Missouri House of Representatives

The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri approved a constitutional amendment providing term limits (previously there were no limits). No Representative may serve more than eight years in the House. Each candidate for the office must be at least twenty-four years old, a registered qualified voter in the state for at least two years, and a resident of his or her district for at least one year.Missouri's house is the fourth largest in the United States although the state ranks 18th in population. Legislation was introduced in 2011 to cut its size to 103 in 2020. Larger legislatures in the United States are New Hampshire (400), Pennsylvania (203) and Georgia (180).Standing CommitteesThese are the yearly recurring committees that hold hearings on legislation filed by Representatives. Once filed, legislation is assigned to one of the following committees by the Missouri Speaker of the House. Legislation is typically assigned to the committee whose province envelopes the subject matter of the bill. However, there are frequently multiple relevant committees to which a bill can be assigned, and it is at the Speaker's discretion to choose which committee receives the bill. Politics can also play a part, as the Speaker may assign a bill he or she wants to fail to a committee with an unfriendly chair or membership, or may select a more friendly committee if he or she wishes the bill to pass.