Pennsylvania General AssemblyParliament

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, functioning as the primary legislative body responsible for enacting state laws, approving the state budget, and overseeing public policy. Tracing its roots to 1682 when colonial proprietor William Penn established the first provincial assembly, it was officially re-formed as the General Assembly under the 1776 state constitution. Originally operating as a unicameral body, it adopted its current bicameral structure—comprising the Senate and House of Representatives—under the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790.