Pennsylvania House of Representatives

"Pennsylvania State House" and "Pennsylvania House" redirect here. For the building in Philadelphia, see Independence Hall. For the former hotel in Ohio, see Pennsylvania House (Springfield, Ohio).
Pennsylvania
House of Representatives
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 5, 2015
Leadership
Speaker of the House
Mike Turzai (R)
Since January 6, 2015
Majority Leader
Dave Reed (R)
Since January 6, 2015
Minority Leader
Frank Dermody (D)
Since January 4, 2011
Structure
Seats 203
Political groups

Governing party

Opposition party

Length of term
2 years
Authority Article II, section 1, Pennsylvania Constitution
Salary $78,314/year[1]
Elections
Last election
November 6, 2014
(203 seats)
Next election
November 4, 2016
(203 seats)
Meeting place
House of Representatives Chamber
Pennsylvania State Capitol
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Website
Pennsylvania House of Representatives

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.[2][3]

Following the 2014 elections, the house consisted of 119 Republicans and 84 Democrats. Republican Mike Turzai was elected Speaker of the House on January 6, 2015. In 2012, a State Representative district had an average population of 60,498 residents.

The house is the largest full-time state legislature in the United States (the New Hampshire House of Representatives is larger but only serves part-time).

Hall of the House

The Hall of the House contains important symbols to Pennsylvania history and the work of legislators.

Speaker of the House

The speakership is the oldest elected statewide office in the Commonwealth. Since its first session in 1682—presided over by William Penn—over 130 house members have been elevated to the speaker's chair. The house cannot hold an official session in the absence of the speaker or his designated speaker pro tempore. Speaker Leroy Irvis was the first African American elected speaker of any state legislature in the United States since Reconstruction. Speaker Dennis O'Brien was the only minority-party Speaker known in Pennsylvania and only the second known nationwide. Pennsylvania has never had a female speaker.

Composition

Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Republican Vacant
End of previous legislature 91 111 203
Begin[5] 83 119 202 1
April 13, 2015[6] 120 203 0
April 30, 2015[7] 118 201 2
June 1, 2015[8] 82 200 3
June 8, 2015[9] 81 199 4
June 9, 2015[10] 80 198 5
August 4, 2015[11] 81 119 200 3
August 11, 2015[12] 84 203 0
December 16, 2015[13] 83 202 1
December 31, 2015[14] 82 118 200 3
Latest voting share 40.4% 58.1% 1.5%

Gender Composition

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has only 36 women out of 203 total representatives in 2013.[15] This is only 17.7%, which is below the national average of 23.1% women in all statewide legislative positions.

House of Representatives Leadership

As of January 6, 2015

Speaker of the House of Representatives: Mike Turzai (R)

Majority Party (R) Leadership Position Minority Party (D)
Dave Reed Floor Leader Frank Dermody
Bryan Cutler Whip Mike Hanna
Sandra Major Caucus Chairperson Dan Frankel
Donna Oberlander Caucus Secretary Rosita Youngblood
Bill Adolph Appropriations Committee Chairman Joe Markosek
Brian Ellis Caucus Administrator Neal Goodman
Kerry Benninghoff Policy Committee Chairman Mike Sturla

Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

See also

Notes

  1. The Pennsylvania Manual, pp. 3–7.
  2. Article II, section 2, Pennsylvania Constitution.
  3. Article II, section 16, Pennsylvania Constitution.
  4. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/VC/visitor_info/our_house/what.htm
  5. Democrat Brendan Boyle (District 170) resigned prior to the session start to take a seat in the 114th Congress.
  6. Republican Martina White seated after winning the special election to succeed Boyle.
  7. Republicans Glenn Grell (District 87) and Joe Hackett (District 161) resigned to take other jobs.
  8. Democrat Ronald Waters (District 191) resigned after pleading guilty to accepting bribes.
  9. Democrat Michelle Brownlee (District 195) resigned after pleading guilty to conflict of interest in connection with a lobbying scandal.
  10. Democrat John Sabatina (District 174) resigned after being elected to the State Senate in a special election.
  11. Republican Greg Rothman and Democrat Leanne Krueger-Braneky were elected to succeed Republicans Grell and Hackett, respectively.
  12. Democrats Ed Nielson, Joanna McClinton and Donna Bullock were elected to succeed Sabatina, Waters and Brownlee, respectively.
  13. Democrat Louise Williams Bishop pleads guilty and resigns.
  14. Democrat Cherelle Parker joins Philadelphia City Council; Republican Tim Krieger becomes Westmoreland County judge.
  15. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/mbrList.cfm?body=H&sort=alpha

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Coordinates: 40°15′53″N 76°52′59″W / 40.26469°N 76.88315°W / 40.26469; -76.88315

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