In the United States, the federal government and every state except Nebraska have a bicameral legislature made up of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives at the federal level, and the Senate and House of Representatives at the state level. Nebraska is the only state that has a unicameral legislature with only one chamber. Let’s take a closer look at which states have bicameral legislatures.
Background on Bicameral Legislatures
A bicameral legislature has two separate legislative chambers or houses. In the U.S. federal system, these two chambers are the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states equally with two senators from each state, while the House has seats apportioned based on state population. A bicameral system provides checks and balances, with the two chambers reviewing and approving bills separately before they can be passed into law.
At the state level, 49 states copied the federal model and have both a Senate and House of Representatives. Only Nebraska has a unicameral system with a single legislative chamber. Let’s review some key facts about bicameral state legislatures:
- All states except Nebraska have two legislative chambers
- The upper chamber is most commonly called the Senate, while the lower chamber is most commonly called the House of Representatives
- Senators generally represent larger districts than House members
- Terms of office differ, with Senators often serving longer terms of 4 or 6 years compared to 2 years for Representatives
This bicameral structure provides checks and balances at the state level. Bills must pass both chambers separately before being signed into law by the governor. The Senate and House may have different priorities and constituencies, requiring compromise to pass legislation.
List of States with Bicameral Legislatures
Here is the full list of the 49 states that have a bicameral legislature made up of a Senate and House of Representatives:
| State | Senate | House of Representatives |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Senate | Alabama House of Representatives |
| Alaska | Alaska Senate | Alaska House of Representatives |
| Arizona | Arizona Senate | Arizona House of Representatives |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Senate | Arkansas House of Representatives |
| California | California State Senate | California State Assembly |
| Colorado | Colorado Senate | Colorado House of Representatives |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Senate | Connecticut House of Representatives |
| Delaware | Delaware Senate | Delaware House of Representatives |
| Florida | Florida Senate | Florida House of Representatives |
| Georgia | Georgia State Senate | Georgia House of Representatives |
| Hawaii | Hawaii State Senate | Hawaii House of Representatives |
| Idaho | Idaho Senate | Idaho House of Representatives |
| Illinois | Illinois Senate | Illinois House of Representatives |
| Indiana | Indiana Senate | Indiana House of Representatives |
| Iowa | Iowa Senate | Iowa House of Representatives |
| Kansas | Kansas Senate | Kansas House of Representatives |
| Kentucky | Kentucky State Senate | Kentucky House of Representatives |
| Louisiana | Louisiana State Senate | Louisiana House of Representatives |
| Maine | Maine Senate | Maine House of Representatives |
| Maryland | Maryland State Senate | Maryland House of Delegates |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Senate | Massachusetts House of Representatives |
| Michigan | Michigan Senate | Michigan House of Representatives |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Senate | Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Mississippi | Mississippi State Senate | Mississippi House of Representatives |
| Missouri | Missouri State Senate | Missouri House of Representatives |
| Montana | Montana State Senate | Montana House of Representatives |
| Nevada | Nevada Senate | Nevada Assembly |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Senate | New Hampshire House of Representatives |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Senate | New Jersey General Assembly |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Senate | New Mexico House of Representatives |
| New York | New York State Senate | New York State Assembly |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Senate | North Carolina House of Representatives |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Senate | North Dakota House of Representatives |
| Ohio | Ohio Senate | Ohio House of Representatives |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Senate | Oklahoma House of Representatives |
| Oregon | Oregon State Senate | Oregon House of Representatives |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Senate | Pennsylvania House of Representatives |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Senate | Rhode Island House of Representatives |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Senate | South Carolina House of Representatives |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Senate | South Dakota House of Representatives |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Senate | Tennessee House of Representatives |
| Texas | Texas Senate | Texas House of Representatives |
| Utah | Utah State Senate | Utah House of Representatives |
| Vermont | Vermont State Senate | Vermont House of Representatives |
| Virginia | Senate of Virginia | Virginia House of Delegates |
| Washington | Washington State Senate | Washington House of Representatives |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Senate | West Virginia House of Delegates |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Senate | Wisconsin State Assembly |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Senate | Wyoming House of Representatives |
Key Facts About State Bicameral Legislatures
Now that we’ve listed all 49 states with bicameral legislatures, let’s review some key facts and statistics:
- The most common names for the two chambers are “Senate” and “House of Representatives.” But some states use other names like “Assembly” or “House of Delegates.”
- California has the largest Senate with 40 members. New Hampshire has the largest lower house with 400 members.
- Nebraska has the smallest legislature with only 49 Senators in its unicameral chamber.
- The average size of state Senates is about 40 members. The average size of state lower houses is about 120 members.
- State Senators generally represent more constituents and larger geographic districts than House members. For example, California Senators each represent about 1 million constituents.
- In most states, State Senators serve 4-year terms, while 2-year terms are more common in the lower houses.
- Legislative sessions vary, but many states meet annually. Some only meet biannually for shorter sessions.
These structural differences between the two legislative chambers lead to different priorities. The Senates tend to have longer-serving members representing broader interests. The lower houses have members constantly up for re-election responsive to local interests. The bicameral system ensures neither chamber dominates the legislative process completely.
Unicameral Nebraska Legislature
Nebraska stands alone as the only state with a unicameral legislature. When Nebraska became a state in 1867, it originally had a bicameral system. But reforms in 1934 led to the creation of the unique one-house Nebraska Legislature.
Here are some key facts about Nebraska’s unicameral legislature:
- There are 49 legislators called Senators
- Senators are elected from single-member districts via nonpartisan ballots for 4-year terms.
- The Nebraska Legislature meets annually.
- The Speaker presides over legislative sessions.
- Proposed bills require approval by 25 of the 49 Senators to overcome filibusters.
Advocates argue the unicameral system is more efficient and less prone to gridlock. However, others argue an important check-and-balance system is lost without the dynamics of a bicameral system. Only time will tell if any other states follow Nebraska’s lead in adopting a one-house legislature.
The Value of Bicameral State Legislatures
The vast majority of U.S. states have stuck with the bicameral model because it has several important advantages:
- Checks and balances – Requiring bills to pass both chambers ensures more scrutiny, debate and consensus-building.
- Divided constituencies – Senators represent broader statewide interests while House members reflect more local interests.
- Staggered elections – Senators have longer staggered terms insulating them from short-term political pressures.
- Split majorities – It is common for each chamber to have a different majority party, requiring compromise.
Overall, bicameral state legislatures provide for thoughtful deliberation and moderate, centrist policies. The committee process, hearings and amendments in each chamber allow for bills to be thoroughly examined and improved. Having to pass both bodies makes it hard to ram through extreme legislation. These benefits explain why only one state has abandoned the bicameral model while the other 49 continue to have a Senate and House of Representatives.
Conclusion
Bicameral legislatures with two separate legislative chambers have been the dominant model in the U.S. since the beginning. At the federal level, the Senate and the House provide checks and balances on each other and must agree to pass legislation. 49 states have copied this bicameral structure and have both a Senate and House of Representatives at the state level.
The primary advantages of a two-chamber legislature are more debate and deliberation, divided constituencies ensuring compromise, and preventing any one group or party from controlling the entire process. Split partisan majorities are also common, ensuring both sides have some influence. Only Nebraska has broken from tradition and has a single-chamber unicameral legislature. But all other states continue to see value in the bicameral model.
So in conclusion, with the lone exception of Nebraska, all U.S. states have bicameral legislatures made up of two houses – the Senate and House of Representatives. This system of checks and balances serves states well and ensures a diversity of viewpoints shape state laws and budgets.
