Type Bicameral | ||
 | ||
Houses Senate
House of Representatives President of the Senate Jack Whitver (R)
Since January 9, 2017 Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix (R)
Since January 9, 2017 Speaker of the House Linda Upmeyer (R)
Since January 14, 2016 House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow (R)
Since January 14, 2016 | ||
The Iowa General Assembly (IGA) is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Representatives respectively. The Senate consists of four year terms and the House consists of two year terms. The General Assembly convenes within the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.
Composition
The IGA consists of 50 senators and 100 representatives. Each senator represents about 60,927 people and each representative about 30,464 people as of the 2010 United States Census. The last redistricting was enacted on April 19, 2011 for the 2012 elections 85th General Assembly. The IGA convenes annually on the second Monday in January.
As of January 2017, the Iowa Senate, House of Representatives and the Governor's office are all controlled by Republicans. Prior to the 2006 elections, Iowa had one of the most evenly divided state legislatures in the country, with a 25-25 split in the Senate and the House composed of 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats.
Leaders in the Senate are President Jack Whitver (R), and President Pro Tempore Jerry Behn (R). Partisan Senate leadership includes Majority Leader Bill Dix (R), and Minority Leader Rob Hogg (D). In the House, the Speaker is Linda Upmeyer (R), and the Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Windschitl (R). Partisan House leadership includes Majority Leader Chris Hagenow (R), and Minority Leader Mark Smith (D).