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FAST FACTS
- Legislative Research Council
- The 2011 Legislative Session is the 86th session.
- Each legislative session begins on the second Tuesday (calendar) in January at noon Central Time.
- There are 38 Legislative days on the calendar for this, the 86th session of the South Dakota Legislature which begins January 11, 2011.
- There are 35 members in the Senate and 70 members in the House of Representatives.
- Each house of the legislature has officers and other staff who make sure the legislative business gets done.
- The presiding officer of the House of Representatives is called the speaker. 2011 Speaker: Val Rausch (more)
- The chief officer of the Senate is called the president. 2010 President: Matthew Michels (more)
- High school seniors can serve as pages in the legislature.
- Pages distribute bills, answer phones, run errands for legislators.
- To apply to be a page, submit an application to the Legislative Research Council several months before the beginning of the legislative session.
- LRC: Page Program
- The State of South Dakota has an internship program.
(The South Dakota Legislative Internship Program)
- A typical day in the legislature would begin at 7:45 a.m. with committee meetings.
- The daily general session then starts at 2:00 p.m.
- Sessions are generally open to the public and all committee meetings are also open.
- In a typical legislative session, 500-600 bills might be introduced in the House and Senate.
- Because of the large number of bills which must be studied, much of the work of the legislature is done by committees. There are 13 House committees that have 7-15 members each. The Senate also has 13 committees that have 7-9 members each.
- Committees study proposed bills and make recommendations on them which are passed along to their respective full body. They can recommend: Do Pass; Do Pass Amended; Do Not Pass; Without Recommendation.
- Legislative Research Council Fun Facts and Trivia
- Legislative Research Council Student Page
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