Sec.1.  The legislature meets as often as the constitution requires, to enact such laws as may be necessary to promote the public welfare, and to perform such other duties as are assigned to it by the constitution and the laws.  In about half of the states, sessions are held annually; in the others biennially, or once in two years.  A legislative session includes the daily meetings of a legislature from the time of its first assembling, to the day of final adjournment.  Thus we say the session commenced in January and ended in March.  The word session has reference also to a single sitting, from the hour at which the members assemble on any day, to the time of adjournment on the same day.  Thus we say, the legislature holds a daily session of four hours; or, it holds two sessions a day, as the case may be.

Sec.2.  Meetings of the legislature are held at a place permanently fixed by the constitution; at which place the principal state officers keep their offices.  Hence it is called the seat of government, or perhaps more frequently, the capital of the state. Capital is from the Latin caput, the head, and has come to mean chief, or the highest.  A capital city is therefore the chief city of a state or kingdom.  But the word capital, applied to a city, now generally indicates the seat of government.

Sec.3.  When the two houses have assembled in their respective chambers, some person designated for that purpose administers to the members of each house the oath of office, in which they solemnly swear (or affirm,) that they will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the state, and faithfully discharge the duties of their office.

Sec.4.  Each house then proceeds to organize for business, by appointing proper officers, and determining the right of members to seats in the house.  In organizing a legislative body, the first thing done is the election of a presiding officer, or chairman, who is usually called speaker.  The lieutenant-governor, in states in which there is one, presides in the senate, and is called president of the senate.  In the absence of the presiding officer, a temporary speaker or president is chosen, who is called speaker or president pro tempore, commonly abbreviated, pro tem., which is a Latin phrase, meaning for the time.

Sec.5.  The duty of the person presiding is to keep order, and to see that the business of the house is conducted according to certain established rules.  When a vote is to be taken, he puts the question, which is done by requesting all who are in favor of a proposed measure, to say aye, and those opposed to say no.  And, when a vote has been taken, he declares the question to be carried or lost.  This part of a speaker’s business is similar to that of the chairman of an ordinary public meeting.