Legislative Process

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The New Hampshire House (400) and Senate (24) make up the largest state legislature in the U.S. and the fourth-largest English-speaking legislative body in the world (UK, India and U.S. Congress).

Lawmakers are elected biannually and paid $100 per year, plus mileage reimbursement.

Despite the minimal pay, legislators review more than 1,000 bills every legislative session. Representatives were responsible for attending 21 legislative sessions between January and June of 2010 and that doesn't include special sessions, committee meetings and public hearings, reports Foster's Daily Democrat.

University of New Hampshire Associate Professor of Political Science Dante Scala said the legislature "often is made up of older residents who have the time and financial standing to serve."

"They really run because they can. Unlike in states with professional legislatures, the barriers to entry are very low in New Hampshire," UNH associate professor of political science Dante Scala told Foster's.

Does New Hampshire need to change its legislative process?