Legislature

Legislature is a word that comes from the Latin language, meaning "those who write the laws." A legislature is therefore a group of people who vote for new laws, for example in a state or country.

Each person in the legislature is usually either elected or appointed. The constitution of that state or country usually tells how a legislature is supposed to work.

In many countries, the legislature is called a Parliament, Congress, or National Assembly. Sometimes there are two groups of members in the legislature. This is called a "bicameral" legislature. A unicameral legislature has only one group of members.

A country, district, city, or other small area may also have something like a legislature. These are often called councils, and they make smaller laws for their areas.