The General Assembly, also called the legislature, is made up of two chambers: the House of Representatives (often referred to as the House) and the Senate.

The state is divided into 118 "districts," with one Representative elected from each of these districts who make up the House.  Representatives are elected for two-year terms, so the entire House is up for re-election every two years.

There are 59 Senate districts, created by combining every two Representative districts, and one Senator is elected from each of these districts to make up the Senate. Senators are elected to two- or four-year terms. Therefore, in each election year, two-thirds of the seats in the Senate are up for re-election.


What do we mean when we say "97th General Assembly?"
The term "General Assembly" (sometimes shortened to GA) is also used to refer to the session in which the legislature is operating. Each GA session spans two years, starting each odd year, and corresponds with House election cycles (every two years). The 97th General Assembly started in January of 2011.

Bills introduced at any point during a GA session are technically active during the entire two-year session, although it is rare for bills not acted upon during the first year to pass in the second year.

Bills cannot, however, move between General Assemblies. If a bill does not pass out of the legislature during one General Assembly, it must be re-introduced to start the process again in the new General Assembly session. This is not generally a problem and bills are often introduced in numerous General Assemblies until they are finally passed.

Read more about the Illinois Legislative Process.