The Montana Legislature is the legislative body within the state government of Montana. The Montana Legislature, which is also known as the Montana State Legislature, is a bicameral legislature, much like the legislatures of the vast majority of states and of the United States itself.
The Montana Legislature is made up of the Montana House of Representatives, which is the lower of the two houses of the Montana Legislature, and the Montana Senate, which is the upper of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. The Montana Legislature is made up of 150 members, with 100 members of the Montana Legislature belonging to the Montana House of Representatives, and 50 members of the Montana Legislature belonging to the Montana Senate.
Members of the Montana Legislature have a term limit of 8 years, though this may vary in exact number of terms between the upper and lower houses. This is a consecutive term limit, however, which means that members of the Montana Legislature may attempt to rejoin the Montana Legislature after they have left and remained outside of office for a certain number of years, even if they have already served a full 8 years in the Montana Legislature.
The Montana Legislature has its purpose defined within the Montana Constitution, which sets out that purpose as defining a budget for two years. The current Montana Constitution defining the Montana Legislature was passed in 1972. The Montana Legislature meets in Helena, Montana, at the Montana State Capitol.
