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2008 Candidate Survey
Responses & Voter Guide
North Carolina State Senate and House
Districts in Buncombe County (click on candidates to read their responses to the
questions)
[Back to Survey Main Page]
State Senate District 49
State House District 114
State House District 115
State House District 116
Structure of the North Carolina General
Assembly
Laws of North Carolina, known as statutes, are made by the General Assembly.
The North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) is made of two bodies or houses;
the Senate, which has 50 members; and the House of Representatives, which
consists of 120 members. Each legislator represents either a Senatorial
District or a House District.
The General Assembly meets in regular session beginning in January of each
odd-numbered year, and adjourns to reconvene the following even-numbered
year for a shorter session.
The Senate and the House of Representatives meet in their respective
chambers on Monday evenings and during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday. The members return to their homes to take care of their affairs
and be available to their constituents during the weekend. During the week,
committee meetings are held in the morning and late afternoon. A great deal
of the legislative work is done in the committee meetings.
The House of Representatives is presided over by a Speaker, elected from its
membership. The presiding officer of the Senate (called the President of the
Senate) is the Lieutenant Governor of the State. She/he has no vote in the
Senate except to break a tie. The Senate and House also elect other officers
from their respective memberships including a President Pro Tempore in the
Senate.
At the beginning of each session, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives appoint members to serve on
the standing committees of each body. There will be a dozen or more
committees for each body, and their work is very important, as every bill
introduced will be studied by at least one committee in the Senate and in
the House of Representatives. Every legislator serves on several committees.
Each house elects a Principal Clerk who is responsible for keeping the
necessary records of the house. Each also has a Sergeant at Arms, who serves
as "police officer" for that house and whose assistants act as doorkeepers
while the body and its committees are meeting. A third officer is the
Reading Clerk who reads all documents or parts thereof which the
constitution, rules, or the presiding officer require to be read during the
daily session.
The Legislative Services Commission, consisting of seven members of each
house, is the management authority for the General Assembly. The Commission,
through its Legislative Services Officer and staff, provides the following
services to the legislature; bill drafting, legal assistance, fiscal
analysis, general research and library services, administration of the
legislature's budget, clerical assistance, computer services, proofreading,
printing, supply, food service, and building maintenance and security.
Source:
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/NCGAInfo/educational/structure.html |
