The parliament is formally made up of the sovereign (represented by the governor-general), an appointed Senate, and an elected House of Assembly.

A General Assembly was established in 1729; the first elections took place in September, and on 29 September 1729 twenty-four members representing the islands of New Providence, Eleuthera, and Harbour Island gathered together at the house of Samuel Lawford to form the assembly.

The Bahamas legislature has had a bicameral feature since its inception in 1729 as the Governor's Council performed both executive and legislative functions.

[2] Bahamians achieved self-government in 1964 and full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations on July 10, 1973, retaining Queen Elizabeth II as monarch.

The prime minister is the leader of the party controlling the majority of the House of Assembly seats.

[4] In a historic vote, attorney Sharon Wilson was unanimously elected to a second term as president of the Senate, marking the first time a woman won re-election to head that legislative body.

Parliament is empowered by Article 52(1) of the Constitution to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Bahamas.

A bill must be passed by both the House of Assembly and Senate, and then must be formally assented to by the governor-general, before it becomes law.

The short title in turn is followed by the interpretation clause, which defines certain words and phrases used in the bill.