States Suggest a Single Legislative Body

Some states in the United States are looking to transition from a bicameral legislature to a unicameral legislature. In 1937, Nebraska changed their government to a one house legislature to save money during the Great Depression. Many other states are now introducing bills to shrink the size of the state legislature to one house. This is due to the recession that has damaged many states' budgets. Jarret Gibbons, a Democratic state legislature in Pennsylvania, says that the transition could save $90 million a year.

Even with all the support for a unicameral state legislature, very few are willing to vote themselves out of a job. This is a suspect to why the bill has failed in a few states already. This movement is important because it could also affect the government in Ohio. This could have both positive and negative effects. A unicameral legislature would save money, but may damage the democratic process and efficiency of the state governments.

The cons of the proposed legislature outweigh the pros. Decreasing the amount of government officials would only decrease democracy in the states. People would have less say in their government with less officials to represent them. With only one house, there would be less checks on the one house less, increasing it's power. The states' legislatures should remain unchanged and another solution to save money should be proposed.

States Suggest a Single Legislative Body