| Description |
The Alabama House of Representatives is comprised of 105 members. Each member represents a district of approximately 40,000 people. The members of the House are elected to four-year terms. Members of the House must be 21 at the time of their election, and must have been citizens of Alabama for three years, having lived in their respective districts for at least one year immediately preceding their election. The Speaker of the House is a member of the body and is elected by his colleagues to serve as the presiding officer.
All revenue raising matters must originate in the House just as in the Congress of the United States. It takes a quorum to conduct business, and a majority of a quorum can pass any bill except a constitutional amendment, which requires a three-fifths vote of all those elected. An appropriation to a non-government organization such as a private college requires a two-thirds vote of those elected.
Members of the House are paid a salary of ten dollars a day plus expenses other than travel in the amount fixed by joint resolution of the legislature.
On the seal of the House is found the Latin phrase "Vox Populi." Translated, it means "voice of the people." The House of Representatives is designed to be the one governmental body that is the closest to the people.
Terms: The terms of office of the senators and representatives shall commence on the day after the general election at which they are elected, and expire on the day after the general election held in the fourth year after their election, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution. Alabama Constitution. Article IV. Section 46. [Link]
|
