Laguna General Assembly
The General Assembly of Laguna, more commonly known as the Laguna General Assembly is the lower house of the Laguna Provincial Legislature, the upper house being the Laguna Senate. The Assembly, along with the Senate, convene at the San Diego Capitol, in San Diego, the provincial capital of the province.
| Laguna General Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Laguna Provincial Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type |
Lower house of the Laguna Provincial Legislature |
Term limits | No term limits |
| History | |
New session started | February 2nd, 2020 |
| Leadership | |
Speaker pro Tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 57 |
.svg) | |
Political groups |
Goverment (37)
Opposition (19)
Other parties |
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article 1, Laguna Constitution |
| Salary | $100,191/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Nonpartisan blanket primary | |
Last election | January 20, 2020 |
Next election | January 20, 2024 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
|
General Assembly Chamber San Diego Provincial Capitol San Diego, Laguna | |
The Assembly consists of 57 members, who represent citizens living in legislative districts. Because of the province's large population and relatively small legislature, the Assembly has the largest population-per-representative ratio of any provincial lower house in Sierra and is the second largest representative chamber in the country, following the federal House of Commons.
Members of the Assembly are known as assemblyman, assemblywoman, or the gender neutral assemblyperson. In the current session, the Democratic-Republican and Social Democrat coalition currently holds a supermajority in the Assembly, with the Royalists and Christian Democrats forming the official opposition, while the Green Party is considered apart of the "other opposition". The Democratic-Republican Party has been the dominate party in the Assembly since 2004.
Qualifications and role
To run for the General Assembly, the candidates must be confirmed through a set of rules detailed in the Constitution of Laguna. These rules are as followed:
- Candidates must be citizens of the Kingdom of Sierra or any of its constituent territories.
- Candidates must be a resident of their district and must live in their district for a period of three years.
- Candidates must have a clear criminal record or a record of minor offense conducted as a minor.
In 2019, Governor George Cleaver established a committee looking into the possibility of removing the first requirement, instead proposing allowing non-citizens who have lived in Sierra for five years to run for the Laguner Provincial Legislature. After threats of a lawsuit by the federal government, the committee was abolished in December of 2019.
Assemblypersons are charged by the Constitution of Laguna to write, present, and pass provincial legislation, known as bills. If passed, these bills are sent to the Laguna Senate for further confirmation, then eventually the governor, who will either veto it or sign it into law. If the governor vetoes a bill, both houses are able to overturn the veto with 2/3rds support. The Assembly is able to conduct impeachment trials of provincial officials, including the governor. If a impeachment inquiry is passed in the Assembly, the Laguna Senate conducts the impeachment trial. The Assembly is dissolved three weeks before an election and can be dissolved at any time by the Lord Superintendent of Laguna, by order of the Monarch.
Leadership
Speaker of the Assembly
The Speaker of the Laguna General Assembly is the speaker of the chamber and also it's leader. The Speaker is elected by assembly members the first day of a legislative session, and is usually the leader of the largest party in the Assembly, however there have been some speakers elected from a minority or opposition party. The Speaker has the power to call legislative meetings at any time and can also present and table legislation. Originally, the Speaker was a non-partisan role and would not be allowed to vote on any legislation, however that changed in 1938, when the Laguna Supreme Court found that illegal, as it prevented the Speaker from representing their constituents. If a Governor is impeached, the Speaker will become the acting Lieutenant Governor, making them second-in-line in the gubernatorial line of succession.
Majority Leader
The Majority Leader of the Laguna General Assembly is the leader of the largest party of coalition in the Assembly. The Majority Leader is elected by members of the majority party or coalition to serve as their leader in the Assembly. Since Speakers are usually apart of the majority party of coalition, the Majority Leader usually acts as a deputy to the Speaker. If they are apart of the same party or coalition, the Majority Leader works with the Governor in order to pass their legislation.
Minority Leader
The Minority Leader of the Laguna General Assembly, sometimes referred to as the Opposition Leader, is the leader of the second-largest party or coalition, which is deemed as the official opposition. The Minority Leader is elected by assembly members apart of the official opposition and acts as their leader. Sometimes, if a speaker is from the opposition/minority party, the Minority Leader will act as the Speaker's deputy. If apart of the same party, the Minority Leader works with the Governor to find solutions or ways to pass their legislation. Most minority leaders are also the leader of their respective party.
Current leadership
Dora Vasquez, Speaker
Ian Miguel Sasquez, Majority Leader
Kevin Falcon, Minority Leader
Composition
The Laguna General Assembly is composed of 57 representatives, who all represent constituencies known as legislative districts. These legislative districts are drawn by the non-partisan and apolitical Laguna Redistricting Commission, who draw and redraw new lines for legislative districts based on population. New districts are created and current districts are redrawn after each national census. Despite being apolitical, the Laguna Redistricting Commission has recently been accused of gerrymandering for Democratic-Republicans and Social Democrats, merging conservative rural and suburban areas with large liberal and left-leaning cities. The LRC has denied claims of gerrymandering.