THE SENATE.

Senatorial districts.-The state is divided into twenty-nine senatorial districts in which are elected thirty-five senators.* No county can be divided in

forming senatorial districts.

Rotation. It is so arranged that the terms of half the senators expire and successors are elected every even-numbered year. The term being four years, one-half the senators of any Gencral Assembly were members of the preceding General Assembly and e-half will be members of the next one.

Confirming power.- Many offices are filled by appointment by the Governor with the consent of the Senate. The Governor, having selected a person to fill such an office, sends a message to the Senate announcing the nomination. If a majority of the Senate vote for the nomination it is confirmed. If it does not get a majority vote, the Governor must make another appointment. If a vacancy occurs in such an office when the Senate is not in session, the Governor appoints a person to fill it, who holds the office only until the next session of the Senate, when the vacancy must be filled as above.

Presiding officer. The Lieutenant-Governor, is presiding officer of the Senate. He votes only when the Senate is equally divided.

*The Constitution fixed forty-nine as the number of members of the House of Representatives and twenty-six as the number of senators, but provided that the total number might be increased by law to one hundred. This was done in 1891. The senatorial districts and number of senators to which each is entitled are as follows: First, Adams and Denver conuties, 6; second, Pueblo, Co., 1; third, El Paso and Teller Co's, 2; fourth, Las Animas Co., 1; fifth, Boulder Co., I; sixth, Lake Co., 1; seventh, Weld Co., 1; eighth, Jefferson and Clear Creek Co's, I, ninth, Fremont Co., 1; tenth, Larimer and Boulder Co's, 1; eleventh, Pitkin and Gunnison Co's, I; twelfth, Sedgwick, Phillips, Yuma, Washington, Logan, Morgan and Adams counties, 1; thirteenth, Eagle, Routt, Grand and Summit Co's, 1; fourteenth, Costilla, Huerfano and Conejos Co's, I; fifteenth, Saguache, Mineral and Rio Grande Co's. 1; sixteenth, Mesa and Delta Co's, 1; seventeenth, Montrose, San Miguel and Dolores Co's, 1; eighteenth, Ouray, San Juan, Hinsdale and Archuleta Co's, 1; nineteenth, La Plata and Montezuma Co's, I; twentieth, Chaffee and Park Co's, 1; twenty-first, Garfield, Eagle and Rio Blanco Co's, 1; twenty-second, Cheyenne, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Kiowa and Arapahoe Co's, 1; twenty-third, Otero Co., 1; twenty-fourth, Conejos Co, 1; twenty-fifth. Bent, Prowers, Baca and Las Animas Co's, 1; twenty-sixth, Gilpin, Boulder, Jefferson and Clear Creek Co's, 1; twenty-seventh, Pueblo and Custer Co's, 1; twenty-eighth, Douglas, El Paso and Teller Co's, 1; twenty-ninth, Pueblo, Fremont and Teller Co's, I.

President pro tempore.-On the first and last days of each session the Senate elects one of its members President pro tempore. He presides when the Lieutenant-Governor is absent. He votes as a member.

Committees, how chosen.-The Senate elects its standing committees. The presiding officer appoints all other committees, unless the Senate orders otherwise.

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Apportionment. The sixty-five representatives are apportioned among the counties of the State.* In this apportionment no county can be divided.

Revenue bills.-All bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives.

Speaker of the House. The presiding officer of the House is called the Speaker. He is elected by the House from among its members and votes as a member.

POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

The principal duty of the General Assembly is to make laws. Besides this it (1) impeaches state officers, (2) elects United States Senators and (3) canvasses the votes for the officers of the executive department and tries contests of the election of such officers.

LEGISLATION.

Object of laws. It is the duty of the General Assembly to make such laws as are necessary to the

*The representatives are apportioned as follows: Arapahoe, Adams and Denver, 11; Archuleta and Conejos, 1; Bent and Kiowa, 1; Chaffee, 1; Fremont, 1; Chaffee and Fremont, 1; Clear Creek, 1;Costilla and Huerfano, 1; Custer, 1; Delta, 1; Dolores and Montezuma, 1; Eagle, 1; El Paso and Teller, 6; Garfield, 1; Gilpin, 1; Gunnison, 1; Hinsdale and Mineral, 1; Jefferson, 1; Lake, 2; La Plata, 1; Larimer, 1; Las Animas, 2; Mesa, 1; Montrose, 1; Otero, 1; Ouray, 1; Park, 1; Pitkin, 1; Pueblo, 3; Rio Grande, 1: Saguache, 1; San Juan, 1; San Miguel, 1; Weld, 2; Prowers, Baca and Las Animas, 1; Routt and Rio Blanco, 1; Summit and Grand, 1; Sedgwick, Phillips, Yuma and Arapahoe, 1; Douglas, 1; Logan, Washington, Morgan and Arapahoe, 1; Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Boulder and Arapahoe, 1; Boulder, 2; Boulder and Arapahoe, I.

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welfare of the people, such as: laws levying the necessary taxes, making appropriations of public money, regulating the government of municipal corporations, and the proceedings of courts; securing the rights of persons and property, preserving the public health and safety, etc.

Restrictions on legislation.-Besides the restrictions on state legislation contained in the Constitution of the United States, the State Constitution prohibits the passing of local and special laws in many cases enumerated in the Constitution and in all cases in which a general law can be made applicable. For instance, the General Assembly cannot pass a law removing the county seat of a certain county. The law on the subject must be a general one, under the provisions of which the county seat of any county may be removed.

METHOD OF PASSING BILLS.

Bill defined. A bill is the form of a law proposed to a legislative assembly.

Restrictions on passage. The Constitution contains the following restrictions on the passage of bills.

1. No bill except the general appropriation bill can become a law unless introduced during the first thirty days of the session.

2. No bill can become a law unless referred to a committee, returned therefrom and printed for the use of the members.

3. It must pertain to but one subject, which must be set forth in its title.

4. It must be read at length on two different days in each house.

5. A majority vote of all the members elected to each house is required to pass a bill. The final vote

must be taken by ayes and noes, and the names of those voting for and against it must be entered on the journal.

6. When passed it must be signed by the presiding officers in the presence of their respective houses.

Governor's action.-It is then sent to the Governor. If he approves it, he signs it and it becomes a

law.

If the Governor disapproves of a bill, he vetoes it, i. e., returns it to the house in which it originated, with his objections in writing. The bill is reconsidered by this house and if two-thirds of the members elected, vote for it, it is sent to the other house. If it there gets a like majority, it becomes a law without the Governor's signature.

If the Governor does not return the bill within ten days, it becomes a law without his signature, unless the General Assembly adjourns meanwhile, in which case the Governor must file the bill and his objections to it with the Secretary of State within thirty days after adjournment; otherwise it becomes a law.

Emergency clause.-No law takes effect until ninety days after its passage except in case of emergency. There must be a clause in the bill stating the emergency. This clause is voted on separately and requires a two-thirds majority.

PUBLICATION OF LAWS.

The laws of the State of Colorado have been twice collected at public expense and published in one volume. The last publication was in 1883, under the title of "The General Statutes of the State of Colorado". The volume contains also the Constitutions of the United States and of Colorado, the Declaration of Independence, the Enabling Act and the Proclamation of Admission.

The laws of each session of the General Assembly are printed in a separate volume. These, as well as the General Statutes, are distributed free to state, district, county and precinct officers.

CHANGES IN THE CONSTITUTION.

Revision. Section I of Article XIX of the Constitution provides a method of calling a convention to "revise, alter and amend" the Constitution. No such convention has ever been held.

Amendment.-Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by a law requiring a two-thirds vote of each house of the General Assembly. The Secretary of State publishes such proposed amendments in each county for four weeks preceding the next general election at which members of the General Assembly are elected and they are voted on at such election. If they receive a majority of the votes cast, they become a part of the Constitution. The General Assembly cannot propose amendments to more than six articles of the Constitution at the same session.

CENSUS AND APPORTIONMENT.

State census.-The General Assembly is required by the Constitution to provide by law for a census of the inhabitants of the State in the year 1885 and every tenth year thereafter.

National census.-The National census is taken in years whose numbers end with 0.

Apportionment.-At the session following each state and national census, the General Assembly is required to apportion anew the senators and representatives among the people and counties of the State.

IMPEACHMENT.

State officers may be impeached. The House of Representatives impeaches, or accuses; the Senate