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Indiana General Assembly collection

 Collection
Identifier: L241

Scope and Contents

This collection includes correspondence from constituents and legislators in Indiana, editorials, newspaper articles, newsletters, photographs, proclamations, resolutions, telegrams, and bills ranging from 1969 to 2016 regarding Indiana legislation and literacy activities.

There is also an oversize folder containing appointments and resolutions from the Indiana General Assembly from circa 1986 to 2014 (OB242).

Dates

  • 1969-2016

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Administrative History

The General Assembly is the name of the legislature of the state of Indiana. The Constitution of the state of Indiana divides the powers of state government into three departments: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Article 4, Section 1, of the state constitution provides:

Legislative authority of the state shall be vested in a General Assembly

The General Assembly is organized into two "houses": the House of Representatives and the Senate. The two houses have co-equal powers, although all bills with a purpose of raising revenue must be originally filed in the House of Representatives.

The Senate has 50 elected members. The Lieutenant Governor presides over the Senate but is not considered a "legislator" and can vote on legislation only when there is a tie vote. A member of the Senate is called a "senator".

The House of Representatives has 100 elected members. The leader of the House of Representatives is one of the 100 members. A member of the House of Representatives is called a "representative".

Indiana is divided into 50 Senate districts and 100 House of Representative districts. A member of the Senate must be elected by the citizens registered to vote in the Senate district in which he or she resides. A member of the House of Representatives must be elected by the citizens registered to vote in the House of Representative district in which he or she resides. The term of a senator is four years, and the term of a representative is two years. Senators and representatives are not subject to term limits.

During the 1970s, an amendment to the Constitution passed, allowing the General Assembly to meet annually. Currently, both houses of the General Assembly meet annually for a regular session. The regular session lasts between three and four months. On the call of the Governor, the General Assembly may meet for additional days in one or more special sessions. While not in session, members of the General Assembly may be assigned to interim study committees that meet between the sessions. Several interim study committees have been enacted in state law. Others may be established by the elected officers of the General Assembly.

Each house of the General Assembly selects its own leaders. The General Assembly also forms a 16-member committee called the "Legislative Council" to handle a number of administrative matters affecting both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Senate is unique in that the state constitution requires the Lieutenant Governor to preside over the Senate as its "President"; however, he is not a member of the Senate for most other purposes. When he is not present, a member of the Senate selected as the "President Pro Tempore" presides. The Senate also has a number of other officers. The current President of the Senate is Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb. The current President Pro Tempore of the Senate is Senator David Long. The current Minority Leader of the Senate is Senator Tim Lanane.

Sources:

Indiana General Assembly. "FAQs." Created June 27, 2016. https://iga.in.gov.

Extent

1.05 Cubic Feet (3 manuscript boxes, 1 medium oversize folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.

Accruals

The repository continues to add materials to this collection on a regular basis.

Related Archival Material

Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN:

SP075: Indiana General Assembly photographs

V571: Indiana General Assembly composite ledger, 1865-1929

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2016/07/18 by Edythe Huffman. EAD finding aid created 2016/07/18 by Edythe Huffman. EAD finding aid revised on 2021/12/09 by Lauren Patton; 2021/12/10; 2024/11/22 by Brittany Kropf.
Title
Indiana General Assembly collection
Status
Under Revision
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671