🏭 The Legislature

• 30 State Senators
• 60 State Representatives
• 30 Legislative Districts
• Each district elects 1 Senator and 2 Representatives
• Senators serve 4-year terms
• Representatives serve 2-year terms

📅 Elections & Statehood

• Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912
• State capital: Phoenix
• Arizona Constitution adopted: 1910
• Legislative elections held in even-numbered years
• Primary elections: late July of election year
• General elections: first Tuesday after first Monday in November

📋 Term Limits

• Representatives: max 4 consecutive terms (8 years)
• Senators: max 2 consecutive terms (8 years)
• After sitting out one full term, a former member may run again
• Term limits were established by Proposition 107 in 1992

🖌 How a Bill Becomes Law

1. Bill introduced in the House or Senate
2. Referred to a committee for hearing and vote
3. Full chamber debates and votes
4. Sent to the other chamber for the same process
5. Passed bill goes to the Governor
6. Governor has 5 days to sign, veto, or allow it to become law without signature

❌ What Is a Veto?

A veto is when the Governor officially refuses to sign a bill into law and returns it to the Legislature. The Arizona Legislature can override a veto with a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote in both the House and Senate. The Governor also has a line-item veto on budget bills, allowing specific spending items to be removed without rejecting the entire bill.

🛠 Legislative Session

• Regular session begins the second Monday of January each year
• There is no set end date for the regular session
• The Governor may call a special session at any time
• Bills not passed by the end of session must be reintroduced the following year
• Citizens can also propose laws directly through the initiative process

🏭 Arizona's Three Branches

• Executive: Governor, elected to 4-year terms, max 2 consecutive
• Legislative: Senate & House of Representatives
• Judicial: Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Superior Courts
• If the Governor leaves office, the Secretary of State becomes Governor
• Arizona has no Lieutenant Governor — unique among most states

✅ Citizen Power & Direct Democracy

• Arizona citizens can propose laws directly via the Initiative process by collecting signatures
• Citizens can also Refer a legislative act to voters before it takes effect
• Voters can Recall elected officials mid-term by petition
• Initiative requires signatures equal to 10% of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election
• Arizona has used initiatives to establish term limits, clean elections, and minimum wage laws