Massachusetts House of Representatives
The House of Representatives of Massachusetts (Massachusetts House of Representatives ) is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the legislature of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The Houses of Parliament is composed of 160 deputies, representing an electoral district respectively. Deputies are elected for two -year terms. The conference hall of the House of Representatives is located together with the State Senate in the Massachusetts State House in the capital, Boston.
Representation
MEPs Historically appointed by the city. For the first 150 people a deputy was granted. With a growing urban population grew, so did just this size ratio. The largest number of MEPs in the chamber reached in 1812 with 749 representatives (214 of these were from the District of Maine). After Maine in 1820, a separate state was the chamber reached in 1837 a corresponding size of 637 deputies. Then the original ratio system was changed to the current regional population system in the 20th century. By 1978 there were 240 members in the chamber, a number that resulted from the fact that there were electoral districts, which sent several MPs in the House of Representatives. Today there are 160, representing an electoral district respectively. Each of the members represents an average rate of 40,000 inhabitants. Deputies districts are named after the county where they are located. They tend to stay within a county, although the electoral districts occasionally cross the Countygrenzen.
The Sacred Cod
Within the premises of the Parliament Chamber of the Sacred Cod of Massachusetts depends. The five foot long Pinienschnitzerei a cod had been attached by the 1784 Representative John Rowe, in commemoration of the strongly connected with the sea economy and history. Two earlier carvings of cod had been destroyed during the legislative colonial era, the first by a fire in 1747 and the second during the American War of Independence. Since 1784 the Sacred Cod was present in almost all Cabinet meetings. In 1798 he was finally moved to its present location when the chamber began to gather at the State House.
As part of a prank stole 1933, the members of the Harvard Lampoon the carving. The theft sparked then from a nationwide search through Boston and Massachusetts State Police. After the outrage by the Boston Newspapers and Genarl Court even the Cod was returned anonymously.
Structure of the chamber
Speaker of the House is the Speaker of the House. He is initially elected by the majority faction of the chamber before the confirmation by the whole Parliament follows. The Speaker is also responsible for the course of legislation and monitors the shutdowns in the various committees.
Other important office holders are the Majority Leader ( Majority Leader ) and the leader of the opposition (minority leader), who are elected by the respective fractions.