| New Jersey General Assembly | |
|---|---|
| New Jersey State Legislature | |
| Type | |
| Type | Lower house |
| Term limits | None |
| New session started | January 12, 2011 |
| Leadership | |
| Speaker of the General Assembly | Sheila Y. Oliver, (D) since January 12, 2010 |
| Speaker pro Tempore | Jerry Green, (D) since December 10, 2008 |
| Majority Leader | Joseph Cryan, (D) since January 12, 2010 |
| Minority Leader | Alex DeCroce, (R) since January 12, 2004 |
| Structure | |
| Members | 80 |
| Political groups | Democratic Party (47) Republican Party (33) |
| Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Article IV, New Jersey Constitution |
| Salary | $49,000/year |
| Elections | |
| Last election | November 8, 2011 (80 seats) |
| Next election | November 5, 2013 (80 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative Control |
| Meeting place | |
| General Assembly Chamber New Jersey State House Trenton, New Jersey |
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| 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 New Jersey for at least two years prior to the election. 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 Sheila Y. Oliver (D-East Orange).
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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] 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.[2]
| Affiliation | Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| End of previous legislature | 48 | 32 | 80 | 0 |
| Begin | 47 | 33 | 80 | 0 |
| November 22, 2010[3] | 46 | 79 | 1 | |
| January 9, 2011[4] | 47 | 80 | 0 | |
| January 9, 2011[5] | 46 | 79 | 1 | |
| July 29, 2011[6] | 32 | 78 | 2 | |
| November 10, 2011[7] | 31 | 77 | 3 | |
| Latest voting share | 59.7% | 40.3% | ||
The following is a list of Speakers of the Assembly since 1776.[8]
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The Constitution of 1844 expanded the General Assembly to 60 members, elected annually and apportioned to the then-nineteen counties by population.[9]
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