State Legislature: The Basics

The individual state legislative bodies share many similarities with not only one another, but many of the upheld traditions of the United States Congress. Like the federal government, the core of the state government is the state constitution, which provides authority to the provincial government and in which state legislative and judicial bodies derive power from.
State constitutions, by definition, are a written, formal set of laws and procedures that direct the governmental bodies on how to operate their governments. The state constitutions outline the make-up and organization of the state government, how the government should exercise their powers, and which powers they have the legal right to exercise. The provincial constitution is the fundamental aspect of the state government and overrides all other state and local laws and traditions. Ultimately, however, the federal constitution is superior to the state constitution, thus a state constitution cannot contradict the federal one.
There are two forms of legislative bodies present in America today: unicameral and bicameral governments. Unicameral governments have one legislative body, a Senate, and bicameral governments feature both a state senate and a state House of Representatives. Forty-nine states, with the exception of Nebraska, have a bicameral government. While legislature size limitations aren't expressed in state constitutions, traditionally a state House of Representatives has approximately 100 to 150 members, and the state senate has approximately 30 to 50 delegates.
State legislator candidates must meet minimal qualifications in order to legally run for an elected office. Typically, state senators must be at least 25 years old, and state House members must be 21 years or older. These age qualifications are in place to better ensure the political experience and maturity of the candidates.
In order to be elected, a candidate must be nominated within their party's primary, while also winning the popular vote of the people. Upon being elected, the candidates are expected to serve either two or four year terms, variant depending on the state. Like the federal Congress, state senators are traditionally elected to serve longer terms.
Unfortunately, unlike United States' Congress members, state delegates aren't typically provided with adequate financial compensation and thus are obliged to work second jobs. This, as some may argue, makes it difficult to retain or attract qualified applicants for the offices. Since most state delegates must work full-time elsewhere, their legislative time is limited, and as such, they do not meet as regularly as the United States Congress does. A majority of the state legislatures meet annually, though a few meet every other year, and some even meet continuously throughout the year. However, state governors and state legislatures can call special congressional sessions to address important issues, as well.