Kentucky lawmakers aren’t the only officials heading to their state capital this month. There are distinct differences in general assemblies from state to state.
A significant number of state legislatures meet annually like Kentucky. But, Audrey Wall with the Lexington based Council of State Governments says some states convene every other year. There are full time general assemblies in states like California, New York, and Pennsylvania. And then, Wall says, there’s Nebraska. “ I know some states have looked at becoming unicameral, as in Nebraska, where partisanship is not entered into in their elections or in their senate,” explained Wall.
The number of legislative members varies from state to state. Kentucky has 138 lawmakers, while New Hampshire has 400 members in its house chamber alone.
The CSG keeps tabs on legislative, executive, and judicial activities in all states across the nation. Wall says there are only a handful of states with full time legislatures. “I think that that involves a lot of money," she said. "I think that’s prohibitive to a lot of states, especially middle population states like Kentucky, as opposed to the larger populated states.”
