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Delaware House of Representatives

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Delaware House of Representatives


General Information
Type:   Lower house
Term limits:   None
2012 session start:   January 10, 2012
Website:   Official House Page
Leadership
House Speaker:  Robert Gilligan, (D)
Majority Leader:   Peter Schwartzkopf, (D)
Minority leader:   Gregory Lavelle, (R)
Structure
Members:  41
   Democratic Party (26)
Republican Party (15)
Length of term:   2 years
Authority:   Art II, Delaware Constitution
Salary:   $41,680/year + expenses
Elections
Last Election:  November 2, 2010 (41 seats)
Next election:  November 6, 2012 (41 seats)
Redistricting:  Delaware Legislature has control

Contents

The Delaware House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of Delaware. The state House of Representatives is made of 41 representatives elected from individual legislative districts for a two-year term with no term limits. Each member represents an average of 21,901 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 19,112 residents.[2]

Sessions

Article II of the Delaware Constitution establishes when the Delaware General Assembly, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Section 4 of Article II states that the General Assembly is to convene on the second Tuesday of January of each calendar year, and it is not to extend beyond the last day of June.

Section 4 also allows the General Assembly to be convened into special session by the Governor of Delaware or by the mutual call of the presiding officers of both Houses.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the House will be in session from January 10 through June 30.

Major issues

Legislators are expected to focus more on economic rather than social issues this session, including reforms to Medicaid and addressing the budget deficit.[3]

2011

See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions

In 2011, the General Assembly was in session from January 11 through June 30.

2010

See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions

In 2010, the General Assembly was in session from January 12th to June 30th.

Elections

2012

See also: Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Delaware House of Representatives will be held in Delaware on November 6, 2012. All 41 seats will be up for election.

The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections is February 6, 2012. The primary date is set for February 7, 2012.

2010

See also: Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Delaware State House were held in Delaware on November 2, 2010. Elections were held in all of Delaware's 41 representative districts.

The primary nomination process for candidates wishing to run in these elections was to gain the party's nomination at state conventions held by the state's two major political parties in May. Candidates wishing to run as independents could submit nominating signatures up through July 30. The primary election day was September 14, 2010.

The partisan breakdown of the House before and after the election was as follows:


Delaware House of Representatives
Party As of November 1, 2010 After the 2010 Election
     Democratic Party 24 26
     Republican Party 17 15
Total 41 41


In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in house campaigns was $2,583,173. The top 10 overall contributors were: [4]

Donor Amount
Ellis, David E $83,043
LaVelle, Gregory Francis $52,700
King, Stanley & Ruth $30,000
Manolakos, Nick T $25,665
Delaware Racing Association $21,503
Delaware Association of Realtors $20,731
Kenton, Harvey & Jeanne $20,000
Delaware Education Association $19,203
Gallogly, Kay Wilde $17,920
Delaware Citizens for Economic Development $14,700


Qualifications

Article II, Section 3 of the Delaware Constitution states: No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-four years, and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the State three years next preceding the day of his election, and the last year of that term an inhabitant of the Representative District in which he shall be chosen, unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this State.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
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If there is a vacancy in the State House, the House Speaker must call for a special election. The election must be called for no later than 30 days after the vacancy happened. The Governor may make the declaration if the House is not in session. The date of the election must be set no later than 10 days after a declaration was made[5].

Representatives

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state houses
Party As of May 2012
     Democratic Party 26
     Republican Party 15
Total 41


Leadership

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the Speaker include preserving order and decorum, deciding all questions of order, signing all bills and resolutions passed by the House, and appointing all committees and subcommittees.[6][7]

Current leadership

Position Representative Party
State Speaker of the House Robert Gilligan Democratic
State House Majority Leader Peter Schwartzkopf Democratic
State House Majority Whip Valerie Longhurst Democratic
State House Minority Leader Gregory Lavelle Republican
State House Minority Whip Gerald Hocker Republican

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2011, members of the Delaware legislature are paid $42,750 per year. Legislators are allowed a maximum of $7,334 in expenses annually.[8]

The $42,750 that Delaware legislators are paid as of 2011 is a inc from the $42,000 that they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Delaware legislators received no per diem in 2007.[9]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Delaware legislators assume office the day after their election.

Current members

District Representative Party Residence
1 Dennis P. Williams Democratic Wilmington
2 Stephanie Bolden Democratic
3 Helene Keeley Democratic Wilmington
4 Gerald Brady Democratic Wilmington
5 Melanie George Democratic Newark
6 Debra Heffernan Democratic
7 Bryon Short Democratic
8 S. Quinton Johnson Democratic Middletown
9 Rebecca Walker Democratic
10 Dennis E. Williams Democratic Talleyville
11 Gregory Lavelle Republican Sharpley
12 Deborah Hudson Republican Fairthorne
13 John Mitchell, Jr. Democratic
14 Peter Schwartzkopf Democratic Rehoboth
15 Valerie Longhurst Democratic Bear
16 James Johnson Democratic
17 Michael Mulrooney Democratic Pennwood
18 Michael Barbieri Democratic Newark
19 Robert Gilligan Democratic Sherwood Park
20 Nick Manolakos Republican
21 Michael Ramone Republican Drummond Hill
22 Joseph Miro Republican Pike Creek Valley
23 Teresa Schooley Democratic Newark
24 Edward S. Osienski Democratic
25 John Kowalko, Jr. Democratic Newark
26 John Viola Democratic Newark
27 Earl Jaques, Jr. Democratic Glasgow
28 William Carson, Jr. Democratic Smyrna
29 Lincoln D. Willis Republican
30 William Outten Republican Harrington
31 Darryl Scott Democratic Dover
32 E. Bradford Bennett Democratic Dover
33 Harold J. Peterman Republican
34 Donald Blakey Republican
35 David Wilson Republican Bridgeville
36 Harvey R. Kenton Republican
37 Ruth Briggs King Republican
38 Gerald Hocker Republican Ocean View
39 Daniel Short Republican Seaford
40 Clifford Lee Republican Laurel
41 John Atkins Democratic Millsboro

Standing committees

Delaware House has 25 standing committees:[10]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
  2. ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
  3. ↑ Delaware First Media, "Legislators begin to form 2012 agenda," January 8, 2012
  4. ↑ Follow the Money: "Delaware House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
  5. ↑ Delaware Legislature "Delaware Election Code"(Referenced Statutes § 7101 and § 7104, Delaware Code)
  6. ↑ Rules of the 145th Delaware General Assembly
  7. ↑ Delaware House Leaders
  8. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
  9. ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
  10. ↑ Delaware House committees
v • d • e
Democrat majority Current members of the Delaware House of Representatives
House Speaker: Robert Gilligan (D) • Majority Leader: Peter Schwartzkopf (D) • Minority Leader: Gregory Lavelle (R)
   
Democratic (26) • Republican (15) • Delaware State Senate • Delaware House of Representatives
v • d • e
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