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Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature.Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single group.
A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. [1] Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise exert significant political influence.
In parliamentary systems the upper house is frequently seen as an advisory or a "house of review" chamber; for this reason, its powers of direct action are often reduced in some way. [2] Some or all of the following restrictions are often placed on upper houses: Lack of control over the executive branch.
The lower house is almost always the originator of legislation, and the upper house is the body that offers the "second look" and decides whether to veto or approve the bills. In the United Kingdom legislation can be originated in either house, but the lower house can ultimately prevail if the two houses repeatedly disagree.
The sergeant at arms is the House's chief law enforcement officer and maintains order and security on House premises. Finally, routine police work is handled by the United States Capitol Police , which is supervised by the Capitol Police Board , a body to which the sergeant at arms belongs, and chairs in even-numbered years.
This reform was abolished in a 1935 counterattack led by the intra-House oligarchy. [4] Thus the era of the Great Depression marks the last across-the-board change, albeit a short-lived one, in the autonomy of House standing committees. [5] On strategy for an enduring reform in the system of semi-autonomous committees see the citation. [6]
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible government, the House of Assembly superseded the (usually unelected) Legislative Council as the colonial legislature, often becoming the lower house.
Except for Nebraska, which has unicameral legislature, all states have a bicameral legislature, with the upper house usually called the Senate and the lower house called the House of Representatives, the Assembly or something similar. In most states, senators serve four-year terms, and members of the lower house serve two-year terms.