h WV Legislature: State Congress or General Assembly. Thirty-four Senators and 100 Delegates represent state citizens who live in specific areas called districts. These districts are divided according to population and may change if census figures show a growth or loss of population. Presently, West Virginia has 17 senatorial districts and 58 delegate districts. Each citizen in the state has representatives in both the Senate and the House.

h Legislative Session: Usually begins in January and lasts 60 days.

h Interims: Monthly meetings of the Legislature for the months outside the Legislature Session

h Bill: Proposed law; an idea or way to correct or address a problem. While any individual or group may have an idea for a bill, only a legislator may sponsor a bill and introduce it into the legislative process.

h House of Delegates: The lower house of the state legislature in West Virginia. The numbers of Delegates a district has is based on population in the district.

h Senate: The upper house of the state legislature, to which two members are elected from each district.

h Legislator: A lawmaker, either a Delegate or a Senator. Elected by We, the People.

h Resolution: A formal statement of a decision, or an opinion voted on by the Legislature. A resolution does not become a law, but rather causes something to happen, such as the coal slurry and groundwater study, such as Senate Concurrent Resolution 15.

For more info, see the "Citizen’s Guide to the Legislature" under the "Educational" tab of the Legislature’s website, www.legis.state.wv.us/.