Legislative council
A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the British (former) colonies. However, it has also been used as designation in other (non-Commonwealth) nations. A member of a legislative council is commonly referred to as an MLC. In the United States, a legislative council has a different connotation, and means a council within a legislature which supervises nonpartisan support staff. History In the British Empire, the authority under which legislative councils have been constituted has varied: some under the royal prerogative, others by acts of parliament, and some by commission and royal instructions. Particularly, unicameral or the upper house in a bicameral legislature (where traditionally many members were appointed by Governors, rather than elected) were given the designation "legislative council". List of legislative councils In India, the Vidhan Parishad is another name for the Legislative Council in those states with bicameral legislatures. United States In American English, the term "legislative council" has acquired a slightly different meaning since the 1930s. It refers to a joint committee with members from both