant-runoff voting . This tends to lead to the chamber being dominated by two major groups, the Liberal / National Coalition and

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4576-449: Is clearly superior in its powers. The first tends to be the case in federal systems and those with presidential governments. The second tends to be the case in unitary states with parliamentary systems . There are two streams of thought: critics believe bicameralism makes meaningful political reforms more difficult to achieve and increases the risk of gridlock—particularly in cases where both chambers have similar powers—while proponents argue

4719-590: Is democratically elected every four years (constitutionally up to five years). In contrast, in Canada's upper house , Senators are appointed to serve until age 75 by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister through an Independent Advisory Board as of 2016. The government (i.e. executive) is responsible to and must maintain the confidence of the elected House of Commons. Although

4862-466: Is elected using proportional representation while the lower house uses Instant-runoff voting in single member electorates. This is reversed in the state of Tasmania , where proportional representation is used for the lower house and single member electorates for the upper house . The Legislature of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina ,

5005-469: Is not in session. Both houses are empowered to temporarily adjourn for three days or less at their own discretion. The proceedings of each house are constitutionally-required to be reported in official journals and published at the end of each session. The records of individual lawmakers are not subject to the state's public records law. Each house chamber has a gallery from which members of the public can attend and observe sessions. Administrative support of

5148-524: Is the British House of Lords , which includes a number of hereditary peers . The House of Lords is a vestige of the aristocratic system that once predominated in British politics, while the other house, the House of Commons , is entirely elected. Over the years, some have proposed reforms to the House of Lords, some of which have been at least partly successful. The House of Lords Act 1999 limited

5291-576: The American War of Independence , both the board and the short-lived secretaryship were dismissed by the king on 2 May 1782 and the board was abolished later by the Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782 ( 22 Geo. 3 . c. 82). Following the Treaty of Paris 1783 , with the continuing need to regulate trade between its remaining colonies, the independent United States and all other countries,

5434-604: The American plantations and elsewhere. Staff appointed to serve the board in 1696 included a secretary, a deputy secretary, some clerks, office keepers, messengers, and a necessary woman; more staff such as a solicitor and a porter were added later. The Lords Commissioners of Trade and Foreign Plantations , commonly known as the Lords of Trade, did not constitute a committee of the Privy Council, but were, in fact, members of

5577-606: The Autonomous Communities to reform it into a strictly territorial chamber. The European Union maintains a somewhat close to bicameral legislative system consisting of the European Parliament , which is elected in elections on the basis of universal suffrage, and the Council of the European Union , which consists of one representative for each government of member countries, who are competent for

5720-554: The British Parliament has been the model for most other parliamentary systems, and its Acts have created many other parliaments. The origins of British bicameralism can be traced to 1341, when the Commons met separately from the nobility and clergy for the first time, creating what was effectively an Upper Chamber and a Lower Chamber, with the knights and burgesses sitting in the latter. This Upper Chamber became known as

5863-589: The Crossbenches and given a life peerage. Until 2009, 12 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary sat in the House as the highest court in the land; they subsequently became justices of the newly created Supreme Court of the United Kingdom . As of 16 February 2021, 803 people sit in the House of Lords, with 92 Hereditary Peers, 26 Lords Spiritual and 685 Life Peers. Membership is not fixed and decreases only on

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6006-560: The English colonies , depending on the internal demographics and political and religious division of each. Between 1643 and 1648 the Long Parliament would establish a parliamentary Commission for Plantations to take the lead in colonial and commercial affairs. This period also saw the first regulation of royal tonnage and poundage and begin the modernization of customs and excise as growing sources of government revenue. During

6149-759: The Great Compromise , the Founding Fathers invented a new rationale for bicameralism in which the Senate had an equal number of delegates per state, and the House had representatives by relative populations. A formidable sinister interest may always obtain the complete command of a dominant assembly by some chance and for a moment, and it is therefore of great use to have a second chamber of an opposite sort, differently composed, in which that interest in all likelihood will not rule. Federal states have often adopted it as an awkward compromise between existing power held equally by each state or territory and

6292-640: The House of Lords from 1544 onward, and the Lower Chamber became known as the House of Commons , collectively known as the Houses of Parliament . Many nations with parliaments have to some degree emulated the British "three-tier" model. Most countries in Europe and the Commonwealth have similarly organised parliaments with a largely ceremonial head of state who formally opens and closes parliament,

6435-546: The Interregnum and Commonwealth three acts of the Rump Parliament in 1650 and 1651 are notable in the historical development of England's commercial and colonial programs. These include the first Commission of Trade to be established by an Act of Parliament on 1 August 1650. The instructions to the named commissioners, headed by Henry Vane the Younger , included consideration of both domestic and foreign trade,

6578-608: The Labor Party . The government of the day must achieve the confidence of this House to gain and hold power. The upper house, the Senate, is also popularly elected, under the single transferable vote system of proportional representation . There are a total of 76 senators: 12 senators are elected from each of the 6 Australian states (regardless of population) and 2 from each of the 2 autonomous internal territories (the Australian Capital Territory and

6721-618: The Mines Eight Hours Bill , which legally prohibited miners from working more than an eight-hour day . Sydney Buxton served as president between 1910 and 1914. His main role was passage of numerous specific trade and commerce laws. From 1973, international trade policy of the United Kingdom was a competence of the European Economic Community , and later of the European Union . The board

6864-536: The North Carolina General Assembly Police . 35°46′59.53″N 78°38′20.24″W  /  35.7832028°N 78.6389556°W  / 35.7832028; -78.6389556 Bicameralism Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate assemblies , chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature . Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism , in which all members deliberate and vote as

7007-666: The Northern Territory ). This makes the total number 76, i.e. 6×12 + 2×2. In many respects, Australia is a unique hybrid with influences from the United States Constitution , as well as from the traditions and conventions of the Westminster system and some indigenous features. Australia is exceptional in this sense because the government faces a fully elected upper house, the Senate , which must be willing to pass all its legislation. Although only

7150-519: The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was established. Between 1768 and 1782 while with the Secretary of State for the Colonies , whose secretaryship was held jointly with the presidency of the Board of Trade, the latter position remained largely vacant; this led to a diminished status of the board and it became an adjunct to the new department and ministry concerns. Following the loss of

7293-413: The United States , link their bicameral systems to their federal political structure. In the United States, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and Nepal for example, each state or province is given the same number of seats in one of the houses of the legislature, despite variance between the populations of the states or provinces. The bicameral Parliament of Australia consists of two Houses: the lower house

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7436-656: The government . Another similar situation are cross-community votes in Northern Ireland when the petition of concern procedure is invoked. Norway had a kind of semi-bicameral legislature with two chambers, or departments, within the same elected body, the Storting . These were called the Lagting and the Odelsting, and were abolished after the general election of 2009. According to Morten Søberg , there

7579-477: The governor-general : however, this is generally considered a last resort and is a highly controversial decision to take, given the conflict between the traditional concept of confidence as derived from the lower house and the ability of the Senate to block supply (see 1975 Australian constitutional crisis ). Many political scientists have held that the Australian system of government was consciously devised as

7722-431: The lieutenant governor . In this capacity they direct the debate on bills and maintain order in that house, but have little influence over its workflow. They cannot cast a vote in the Senate except to break ties. The president pro tempore is elected by the full Senate. They appoint the body's committees. All other leadership positions are filled by the decision of party caucuses. The leadership of House of Representatives

7865-445: The "long session" and typically only makes modifications to it during the "short session". Typically the legislature adjourns shortly after June 30, the end of North Carolina's fiscal year , following the passing of a budget. The governor may call the General Assembly into extraordinary session after consulting the Council of State and is required to convene the assembly in specific circumstances to review vetoed legislation. A majority of

8008-552: The 1980s. As a result, the legislature hired its own research staff, created an independent judicial office to review administrative affairs in the state bureaucracy, and began appointing its own members to state board and commissions, though the latter practice was ruled unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1982. In 1977, the state constitution was amended to allow for governors and lieutenant governors to seek second terms. Shortly thereafter,

8151-413: The 19th century, they each had a bicameral Parliament. The lower house was traditionally elected based on the one-vote-one-value principle, with universal male suffrage, later expanded to women, whereas the upper house was either appointed on the advice of the government or elected, with a strong bias towards country voters and landowners. After Federation , these became the state Parliaments. In Queensland,

8294-601: The Appointment Commission (the independent body that vets non-partisan peers, typically from academia, business or culture) or by Dissolution Honours, which take place at the end of every Parliamentary term when leaving MPs may be offered a seat to keep their institutional memory. It is traditional to offer a peerage to every outgoing Speaker of the House of Commons. Further reform of the Lords has been proposed; however, no proposed reforms have been able to achieve public consensus or government support. Members of

8437-679: The Board of Trade was transferred to the Secretary of State for International Trade . The board was reconstituted in October 2017. In 1622, at the end of the Dutch Twelve Years' Truce , King James I directed the Privy Council of England to establish a temporary committee to investigate the causes of various economic and supply problems, the decline in trade and consequent financial difficulties; detailed instructions and questions were given, with answers to be given "as fast as

8580-583: The Commons. The Senate's power to investigate issues of concern to Canada can raise their profile (sometimes sharply) on voters' political agendas. In German, Indian, and Pakistani systems, the upper houses (the Bundesrat , the Rajya Sabha , and the Senate respectively) are even more closely linked with the federal system, being appointed or elected directly by the governments or legislatures of each German or Indian state , or Pakistani province . This

8723-462: The Council of State can call the legislature into session to consider the governor's mental capacity to serve. A basic majority of the members of a house constitute a quorum to do business. When in session, both Houses of the legislature typically meet on Monday evenings and in the middle of the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Legislative committees usually convene in the mornings and late afternoons. Committees sometimes meet when their house

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8866-479: The Framers to grant the Senate prerogatives in foreign policy, an area where steadiness, discretion, and caution were deemed especially important. State legislators chose the Senate, and senators had to possess significant property to be deemed worthy and sensible enough for the position. In 1913, the 17th Amendment passed, which mandated choosing Senators by popular vote rather than State legislatures. As part of

9009-885: The General Assembly is overseen by the Legislative Services Commission, a panel comprising five members of each house. As of October 2023, the assembly relies on over 600 support staff who work in the Legislative Building and the Legislative Office Building. Daily operations of the legislature's facilities are directed by the legislative services officer. Every legislator is assigned at least one legislative assistant or clerk, who manage legislators' schedules, relay communications with constituents, and offer advice on policy issues. Some legislators employ additional staff. The General Assembly's members and facilities are guarded by

9152-493: The German Bundesrat , the various Länder have between three and six votes; thus, while the less populated states have a lower weight, they still have a stronger voting power than would be the case in a system based proportionately on population, as the most populous Land currently has about 27 times the population of the least populous . The Indian upper house does not have the states represented equally, but on

9295-404: The House and that all Senate districts were supposed to contain approximately equal populations, though the latter tenant was undermined by a constitutional requirement that no counties be split between different districts. As a result, by the 1960s, rural constituents were significantly overrepresented in the legislature. Following developments in federal jurisprudence in the early 1960s that led to

9438-624: The House of Lords all have an aristocratic title, or are from the Clergy . 26 Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England sit as Lords Spiritual (the Archbishop of Canterbury , Archbishop of York , the Bishop of London , the Bishop of Durham , the Bishop of Winchester and the next 21 longest-serving Bishops). It is usual that retiring Archbishops, and certain other Bishops, are appointed to

9581-439: The House of Representatives by the three-fifths majority necessary to override vetoes . In 1663, King Charles II of England granted a royal charter to eight lords proprietor to establish the colony of Carolina in North America. Under the terms of the charter, regular management of the colony was to be overseen by a governor and a council. An assembly consisting of two representatives from each county elected by freeholders

9724-429: The House of Representatives in 1969. The number of black legislators steadily increased in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1973, Henry Ward Oxendine became the first Native American member of the legislature. In the early 1970s, Democratic legislators, spurred in part by the election of a Republican governor in 1972, began an effort to strengthen the General Assembly's power and influence in state government which continued into

9867-408: The House of Representatives to impeach elected state officials by simple majority vote. In the event an official is impeached, the Senate holds a trial, and can convict an official by two-thirds majority vote and remove them from office. The General Assembly can also, by a two-thirds majority vote, determine the governor or a judge mentally or physically incapable of serving. The General Assembly has

10010-421: The House to sit as representative peers sit for life; when a representative peer dies, there is a by-election to fill the vacancy. The power of the House of Lords to block legislation is curtailed by the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 . Peers can introduce bills except Money Bills, and all legislation must be passed by both Houses of Parliament . If not passed within two sessions, the House of Commons can override

10153-416: The House, feeling threatened by the strengthened positions of the governor and Senate leadership, broke from a decades-long trend and began electing speakers to successive terms. In the mid-1980s, the legislature ceased using multi-member legislative districts. In 1994, Daniel F. McComas became the first Latino elected to the General Assembly. The General Assembly has 170 elected members, with 120 members of

10296-459: The House. Despite efforts by Red Shirts and other white Democratic paramilitary groups to disrupt Republican meetings and suppress black voting in order to ensure the Democratic takeover, some African Americans continued to be elected in the 19th century, especially to local offices. Between 1868 and 1900, 113 blacks were elected to the House of Representatives. But shortly before the turn of

10439-579: The Liberal Party slowly fell away. According to Martin Roberts, Lloyd George headed a department of 750 experts that was responsible for supervising British industry, commerce and transportation. Using their pool of expertise, he initiated a series of reforms that were quickly endorsed by the Liberal Parliament. One of the first actions was the Census of Production Act 1906 , which generated

10582-514: The Lords' delay by invoking the Parliament Act . Certain legislation, however, must be approved by both Houses without being forced by the Commons under the Parliament Act . These include any bill that would extend the time length of a Parliament, private bills, bills sent to the House of Lords less than one month before the end of a session, and bills that originated in the House of Lords. Life Peers are appointed either by recommendation of

10725-565: The North Carolina House of Representatives and 50 members of the North Carolina Senate. Each represents a district. Each house has the sole power to judge the election and qualification of its own respective members. Legislators' are elected biennially in even-numbered years. Their terms of office begin at the start of the January following the year of their election. There are no term limits for legislators. All legislators swear

10868-402: The Privy Council's Board of Trade . The directives were binding upon the governor and dealt with nearly all aspects of colonial government. As they were produced by officials largely ignorant of the political situation in the colony and meant to ensure greater direct control over the territory, the instructions caused tensions between the governor and the General Assembly. The assembly controlled

11011-438: The Senate until 1835. Elections for senators were held annually. Due to the outbreak of hostilities, North Carolina's government met in various locations throughout the war. In September 1781, British forces captured the governor and several members of the General Assembly during a raid on Hillsborough . The war ended in 1783. Construction of a North Carolina State House began in the planned capital of Raleigh in 1792 and became

11154-496: The State Senate in 1930. Female representation slowly increased in the following decades. The General Assembly began increasing the length of its sessions and hiring more support staff in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1959, the General Assembly organized a commission to design and fund a new, larger meeting place to accommodate the body, its staff, and improve the delivery of services to the legislators. Construction began in 1961 and

11297-452: The State legislators. Senators would be more knowledgeable and more deliberate—a sort of republican nobility—and a counter to what James Madison saw as the "fickleness and passion" that could absorb the House. He noted further that "The use of the Senate is to consist in its proceeding with more coolness, with more system and with more wisdom, than the popular branch." Madison's argument led

11440-502: The State of Minnesota , Jesse Ventura proposed converting the Minnesotan legislature to a single chamber with proportional representation , as a reform that he felt would solve many legislative difficulties and impinge upon legislative corruption. In his book on political issues, Do I Stand Alone? , Ventura argued that bicameral legislatures for provincial and local areas were excessive and unnecessary, and discussed unicameralism as

11583-519: The UK and Senate of France) and may be regarded as an example of imperfect bicameralism . Some legislatures lie in between these two positions, with one house able to overrule the other only under certain circumstances. The British Parliament is often referred to as the " Mother of Parliaments " (in fact a misquotation of John Bright , who remarked in 1865 that "England is the Mother of Parliaments") because

11726-499: The UK and its empire . During the second half of the 19th century it also dealt with legislation for patents, designs and trademarks, company regulation, labour and factories, merchant shipping, agriculture, transport, power etc. Colonial matters passed to the Colonial Office and other functions were devolved to newly created departments, a process that continued for much of the 20th century. The original commission comprised

11869-535: The appointed upper house was abolished in 1922, while in New South Wales there were similar attempts at abolition, before the upper house was reformed in the 1970s to provide for direct election. Beginning in the 1970s, Australian states (except Queensland, which is unicameral) began to reform their upper houses to introduce proportional representation in line with the Federal Senate. The first

12012-418: The assembly cannot take effect until after a succeeding election. Each house of the legislature has eight leadership roles. The Senate's leadership is made up of the president of the Senate, president pro tempore , majority leader, majority whip, majority caucus chair, minority leader, minority whip, and minority caucus chair. Per the constitution, the office of president of the Senate is held ex officio by

12155-568: The basis of their population. There is also bicameralism in countries that are not federations, but have upper houses with representation on a territorial basis. For example, in South Africa, the National Council of Provinces (and before 1997, the Senate ) has its members chosen by each province 's legislature. In Spain, the Senate functions as a de facto territorially based upper house, and there has been some pressure from

12298-533: The century, the Democrats regained control of the state legislature (after a biracial coalition between Republicans and Populists had briefly held power) and passed laws to create barriers to voter registration through poll taxes , literacy tests and other devices. Applied subjectively by white administrators, these methods effectively disenfranchised most black people in the state. Black voters were eliminated by 1904. An estimated 75,000 black male citizens lost

12441-591: The chambers, it may happen that a Government has a strong majority (usually) in the Chamber of Deputies and a weak one (or no majority at all) in the Senate. This has led sometimes to legislative deadlocks, and has caused instability in the Italian Government. In some of these countries, the upper house is indirectly elected. Members of France's Senate and Ireland's Seanad Éireann are chosen by electoral colleges . In Ireland, it consists of members of

12584-537: The colony's finances and used this as leverage by withholding salaries and appropriations, sometimes forcing the governors to compromise and disregard some of the Board of Trade's instructions. Particularly after 1760, the lower house increasingly viewed itself as the representative of the colonists' interests in opposition to the British Crown's interests as relayed by the governor and the council. Frequent tensions between Governor Josiah Martin —a firm supporter of

12727-458: The colony. There would be five provincial congresses. The fifth Congress approved the first constitution in 1776. This constitution was not submitted to a vote of the people. The Congress simply adopted it and elected Richard Caswell , the last president of the Congress, as acting governor until the new legislature was elected and seated. Per the terms of the constitution, North Carolina had

12870-421: The constitution. The body is also empowered to resolve contested elections for state executive officers by joint ballot. Its advice and consent is required for the installation of some state agency heads. The assembly can also influence the bureaucracy through its power to create for dissolve agencies or countermand administrative rules by writing laws and by its decisions in appropriations. The constitution empowers

13013-421: The creation of the principle of one man, one vote , in 1965 a U.S. District Court panel ruled that the state's legislative districts were unconstitutional. As a result, in the 1960s and 1970s the legislature designed districts in a manner which significantly rebalanced the representation of the state in a more equitable manner. Henry Frye became the state's first black legislator in the 20th century when he joined

13156-714: The death, retirement or resignation of a peer. Another example of aristocratic bicameralism was the Japanese House of Peers , abolished after World War II and replaced with the present House of Councillors . Many unitary states like Italy , France , the Netherlands , the Philippines , the Czech Republic , the Republic of Ireland and Romania have bicameral systems. In countries such as these,

13299-516: The districts of its own members and the districts of the state's congressional delegation after every decennial U.S. census . The legislative power of the assembly must be exercised by the whole body and not devolved upon a portion of the whole, and actions taken during one session of the assembly can be undone by a succeeding session. The governor signs bills passed by the General Assembly of which they approve into law and are empowered to veto bills of which they disapprove. A veto can be overridden by

13442-536: The first definitive expression of England's commercial policy. They represent the first attempt to establish a legitimate control of commercial and colonial affairs, and the instructions indicate the beginnings of a policy which had the prosperity and wealth of England exclusively at heart. It was the Lords of Trade who, in 1675, originated the idea of transforming all of the colonies in America into Royal Colonies for

13585-582: The government in the House of Representatives. This block can however be overridden in a joint sitting after a double dissolution election, at which the House of Representatives has the dominant numbers.As a result of proportional representation, the chamber features a multitude of parties vying for power. The governing party in the lower house rarely has a majority in the Senate, and so generally needs to negotiate with other parties and independents to get legislation passed. This variant of bicameralism has also been further explored by Tarunabh Khaitan, who coined

13728-665: The government. The passage of these motions, bills or amendments to government motions or bills requires double majority in both groups simultaneously. (Before 2004, when elections to the Legislative Council from the Election Committee was abolished, members returned through the Election Committee vote with members returned from geographical constituencies.) The double majority requirement does not apply to motions, bills and amendments introduced by

13871-431: The governor with the consent of the lords, and an elected assembly. It also stipulated that the assembly's consent was required for taxes to be levied and that vacancies in the assembly were to be filled by elections called by the governor and his council. A new royal charter for Carolina was granted in 1665 and required the forming of an assembly. After receiving his commission, Carolina Governor William Drummond summoned

14014-466: The idea of an unemployment insurance scheme, which would be part-funded by the state. Secondly he introduced the Trade Boards Bill , creating trade boards which investigated the sweated trades and enabled the prosecution of exploitative employers. Passing with a large majority, it established the principle of a minimum wage and the right of workers to have meal breaks. Churchill introduced

14157-475: The long term, his most important innovation was creating the Port of London Authority in 1908. It merged numerous inefficient and overlapping private companies and gave unified supervision to Britain's most important port. That enabled London to compete more effectively with Hamburg and Rotterdam. Lloyd George also turned his attention to strikes and industrial disputes in shipyards. He was instrumental in settling

14300-502: The lords. The lords could refuse to ratify laws and let them expire. From 1692 to 1712, North Carolina and South Carolina were organized as one Province of Carolina . The colony had one governor but North Carolina retained its own council and assembly. After 1731, the members of the governor's council were chosen by the Privy Council and were responsible to the British king. During the period of royal control after 1731, North Carolina's governors were issued sets of secret instructions from

14443-625: The lower house, local councillors, the Taoiseach , and graduates of selected universities, while the Netherlands' Senate is chosen by members of provincial assemblies (who, in turn, are directly elected). In Hong Kong , members of the unicameral Legislative Council returned from the democratically elected geographical constituencies and partially democratic functional constituencies are required to vote separately since 1998 on motions, bills or amendments to government bills not introduced by

14586-493: The lower house, the House of Representatives, can hold a no-confidence vote against the government, in practice the support of the Senate is also necessary in order to govern. The Senate maintains the ability similar to that held by the British House of Lords, prior to the enactment of the Parliament Act 1911 , to block supply against the government of the day. A government that is unable to obtain supply can be dismissed by

14729-413: The meeting place for the General Assembly in 1794. It was enlarged in 1820 and burnt down in 1831. The North Carolina State Capitol was completed in 1840. The Constitutional Convention of 1835 retained the 1776 Constitution, but made several amendments to it. Going forward, the governor would be elected by the people, but the legislature elected all other officials, including US Senators. Amendments set

14872-430: The merits of the " checks and balances " provided by the bicameral model, which they believe help prevent ill-considered legislation. Formal communication between houses is by various methods, including: Some countries, such as Argentina , Australia , Austria , Belgium , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Brazil , Canada , Germany , India , Malaysia , Mexico , Nepal , Nigeria , Pakistan , Russia , Switzerland , and

15015-401: The new Liberal Cabinet of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman as President of the Board of Trade . The first priority on taking office was the repeal of the 1902 Education Act. Lloyd George took the lead along with Augustine Birrell , President of the Board of Education. Lloyd George was the dominant figure on the committee drawing up the bill in its later stages and insisted that the bill create

15158-676: The number of hereditary peers (as opposed to life peers , appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister ) to 92, down from around 700. Of these 92, one is the Earl Marshal , a hereditary office always held by the Duke of Norfolk , one is the Lord Great Chamberlain , a hereditary office held by turns, currently by Baron Carrington , and the other 90 are elected by all sitting peers . Hereditary peers elected by

15301-510: The number of senators at 50 and the number of commoners (representatives to the House) at 120. Senate districts were no longer required to be limited to individual counties, but instead be coterminous with which counties were to be included in it and based on a judgement of approximate wealth measured by tax receipts. Sessions for the legislature were changed from annual to biennial. The terms of senators were also changed accordingly. In May 1861, at

15444-452: The organization of state agencies by joint resolution. Its Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations has the authority to seize state agency documents and inspect facilities of agencies and contractors with the state. All legislative committees are empowered to subpoena the testimony of witnesses and documents. The constitution allows for the General Assembly to provide for the filling of executive offices not already provided for in

15587-513: The phrase "Moderated Parliamentarism" to describe a parliamentary system with several distinctive features: mixed bicameralism, moderated (but distinct) electoral systems for each chamber, weighted multipartisanship, asynchronous electoral schedules, and deadlock resolution through conference committees. Canada's elected lower house, the House of Commons , comprises Members of Parliament (MPs) from single-member "ridings" based mainly on population (updated every 10 years using Census data). The Commons

15730-430: The power to levy taxes and adopts the state budget. The constitution enumerates a unique procedure for the passing of revenue legislation; all revenue bills must be read three times with each reading occurring on a different day, journal records of votes must include the name of each legislator and how they voted, and all revenue bills must appropriate money for a specific purpose. The assembly is also responsible for drawing

15873-412: The president, vice president and board members. By 1793, the board still remained in its old structure, with 20 members including the Archbishop of Canterbury . After 1820 the board ceased to meet regularly and the business was carried out entirely by the secretariat. The short name of "Board of Trade" was formalised in 1861. In the 19th century the board had an advisory function on economic activity in

16016-819: The purpose of securing English trade against the French. They brought New Hampshire under the Crown, modified Penn's charter, refused a charter to the Plymouth colony, and taking advantage of the concessions of the charters of Massachusetts and New York, created the Dominion of New England in 1685, thereby transforming all the territory from the Kennebec to the Delaware into a single crown colony. In 1696, King William III appointed eight paid commissioners to promote trade in

16159-569: The secret instructions—and the Assembly in the 1770s led the latter to establish a committee of correspondence and accelerated the colony's break with Great Britain. In 1774, the people of the colony elected a provincial congress , independent of the royal governor, as the American Revolution began. Inspired by the structure of the lower house of the general assembly and organized in part by House Speaker John Harvey , its purpose

16302-476: The serious threat of a national railway strike in 1907. While almost all the rail companies refused to recognise the unions, he persuaded them to recognise elected representatives of the workers who sat with the company representatives on conciliation boards—one for each company. If those boards failed to agree then an arbitrator would be called upon. H. H. Asquith succeeded the terminally ill prime minister on 8 April 1908 and, four days later, Winston Churchill

16445-442: The seven (later eight) Great Officers of State , who were not required to attend meetings, and the eight paid members, who were required to attend. The board, so constituted, had little real power, and matters related to trade and the colonies were usually within the jurisdiction of the secretaries of state and the Privy Council, with the board confining itself mainly to colonial administration. In 1905, David Lloyd George entered

16588-483: The several points shall be duly considered by you." This would be followed by a number of temporary committees and councils to regulate the colonies and their commerce. The board's formal title remains "The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of all matters relating to Trade and Foreign Plantations". In 1634, Charles I appointed a new commission for regulating plantations. It

16731-654: The six states with bicameral legislatures, the upper house is called the Legislative Council ( Vidhan Parishad ) or Vidhana Parishat, one-third of whose members are elected every two years. Members of the Legislative Council are elected in various ways: From 1956 to 1958 the Andhra Pradesh Legislature was unicameral. In 1958, when the State Legislative Council was formed, it became bicameral until 1 June 1985 when it

16874-453: The sole power to propose amendments to the state constitution. If a proposed amendment receives the support of three-fifths of the House and the Senate, it is scheduled for ratification by a statewide referendum. State constitutional amendments and state legislative votes on the ratification of federal constitutional amendments are not subject to gubernatorial veto. The General Assembly's sessions are convened according to standards prescribed by

17017-426: The speaker of the Senate as that body's presiding officer and assumed the former office's role in succeeding to the governorship in the event it became vacant. Property qualifications for holding office were abolished in order to enlarge opportunity. Finally, the legislature made executive officers and judges subject to popular election rather than appointment by the legislature. It also reverted legislative sessions from

17160-469: The state constitution and state statute. The General Assembly meets in regular session—or the "long session"—beginning in January of each odd-numbered year, and adjourns to reconvene the following even-numbered year for what is called the "short session". Though there is no limit on the length of any session, the "long session" typically lasts for 6 months, and the "short session" typically lasts for 6 weeks. The legislature crafts its biennial state budget during

17303-459: The temporary assembly divided the county into four precincts: Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. The freemen in each county were to convene at the beginning of every year to elect five representatives for the permanent assembly. The first election occurred on January 1, 1668. While required to abide by the Concessions and support the interests of the lords proprietor, the assembly

17446-465: The trading companies, manufactures, free ports, customs, excise, statistics, coinage and exchange, and fisheries, as well as the plantations and the best means of promoting their welfare and rendering them useful to England. The act's statesmanlike and comprehensive instructions, along with an October act prohibiting trade with pro-royalist colonies and the Navigation Act of October 1651, formed

17589-530: The two chambers are composed: the deputies, in fact, are elected on a nationwide basis, whilst the members of the Senate are elected on a regional basis: this may lead to different majorities among the two chambers because, for example, a party may be the first nationally but second or third in some regions. Considering that in the Italian Republic the Government needs to win confidence votes in both

17732-418: The two chambers formally have many of the same powers, this accountability clearly makes the Commons dominant—determining which party is in power, approving its proposed budget, and (largely) the laws enacted. The Senate primarily acts as a chamber of revision: it rarely rejects bills passed by the Commons but does regularly amend them; such amendments respect each bill's purpose, so they are usually acceptable to

17875-625: The upper house generally focuses on scrutinizing and possibly vetoing the decisions of the lower house. On the other hand, in Italy the Parliament consists of two chambers that have the same role and power: the Senate (Senate of the Republic, commonly considered the upper house ) and the Chamber of Deputies (considered the lower house ). The main difference among the two chambers is the way

18018-433: The upper houses of their state legislatures . During the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Nebraska was reduced from bicameral to unicameral with the 43 members that once comprised that state's Senate. One of the arguments used to sell the idea at the time to Nebraska voters was that by adopting a unicameral system, the perceived evils of the " conference committee " process would be eliminated. A conference committee

18161-583: The urging of the governor, the General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a convention to consider seceding from the United States. Later that month the convention met in Raleigh and adopted an Ordinance of Secession and adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States . The convention met several times from then until November 1862, during which time it served as

18304-488: The vote. African Americans were closed out of politics in North Carolina for decades, with most not regaining the ability to vote until after passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , and federal overview and enforcement. Lillian Exum Clement became the first female member of the General Assembly when she joined the House of Representatives in 1921. Gertrude Dills McKee became the first woman to be elected to

18447-448: The words following that phrase being legally operative. The legally valid language of each passed bill is punctuated by the ratification certificate, consisting of the obligatory signatures of the presiding officers of each house. Most laws have an "effective date" which stipulate the time they go into effect. Those that do not have an explicit stipulation go into effect 60 days after the assembly's adjournment sine die . The assembly has

18590-746: Was a related system in the 1798 constitution of the Batavian Republic . In some countries with federal systems, individual states (like those of the United States , Argentina , Australia and India ) may also have bicameral legislatures. A few such states as Nebraska in the U.S., Queensland in Australia, Bavaria in Germany, and Tucumán and Córdoba in Argentina have later adopted unicameral systems. ( Brazilian states and Canadian provinces all abolished upper houses). Only 8 out of 24 provinces still have bicameral legislatures, with

18733-494: Was abolished. This continued until March 2007 when the State Legislative Council was reestablished and elections were held for its seats. In Tamil Nadu , a resolution was passed on 14 May 1986 and the state's Legislative Council was dissolved on 1 November 1986. Again on 12 April 2010, a resolution was passed to reestablish the council, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Similarly, the states of Assam , Jammu and Kashmir , Madhya Pradesh , Punjab , and West Bengal have also dissolved

18876-536: Was also the case in the United States before the Seventeenth Amendment was adopted. Because of this coupling to the executive branch , German legal doctrine does not treat the Bundesrat as the second chamber of a bicameral system formally. Rather, it sees the Bundesrat and the Bundestag as independent constitutional bodies. Only the directly elected Bundestag is considered the parliament. In

19019-527: Was appointed President of the Board of Trade, succeeding Lloyd George who became Chancellor of the Exchequer . He continued the reform impulse Lloyd George had launched. One of Churchill's first tasks was to arbitrate in an industrial dispute among ship-workers and employers on the River Tyne . He afterwards established a Standing Court of Arbitration to deal with future industrial disputes, establishing

19162-439: Was completed by early 1963. The General Assembly held its first session in the new North Carolina State Legislative Building on February 6. In 1968, the General Assembly, in tandem with national trends towards state legislative professionalization, hired its first legislative services officer. For hundreds of years North Carolina's legislative representation was apportioned such that each county had at least one representative in

19305-724: Was headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury with its primary goals to increase royal authority and the influence of the Church of England in the colonies, particularly with the great influx of Puritans to the New World. Soon after, the English Civil Wars erupted and initiated a long period of political instability in England and the resultant loss of productivity for these committees. The war would spread to varying degrees to

19448-529: Was merged with the Ministry of Technology in 1970, to form the Department of Trade and Industry . The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (from 2009 Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills ) was also President of the Board of Trade. The full board has met only once since the mid-20th century, during commemorations of the bicentenary of the board in 1986. In 2016, the role of President of

19591-582: Was only officially adopted by an act of 1861. The new board's first functions were consultative like earlier iterations, and its concern with plantations, in matters such as the approval of colonial laws, more successfully accomplished. As the Industrial Revolution expanded, the board's work became increasingly executive and domestic. From the 1840s, a succession of acts of parliament gave it regulatory duties, notably concerning railways, merchant shipping and joint-stock companies. This department

19734-414: Was powerful and largely left to manage itself. It decided the length and locations of its own sessions, when it adjourned, and its own quorum. It wrote laws, levied taxes, created courts, incorporated towns, determined the sites of ports and forts, regulated the militia, allotted land, and granted citizenship. Laws passed by the legislature held effect for 18 months and were sent to England for ratification by

19877-498: Was reconstituted in October 2017, after the UK had voted to leave the European Union in June 2016. In its most recent iteration in 2017, only privy counsellors can be actual members of the board, while others are appointed as advisers. There is only one standing member in the Board, who is its President. The Board is held accountable to Parliament through ministers attached to the Board, who are not necessarily members. Advisers to

20020-486: Was responsible for electing the governor, other executive officers, and all judges. The first North Carolina General Assembly was convened on April 7, 1777, in New Bern, North Carolina. It consisted of Senate with one member from each county and a House of Commons with two members representing each of the existing 38 counties, plus one member from each of some select "borough towns". Districts continued to be represented in

20163-846: Was the South Australian Legislative Council in 1973, which initially used a party list system (replaced with STV in 1982), followed by the Single Transferable Vote being introduced for the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1978, the Western Australian Legislative Council in 1987 and the Victorian Legislative Council in 2003. Nowadays, the upper house both federally and in most states

20306-538: Was to chose delegates to send to the Continental Congress . In addition to this, the congress adopted punitive measures against Great Britain for its Intolerable Acts and empowered local committees to govern the state as royal control dissipated. A second congress in April 1775 adopted additional economic measures against Great Britain, leading Governor Martin to dissolve the colonial assembly before fleeing

20449-404: Was to have the power to write laws with the approval of the governor, his council, and the lords proprietor. This system of government was ultimately never implemented in the area which eventually became North Carolina. In early 1665 the lords proprietor promulgated a constitution for Carolina, the Concessions and Agreement . The document provided for a governor, a council of six to 10 men chosen by

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