The Maine House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the Maine Legislature. Its members represent districts across the state and work with the Senate to consider proposed laws.
The House is the lower chamber of Maine’s bicameral Legislature.
It contains 151 voting members elected from 151 House districts.
House and Senate members serve together on Joint Standing Committees.
The Speaker of the House presides over chamber proceedings.
Representation and districts
Each voting member is elected from a House district. House and Senate districts are reapportioned after each decennial population census so that districts remain approximately equal in population.
The timing of reapportionment has changed over Maine’s history. The state’s district maps from 1994–2002 and 2004–2010 document earlier configurations and illustrate how representation shifts as new census information is incorporated.
Committees and legislation
House members are assigned to Joint Standing Committees alongside senators. Committees hear testimony, examine proposed legislation, and recommend how measures should proceed. This work prepares bills for consideration by the full chambers.
On the House floor, members debate measures and cast votes. Display boards in the chamber identify members and record their positions when a roll-call vote is taken.
How a proposal moves through the House
Introduction: A measure is presented for legislative consideration.
Committee review: A Joint Standing Committee hears and evaluates the proposal.
Floor action: Members debate and vote according to House procedure.
Work with the Senate: Both chambers participate in the lawmaking process.
Officers and floor leadership
The Speaker presides from the rostrum. The Clerk of the House manages organizational business and records the chamber’s actions. Both officers are elected by the full House.
Majority and minority floor leaders coordinate their respective caucuses during chamber business. Historically, the leaders have occupied prominent front-row positions on opposite sides of the chamber.
Tribal representation
The House has a distinctive history of tribal representation. Representatives associated with the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy communities have participated in legislative work in non-voting roles during various periods. Their participation has included introducing or sponsoring legislation, joining floor debate, and contributing to committee activity. The form and status of this representation have changed over time.
The chamber over time
The House’s accommodations were considerably more modest during the early years of the Capitol. Historical images of the chamber from around 1908, before the Capitol’s 1909 remodeling, show how the physical setting of state government has evolved.
The chamber’s architecture has changed, but its central purpose remains deliberative: representatives meet to examine proposals, debate public questions, and record decisions on behalf of their districts.