The Iowa General Assembly is the
legislative branch
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...
of the
state government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
of
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
. Like the federal
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, the General Assembly is a
bicameral
Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...
body, composed of the
upper house
An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...
Iowa Senate
The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...
and the
lower
Lower may refer to:
*Lower (surname)
*Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
*Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England
See also
*Nizhny
Nizhny (russian: Ни́жний; masculine), Nizhnyaya (; feminine), or Nizhneye (russian: Ни́ ...
Iowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...
respectively. The Senate consists of four year terms and the House consists of two year terms. The General Assembly convenes within the
Iowa State Capitol
The Iowa State Capitol, commonly called the Iowa Statehouse, is in Iowa's capital city, Des Moines. As the seat of the Iowa General Assembly, the building houses the Iowa Senate, Iowa House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor, and the ...
in
Des Moines
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
.
Composition
The Iowa General Assembly consists of 50 senators and 100 representatives. Each senator represents about 60,927 people and each representative about 30,464 people . The last redistricting was enacted on April 19, 2011 for the
2012 elections 85th General Assembly. The assembly convenes annually on the second Monday in January.
Leaders in the Senate are President
Jake Chapman (R), and President Pro Tempore
Brad Zaun
Bradley Zaun ( R- Urbandale) is an Iowa State Senator formerly from the 32nd District and currently the 20th District. He was the Republican nominee for Iowa's 3rd congressional district in the 2010 general election.
Iowa Senate
Zaun has ser ...
(R). Partisan Senate leadership includes Majority Leader
Jack Whitver
Jack Whitver (born September 4, 1980) is an American businessman and politician, who is currently the Iowa State Senator for the Iowa Senate, District 23, 23rd District. Since 2018 he has served as Iowa Senate, Senate Majority Leader. Whitver play ...
(R), and Minority Leader
Zach Wahls
Zacharia Wahls (born July 15, 1991) is an Iowa state senator, and American LGBTQ+ activist and author.
Early years
Zach Wahls is the son of two lesbian women and was conceived using artificial insemination. He was born on July 15, 1991 to his b ...
(D). In the House, the Speaker is
Pat Grassley
Patrick Grassley (born May 26, 1983) is the Iowa State Representative from the 50th District. A Republican, Grassley has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2007. He also serves as speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives. Grass ...
(R), and the Speaker Pro Tempore
John Wills (R). Partisan House leadership includes Majority Leader
Matt Windschitl
Matt W. Windschitl (born December 30, 1983) is an American politician and businessman serving as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 17th District and Majority Leader of the Iowa House.
Early life and education
Born in 1983 i ...
(R), and Minority Leader
Todd Prichard
Todd Prichard (born 1974) is a Democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 52nd district. Prichard was first elected in a January 22, 2013 special election.
Prichard was considering running for governor in 2018, but ...
(D).
Composition of the 89th General Assembly of Iowa (2021–2022)
See also
*
Iowa Senate
The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...
*
Iowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...
*
Governor of Iowa
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
References
External links
Iowa Legislature''official government website''
Iowa General Assembly official websiteIowa CodeIowa Constitution
{{Authority control
1846 establishments in Iowa