The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. The legislative body consists of 80 members, with each member representing approximately 465,000 people. Due to the state's large population and relatively small legislature, the State Assembly has the largest population per representative ratio of any state legislature lower house and second largest of any legislative lower house in the United States after the federal House of Representatives. Members elected to the legislature prior to 2012 are restricted by term limits to three two-year terms (six years), while those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years in the legislature in any combination of four-year state senate or two-year state assembly terms.