Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when the colonial assembly, in addition to making laws, sat as a judicial court of appeals. Before the adoption of the state constitution in 1780, it was called the Great and General Court, but the official title was shortened by John Adams, author of the state constitution. It is a bicameral body. The upper house is the Massachusetts Senate which is composed of 40 members. The lower body, the Massachusetts House of Representatives, has 160 members; until 1978, the state house had 240 members. It meets in the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill in Boston.

Since 1959, Democrats have controlled both houses of the Massachusetts General Court, often by large majorities. The Democrats enjoyed veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers for part of the 1990s (i.e., enough votes to override vetoes by a governor) and also currently hold supermajorities in both chambers.

State senators and representatives both serve two-year terms. There are no term limits; a term limit was enacted by initiative in Massachusetts in 1994 but in 1997 was struck down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which ruled that it was an unconstitutional attempt to provide additional qualifications for office by statute, rather than constitutional amendment.

The legislature is a full-time legislature, although not to the extent of neighboring New York or some other states. Provided by Wikipedia

161
by Gay, Ebenezer
Published 1745
Printed for Daniel Gookin in Marlborough-Street, over against the Old South Meeting-House
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163
by Conway, Henry Seymour
Published 1766
Printed by Green and Russell, printers to the Honorable House of Representatives
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164
by Colman, Benjamin
Published 1736
Printed by J. Draper, printer to His Excellency the governour and Council, for D. Henchman, over against the Brick Meeting-House in Cornhil
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165
by Thacher, Peter
Published 1726
Printed by B. Green, for Samuel Gerrish, at his shop the lower end of Cornhill
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166
by Curtis, George William
Published 1874
Printed by order of the Legislature [by] Wright & Potter
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173
by Warren, Bentley Wirt
Published 1917
Atlantic Printing Co
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174
Published 1809
s.n
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178
by Phillips, Wendell
Published 1878
A. Mudge & Son
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179
by Pitman, Robert Carter
Published 1869
Wright & Potter
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180
Published 1816
N. Willis
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