What was discussed in the senate

CrashCourse U. Save Save. There are two senators from each state serving in Congress. Small and large states alike each have two Senators, so there is no differentiation in representation based on population, unlike the House, and there are fewer senators compared to representatives in the House Senators were originally chosen by state legislatures, but that process began to break down in the s.

A senator must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the United States for at least nine years, and a resident of the state they represent. Senators are elected to six-year terms. A senator generally carries more power than the average individual member of the House because a senator represents an entire state while a House member represents only one district within a state.

In representing an entire state, a senator is in most cases responsible for more constituents than a House Representative — except in the states where Senators outnumber House Representatives, as is the case in Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, with each having one representative. Also because there are fewer of them, senators carry a larger megaphone to bring attention to a particular issue.

The day-to-day activities of a senator are not entirely different from a House representative. They spend their days meeting with constituents, discussing policy issues in committee meetings and making public appearances to convey their message to the public. The House of Representatives passes legislation more frequently than the more deliberative Senate, so senators spend less time voting on the Senate floor and more time negotiating compromises before a bill reaches the Senate floor for a vote.

The Senate has two important and specific duties. Senators are empowered to conduct impeachment proceedings of high federal officials, are tasked with exercising the power of advice and consent on treaties, and play an important role in the confirmation or denial of certain appointments including ambassadors and judicial court justices. The Senate presides over impeachments of the president or other high officials and can remove them by a two-thirds vote.

An official is impeached once the House votes to approve an article of impeachment. The House then sends an indictment — the articles of impeachment — to the Senate, which forms itself into a jury. If the official accused is below the level of the president, the vice president acts as the presiding officer of the impeachment. But if the official being impeached is the president, the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over the Senate proceedings.

The Senate could vote to acquit the accused official, but if two-thirds of the Senate finds the official guilty, that official is removed from office and then subject to the regular penalties of law. The individualized nature of the process, complicated by the fact that states also had the ability to enter into treaties themselves, made that particular system inefficient. From John Adams in to Richard Nixon in the s, presiding over the Senate was the chief function of vice presidents, who had an office in the Capitol, received their staff support and office expenses through the legislative appropriations, and rarely were invited to participate in cabinet meetings or other executive activities.

In , Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson changed the vice presidency by moving his chief office from the Capitol to the White House, by directing his attention to executive functions, and by attending Senate sessions only at critical times when his vote, or ruling from the chair, might be necessary. The Senate elects one senate member to serve as president pro tempore. The minority leader and majority are meant to consult one another to come to agreements on floor debate rules and to equally divide debate time between the parties.

Other important positions for both the majority and minority parties include:. Like the House, the Senate has committees that study issues in depth. There are a few restrictions on committee membership , which are intended to treat senators equitably in the assignment process.

First, when a state is represented by two senators from the same party, they may not serve together on the same committee. For example, a senator that serves on the Appropriations Committee has more power over what programs get what level of funding.

For a full list of committees and their classifications, see this Congressional Research Service report. A system of rotation, however, ensures that half the Senate retires every three years. The four senators who represent the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are elected concurrently with members of the House of Representatives and the duration of their terms of office coincide with those for that House a maximum of three years. The Senate is elected by a system of proportional representation which ensures that the composition of the Senate more accurately reflects the votes of the electors than the method used to elect members of the House of Representatives.

The Senate is a house of review and a powerful check on the government of the day. The proportional representation system of voting used to elect senators makes it easier for independents and the candidates of the smaller parties to be elected. In recent decades this has meant that the government party usually does not have a majority of votes in the Senate and the non—government senators are able to use their combined voting power to reject or amend government legislation.

The Senate's large and active committee system also enables senators to inquire into policy issues in depth and to scrutinise the way laws and policies are administered by ministers and public servants. The President. After each Senate election the senators elect one of their number to preside over their proceedings. Deputy President and Chairman of Committees When a bill a proposed law is being considered in detail the Senate resolves itself into a committee of the whole.

At this point the President leaves the chair and the Chairman of Committees, who is also the Deputy President, presides over the Chamber from the chair between the two Clerks at the table.

The Deputy President also presides over the Chamber from the President's chair in the absence of the President. Party Whips Each party has its own Whip who is responsible for arranging for members of their party to take part in debates and for ensuring their attendance in the Chamber when a vote is to be taken. The Whips meet together regularly to arrange the order of business in the Senate. The Clerks The Clerks at the Table are senior officers of the Department of the Senate trained in parliamentary procedure.

They record the proceedings of the Senate and advise the President and senators on procedure. Hansard editors Debates in the Senate are recorded on digital audio and digital tape. The Hansard transcript is prepared by editors, who use voice recognition software, typing or a stenotype machine to input the text. Advisers' benches These seats are for Senators' staff, and advisers to ministers.

Usher of the Black Rod The Usher of the Black Rod is a parliamentary officer with a number of ceremonial and official duties including escorting the President into the Chamber at the beginning of each sitting day, delivering messages from the Senate to the House of Representatives and assisting with keeping order in the Senate.

To the President's right sit the senators who belong to the government party or coalition of parties and to the left sit the senators who form the official opposition. Minority parties and independent senators sit on the 'cross benches' between the government and opposition.

The Leader of the Government in the Senate and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate sit at the table in the centre of the Chamber. On the front benches behind their respective leaders are the government ministers and the opposition spokespersons or shadow ministers.

Not all senators are required to be in the Chamber when the Senate is sitting. The quorum is nineteen and debate frequently proceeds with fewer senators present. When senators are required in the Chamber to form a quorum they are summoned by the ringing of the bells. The Senate Chamber is the principal focus of a senator's work. It is here that he or she debates and votes on matters that are before Parliament. The Government replies in a note or memorandum of reply. Sometimes, there may be several rounds of correspondence, but one is generally considered sufficient.

After the written preparations have been completed, the Senate is notified that the bill is ready for debate by the full chamber. In due course the bill is then put on the plenary agenda.

The main function of members of the Senate is to scrutinise and revise bills. To do this effectively, they read the official papers and reports as well as letters and articles from newspapers and periodicals. The members sometimes receive hundreds of letters before a bill is dealt with. Members of the Senate also confer internally and externally. Internal consultations are held for the most part within the parliamentary party or committee concerned.

The procedure to be adopted is one of the matters discussed in the committee meetings. External consultations are held with organisations and citizens. Sometimes members receive visitors or delegations. And in special circumstances a committee may decide to hold a hearing. Members of the Senate also have the right to ask the Government written questions about issues unconnected with a bill.

However, they make only limited use of this right. The general view is that scrutinising the policy and actions of the Government is first and foremost the responsibility of the House of Representatives.

It shows the Senators at work as part-time politicians and as citizens with their own profession. The scrutiny of the quality of the legislative bills is a priority for the Senators. Contents of this page. What is the function of the Senate? How do the two houses of the Dutch Parliament differ? Why have a bicameral system?

How did the Senate come into existence? How are bills dealt with by the Senate? What else do members of the Senate do? Political parties. Film Dutch Senate.

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