The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

, the

legislature A legislature is an deliberative assembly, assembly with the authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country or city. They are often contrasted with the Executive (government), executive and Judiciary, ...

of the U.S. state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It is the largest full-time state legislature in the country. The New Hampshire House of Representatives is larger but only serves part-time.

Qualifications

Representatives must be at least 21 years of age. They must be a U.S. citizen and a PA resident four years, and a resident of that district one year prior to their election and must reside in that district during their term.

Hall of the House

The Hall of the House contains important symbols of Pennsylvania history and the work of legislators. * Speaker's Chair: a throne-like chair of rank that sits directly behind the Speaker's rostrum. Architect

Joseph Huston Joseph Miller Huston (February 23, 1866 – 1940) was an architect notable for designing the third (and current) Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. Construction started in 1902 of his '' Beaux-Arts'' design. He was one of five people ...

designed the chair in 1906, the year the Capitol was dedicated. * Mace: the House symbol of authority, peace, order and respect for law rests in a pedestal to the right of the Speaker. Its base is solid mahogany, intricately carved and capped by a brass globe engraved with the Pennsylvania coat of arms. An American Eagle perches on top. The tradition of the mace may date to the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kingd ...

when attendants of Roman consuls carried bundles of sticks wrapped around an axe to enforce order. The tradition may also come directly from Pennsylvania's English heritage. * Murals: a colorful panorama of Pennsylvania history appear in murals by Edwin Austin Abbey. The most commanding of the series hangs behind the Speaker's rostrum and dominates the wall behind the Speaker. It is called ''The Apotheosis of Pennsylvania'' * Ceiling: a work of art in itself with its ornate geometry of gold leaf buttoned at the center by a charming painted illustration. In "The Hours", Abbey represents the passage of time in the form of 24 maidens revolving in an endless circle amidst the moon, the sun and the stars of the

Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked ey ...

Speaker of the House

The speakership is the oldest elected statewide office in the Commonwealth. Since its first session in 1682—presided over by William Penn—over 130 house members have been elevated to the speaker's chair. The house cannot hold an official session in the absence of the speaker or their designated ''speaker pro tempore.'' Speaker Leroy Irvis was the first African American elected speaker of any state legislature in the United States since Reconstruction. Speaker Dennis O'Brien was the only minority-party Speaker known in Pennsylvania and only the second known nationwide. Pennsylvania has never had a female speaker. Republican Bryan Cutler was elected Speaker of the House on June 22, 2020, replacing outgoing speaker Mike Turzai, who had resigned to take a job with a Pittsburgh-based natural gas company.

Current composition

In 2012, a State Representative district had an average population of 60,498 residents.

Partisan breakdown

Leadership

Speaker of the House of Representatives: '' Bryan Cutler'' (R)

Membership, 2021–2022

Past composition of the House of Representatives

File:PA State House, January 2019 Map.svg, January 2019

Committees

Notes

References

;Specific ;General *

External links

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

State House of Pennsylvania information and voting records
This link leads to information about elected officials and candidates in Pennsylvania on the website " Project Vote Smart." This web site provides such information for all states in the US. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pennsylvania House Of Representatives House State lower houses in the United States