Constitutional Requirements

Constitutional Requirements or Restrictions that Affect the Plenary Authority of the General Assembly

Under Art. V, Sec. 1 of the state constitution, the General Assembly is vested with the full "legislative power of the state", except for the powers of initiative and referendum, which the people of the state reserved to themselves. The courts interpret this provision as granting the General Assembly plenary authority – that is, the General Assembly has the power to enact any legislation, except to the extent that this power is specifically restricted or limited by the state constitution.

There are several constitutional provisions that impose restrictions or requirements on the legislative process or on the form of legislation. Following are the procedural and form restrictions and requirements that legislators most often encounter. These lists do not include constitutional restrictions or requirements that are based on a particular subject area.