In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate.

The instructions from Queen Anne to Viscount Cornbury, the first royal governor of New Jersey, outlined a fusion of powers system, which allowed for an overlap of executive, legislative and judicial authority.

The Provincial Council consisted of twelve members, appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the British crown.

The Assembly initially consisted of 24 members with two each elected in the Cities of Burlington and Perth Amboy, and ten at-large from each of the two divisions.

As this system proved unwieldy for holding elections, in 1709 the Assembly was reapportioned; Burlington and Perth Amboy would retain their two seats each; the Town of Salem had two, and two for each of the nine counties.

In his instructions to Governor William Burnet, King George I recommended the reapportionment of Salem's seats to the recently formed Hunterdon County; this was passed into law on February 10, 1727/28.

[4] On May 30, 1776, Franklin attempted to convene the legislature, but was met instead with an order by the New Jersey Provincial Congress for his arrest.

[6][7] The New Jersey Constitution of 1844 provided for a direct popular election of the governor, and gave him the power to veto bills passed by the legislature.

The General Assembly was expanded to 60 members, elected annually, and apportioned to the counties based on population.

The Legislative Council was renamed the Senate, and was to be composed of one member from each of the state's 19 counties, serving a three-year term.

Regardless of any changes, the legislature met infrequently, had high turnover among its members, and was far from being the most influential or powerful organ of state government.

[citation needed] The Legislature has the power to enact laws by a majority vote of both houses, subject to the Governor of New Jersey's ability to veto a bill.

The Senate has the sole authority to confirm or reject gubernatorial nominees for judicial and some executive positions.

[9] The current organization of the Legislature is outlined by Article IV ("Legislative") of the New Jersey State Constitution of 1947.

This "2-4-4" cycle was put into place so Senate elections can reflect changes made to district boundaries following the decennial United States Census.

[9] In New Jersey, legislators previously could also concurrently hold another elected office at the county or municipal level.

The practice, which is frequently referred to as "double dipping", was banned by the Legislature in 2008, although the 19 legislators holding multiple offices as of February 1, 2008, were grandfathered into the system.

Districts are redefined decennially by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission following each U.S. Census, as provided by Article IV, Section III of the State Constitution.

The "2-4-4" cycle was put into place so that Senate elections can reflect the changes made to the district boundaries on the basis of the decennial United States Census.

Membership in the Assembly is considered a part-time job, and many members have employment in addition to their legislative work.