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LEGISLATIVE BODIES

Some bill research does not include the Governor's file because at the time we researched the bill, the sitting Governor had not released his chaptered bill file. If the Governor's file is not included with this particular research, please contact our office (1-530-666-1917 or quote@legintent.com) and we will be happy to provide this file at no charge if it is available. Please Note: Governor files did not exist prior to 1943.

 


LEGISLATIVE BODIES:  Because of our legal background, it might seem to us that most legislators are attorneys. That is not the case!  A recent data survey for 2009 published by the National Conference of State Legislatures identified the educational background of the legislators in the individual states and it appears that being an attorney is not the dominant professional degree for legislators.  Instead, holding a bachelor’s degree outnumbered law degrees almost two-to-one. Following those with only BAs were those legislators earning master’s degrees. Finally, legislators with JDs came in third in line. The survey also broke out those who attained only a high school degree and those who took some college courses. 

The NCSL survey reported that the state with the highest percentage of bachelor’s degrees in its legislature was Tennessee  (45.04%).  The state with the highest percentage of master’s degrees was Oregon (32.95%).

Looking at the population of attorneys in the state legislatures, the state with the lowest percentage of JDs was Delaware (3.28%) followed closely by Montana (3.33%) and New Hampshire (3.31%).  The state with the highest percentage of attorneys in its legislature was Ohio (32.06%). 

Individual states vary, so let’s look at ten states legislators’ education levels limited to bachelor’s, master’s, and JD degrees:



  • Alabama:  The legislature in Montgomery is made up of 38.41% BAs, 25.36% MAs, and 17.39% JDs. 

  • California: BAs make up 36.13%, MAs make up 23.53%, and JDs make up 21.01% of the legislature in Sacramento.

  • Colorado: At the Denver Capitol, 22% are BAs, 21% are MAs, and 12% are JDs

  • Georgia: The state legislature in Atlanta is made up of 41.20% BAs, 10.30% MAs, and 15.45% JDs.

  • Illinois:  The legislature in Springfield is made up of 32.20% with BAs, 22.60% with MAs, and 19.21% with JDs.

  • Louisiana: BAs make up 34.51%, MAs make up 10.56%, and JDs make up 26.76% of the Baton Rouge legislature.

  • New York:  The Albany legislature is made up of 31.75% with BAs, 21.80% with MAs, and 28.44% with JDs.

  • Ohio:  At the Columbus Capitol, 29.01% hold a BA, 13.74% hold a MA, and 32.06% hold a JD.

  • Texas:  The legislature in Austin is made up of 37.02% BAs, 12.15% MAs, and 30.94% JDs.

  • Washington:  The Olympia Capitol’s legislature is made up of 38.10% BAs, 23.13% MAs, and 6.80% JDs.