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The Delaware General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is comprised of the lower Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives, and the upper Delaware Senate with 21 Senators. Members are elected in the general election immediately preceding the beginning of the term or in special elections called to fill vacancies.
The General Assembly meets at the Legislative Hall in Dover, convening sessions on the second Tuesday of January of each calendar year and normally being required to adjourn that session by the last day of June of the same calendar year.
History
The Delaware General Assembly was one of the thirteen legislatures that participated in the American War of Independence. Four full years after the Treaty of Paris on December 7, 1787, the General Assembly ratified the federal Constitution, becoming the first sovereign state in Confederation to approve of the new federal government of the United States, thus becoming the first U.S. state.
On the eve of the American Civil War, the General Assembly was pressured to secede from the United States and join the emerging Confederate States. Despite Delaware's status as a slave state and its electoral votes going towards pro-Southern candidate John C. Breckinridge in the 1860 Presidential Election, the state's population largely remained loyal to the Union. On January 3, 1861, the Delaware House of Representatives unanimously rejected secession, while the Senate voted in majority against the move. The General Assembly's rejection of secession spared the state of large scale military conflict on its soil.
Since the American Revolution, the General Assembly has legislated through four state constitutions, coming in 1776, 1792, 1831, and the current one in 1897.
Size
Due to the state's small size and population, the Delaware General Aseembly's membership is small compared to other state legislatures, with a total of 62 legislators when the House and Senate are combined. Only the Alaska Legislature is smaller.
See also
External links
- State of Delaware Official Delaware General Assembly Website
"Delaware General Assembly"