A citizen legislature is a legislative chamber made up primarily of citizens who have a full-time occupation besides being a legislator. Such citizen legislatures can be found on the state level, as in some U.S. states, or on the national level as in Switzerland. [1]
Legislatures in the U.S. considered to be citizen legislatures include Montana, [2] Nevada, [3] Idaho, [4] New Mexico, [5] North Carolina, [6] North Dakota, [7] Oregon, [8] Utah, [9] Virginia [10] and Wyoming. [11]
Many other states in the US, by contrast, have a professional legislature. James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 62 that "It is not possible that an assembly of men called for the most part from pursuits of a private nature, continued in appointment for a short time, and led by no permanent motive to devote intervals of public occupation to a study of the laws, the affairs, and the comprehensive interests of their country, should, if left wholly to themselves, escape a variety of important errors in the exercise of their legislative trust." [12] [13]
A citizen legislature is a legislative chamber made up primarily of citizens who have a full-time occupation besides being a legislator. Such citizen legislatures can be found on the state level, as in some U.S. states, or on the national level as in Switzerland. [1]
Legislatures in the U.S. considered to be citizen legislatures include Montana, [2] Nevada, [3] Idaho, [4] New Mexico, [5] North Carolina, [6] North Dakota, [7] Oregon, [8] Utah, [9] Virginia [10] and Wyoming. [11]
Many other states in the US, by contrast, have a professional legislature. James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 62 that "It is not possible that an assembly of men called for the most part from pursuits of a private nature, continued in appointment for a short time, and led by no permanent motive to devote intervals of public occupation to a study of the laws, the affairs, and the comprehensive interests of their country, should, if left wholly to themselves, escape a variety of important errors in the exercise of their legislative trust." [12] [13]