Nevada Legislature
Nevada Legislature | ||
---|---|---|
82nd Nevada Legislature | ||
Speaker of the Assembly | ) since February 6, 2023 | |
Structure | ||
Seats | 63
| |
November 8, 2022 (10 seats) | ||
Last Assembly election | November 8, 2022 | |
Next Senate election | November 5, 2024 (11 seats) | |
Next Assembly election | November 5, 2024 | |
Redistricting | Legislative control | |
Meeting place | ||
Nevada State Capitol Carson City | ||
Website | ||
Nevada Legislature |
39°09′43″N 119°45′58″W / 39.16194°N 119.7661°W
The Nevada Legislature is a
History
The Nevada Territorial Legislature was established upon creation of the Nevada Territory in 1861. It created the nine original counties during its first session outside Carson City.[3]
Nevada became a state under the
Redistricting bills passed by the legislature after the 2010 US Census were vetoed by the governor, and the legislature was unable to override those vetoes.[9][10] Ultimately, Nevada's legislative districts as of 2011 were established by order of a state district court.[11] Since that time, Senate districts have been formed by combining two neighboring Assembly districts.
The 80th Nevada Legislature, as of 2019[update], is the first women-majority bicameral state legislature in U.S. history.[14] Two states have previously held a female majority in one legislative body.
Meeting places
For seven years after Nevada's admission as a
Construction
Abraham Curry, the founder of Carson City, reserved an area equivalent to four city blocks (10 acres or 4.04 ha) at the center of the town for the future state capitol. When the Capitol building was constructed, it was naturally located on "the plaza", which had, some ten or eleven years earlier, been designated for it, and given for that purpose. Mark Twain wrote in his book Roughing It that the capitol site was in 1861 "a large, unfenced, level vacancy, with a liberty pole in it, and very useful as a place for public auctions, horse trades, mass meetings, and likewise for teamsters to camp in."
The "act to provide for the erection of a State Capitol" was passed by the Nevada Legislature and signed into law by Governor Henry G. Blasdel during 1869. The Board of Capitol Commissioners received bids of $84,000 to $160,000 for construction and they chose the lowest bid, submitted by Peter Cavanaugh and Son of Carson City. The 1869 act authorized $100,000 for construction, with money to come from a special tax levy, plus the proceeds from the sale of some public land. To reduce costs, the building sandstone was obtained free of charge from the Nevada State Prison quarry, just outside Carson City. In spite of this, the construction costs increased to some $170,000, exceeding even the high bid.
The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1870. A brass box that served as a time capsule was deposited in the stone. The cornerstone was a solid block of sandstone, laid on top of blocks which contained the capsule. The capsule was inspected and returned to the cornerstone location (the northeast corner of the original building) during reconstruction in the 1979–81 period.
The fourth session of the state legislature met in the still-incomplete building at the beginning of 1871. Construction was completed by May 1, 1871. Several of the architect's original drawings are preserved in the state archives.
Architecture
The original building was
, shipped to San Francisco in 20-ton (18,144 kg) blocks and there cut and polished for installation.The first floor contained a major office at each corner connected by central halls, while the wings of the second floor were filled by the two legislative chambers—the Assembly and the Senate. The octagonal dome topped with a cupola admitted light to the second story. During 1906, an octagonal Annex was added to the rear (east) of the capitol to house the State Library.
By the early 20th century, the legislature had outgrown the capitol, and prominent Nevada architect
Usage
For more than 50 years, all three parts of the state government were housed in the Capitol. The Supreme Court met here until 1937, when it relocated into an adjacent building, and the Nevada Legislature met here until 1971, when it relocated to its new Legislative Building just south of the Capitol. Every Nevada governor except the first has had his office in the capitol. Nowadays, the Capitol continues to serve the Governor, and contains historical exhibits on the second floor
Terms of members
Members of the Assembly are elected to a two-year term with
Sessions and qualifications
Legislative sessions commence on the first Monday of February following the election of members of the Assembly.
Sessions of the Legislature are biennial, occurring during
In order to be elected as a member in either chamber of the Legislature, a person must be a
Standing Committees
As of 18 July 2018[update].[23]
- Nevada Assembly Standing Committees
- Commerce and Labor
- Energy
- Committee of the Whole United States(National Congress)
- Corrections, Parole, and Probation
- Education
- Government Action
- Health and Human Services
- Judiciary
- Legislative Operations and Elections
- Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Mining
- Taxation
- Transportation
- Ways and Means
- Audit
- General Government
- Human Services
- K-12/Higher Education/CIP
- Public Safety, Natural Resources, and Transportation
- Commerce and Labor
- Nevada Senate Standing Committees
- Commerce, Labor, and Energy
- Energy
- Committee of the Whole
- Finance
- Audit
- General Government
- Human Services
- K-12/Higher Education/CIP
- Public Safety, Natural Resources, and Transportation
- Government Affairs
- Health and Human Services
- Judiciary
- Legislative Operations and Elections
- Natural Resources
- Revenue and Economic Development
- Senate Parliamentary Rules and Procedures
- Transportation
- Commerce, Labor, and Energy
Police
Law enforcement and security for the Legislature is provided by the Nevada Legislative Police, which is made up of full-time, year round police officers supported by temporary police officers brought in when the Legislature is in session.[24] They are separate to the Nevada Capitol Police.
See also
- Nevada State Capitol
- Nevada Assembly
- Nevada Senate
- Diversity in the Nevada Legislature
- List of state and territorial capitols in the United States
References
- ^ "Did first female-majority legislature in US make a difference?". BBC News. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Nevada General Election Results: State Assembly Races". KUNR Public Radio. November 9, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-87417-973-6.
- ^ "Nev. Const. art. 4, § 1". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "Nev. Const. art. 4, § 5". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "Chapter 218B - Legislative Districts". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "Nev. Const. art. 15, § 6". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "Nevada Constitution". Legislative Counsel Bureau. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "Redistricting in Nevada after the 2010 census". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ Levitt, Justin. "Nevada". All About Redistricting. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "Guy v. Miller, No. 11-OC-00042-1B (Nev. First Jud. Dist. Ct. Oct. 27, 2011)" (PDF). All About Redistricting. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "Fact Sheet" (PDF). Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau. November 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
- ^ Blackwell, Alice Stone (1919). The Woman Citizen (Public domain ed.). Leslie Woman Suffrage Commission. pp. 797, 1009–.
- ^ "Nevada becomes first state with majority female Legislature". thenevadaindependent.com. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Historical Overview of the Nevada State Capitol and Capitol Annex" (PDF). publicworks.nv.gov. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Nevada State Capitol | Carson City". www.carson.org. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Nevada State Capitol Building Sesquicentennial Anniversary day". gov.nv.gov. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Nev. Const. art. 4, § 4". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Nev. Const. art. 4, § 2(1)". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
- ^ "Nev. Const. art. 4, § 2(2)". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
- ^ Legislatures, National Conference of State. "Annual versus Biennial Legislative Sessions". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "NRS: Chapter 218A - Legislative Department Generally". www.leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Committees". asm.leg.state.nv.us. July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ "Legislative Police". www.leg.state.nv.us. Nevada Legislature. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
External links
- Nevada Legislature
- Facts about the State of Nevada
- Leaders and Members of the Assembly
- Leaders and Members of the Senate
- Nevada Legislature Records. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.