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> United States
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| Website | http://www.senate.gov |
| Established | April 06, 1789 |
| Disbanded | Still Active |
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modified | RP April 25, 2022 04:21pm |
| Description | Background
The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the House of Representatives. In the Senate, each state is equally represented by two members; as a result, the total membership of the body is currently 100. Senators serve for six-year terms that are staggered so elections are held for approximately one-third of the seats (a "class") every second year.
The Vice President of the U.S. is the President of the Senate and serves as its presiding officer, but is not a Senator and does not vote except to break ties. The Vice President rarely acts as President of the Senate unless casting a tie-breaking vote or during ceremonial occasions, so the duty of presiding usually falls to the President Pro Tempore, customarily the most senior senator of the majority party. Most often, the President Pro Tempore will designate a member from his or her party to serve as presiding officer for the day.
Qualifications
Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution sets forth three qualifications for senators: each senator must be at least 30 years old, must have been a citizen of the United States for at least the past nine years, and must be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state he or she seeks to represent.
Officers
Each party elects a senator to serve as floor leader, a position which entails acting as the party's chief spokesperson. The Senate Majority Leader is, furthermore, responsible for controlling the agenda of the Senate; for example, he schedules debates and votes. Each party also elects a whip to assist the leader. A whip works to ensure that his party's senators vote as the party leadership desires.
The Senate is also served by several officials who are not members. The Senate's chief administrative officer is the Secretary of the Senate, who maintains public records, disburses salaries, monitors the acquisition of office supplies, and oversees clerks. The Secretary is aided in his work by the Assistant Secretary of the Senate. Another official is the Sergeant-at-Arms, who, as the Senate's chief law enforcement officer, maintains order and security on the Senate premises.
Current Ranking of Senate Leadership
Democrats
1st - Majority Leader
2nd - Assistant Majority Leader
3rd - Democratic Conference Vice Chair
4th - Democratic Conference Secretary
5th - DSCC Chairman
6th - Democratic Policy Committee Chairman
Republicans
1st - Minority Leader
2nd - Assistant Minority Leader
3rd - Republican Conference Chair
4th - Republican Policy Committee Chairman
5th - Republican Conference Vice Chair |
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Takes Office |
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