page_title: Government of Washington (state)
section_title: Legislature
hierarchical_section_title: Government of Washington (state) / Legislature
caption_attribution_description: English: Washington State Senate chamber in the Washington State Capitol, Olympia, Washington
context_page_description: The government of Washington State is the governmental structure of the State of Washington as established by the Constitution of the State of Washington. The executive is composed of the Governor, several other statewide elected officials and the Governor's cabinet. The Washington State Legislature consists of the House of Representatives and State Senate. The judiciary is composed of the Washington Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts.
context_section_description: The Washington State Legislature is the state's legislative branch. The state legislature is bicameral and is composed of a lower House of Representatives and an upper State Senate. The state is divided into 49 legislative districts of equal population, each of which elects two representatives and one senator. Representatives serve two-year terms, whilst senators serve for four years. There are no term limits.
  The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker and the Speaker Pro Tem are nominated by the majority party caucus followed by a vote of the full House. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation. In the absence of the Speaker the Speaker Pro Tem assumes the role of Speaker. The Lieutenant Governor of Washington serves as the President of the Senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. In his or her absence, the President Pro Tempore presides over the Senate. The President Pro Tempore is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the entire Senate through a Senate Resolution. The President Pro Tempore is the chief leadership position in the Senate. The other legislative leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses.
  Its session laws are published in the Laws of Washington, which in turn have been codified in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).
caption: The State Senate Chamber of the Washington State Capitol
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