The Tennessee General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and considered as the supreme legislative authority of the state. The Senate consists of 33 members and the House of Representatives have 99 members.
The representatives are elected for two year terms. The senators are elected for four year terms. The senator elections are conducted along with the Presidential elections and the Tennessee gubernatorial elections. The General Assembly assembles for about 90 legislative days over a two year period. They assemble up to fifteen days for organizational purposes at the start of each term. The governor has the right to call “extraordinary sessions” and these sessions are limited to twenty days.
The governor has the power to approve or veto a bill passed by the legislature. If the House and Senate have enough votes, they can override a veto.
The Legislative sessions in both the House and Senate occur on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Tuesdays and the majority of Wednesdays are used for committee meetings and hearings. The time of legislative sessions is between January and the end of May.
The General Assembly districts of both houses are reapportioned by the U.S. federal census. The Tennessee state constitution authorizes the General Assembly to appoint the Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and the Comptroller of the Treasury. The General Assembly selects the members of the State Election Commission.
