United States Senate
The United States Senate is one of the two Houses of Congress. It is composed of 100 members, two from each of the 50 states. The Senate convenes in Washington, D.C.. As of 2007, the Senate is equally divided, with 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats. Independents Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman caucus with the Democratic Party, giving Democrats the majority and control of the committees.
As far as voting on individual bills, most votes are not strictly along party lines, and senators from both parties can and do cross lines against what their leadership endorses on different issues. It should also be pointed out that many bills have bipartisan support, meaning that the bill has strong support among both Republicans and Democrats.
The position of President of the Senate is filled by the Vice President of the United States, and he casts the deciding vote in case of a tie. The Senate's current Majority Leader is noted liberal Democrat Harry Reid, and the Minority Leader is the Republican Mitch McConnell. [1]
The Senate is named for the Roman Senate, the governing council of ancient Rome. The Latin word means a council of elders, and derives from the same Latin root as senior.
Powers of Senate
The Senate has the power to try cases of impeachment and remove officials from office. It is also responsible to give "advice and consent" to the actions of the president. The Senate approves appointments made by the President and ratifies his treaties.[2]
References
- ↑ http://senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/a_three_sections_with_teasers/leadership.htm
- ↑ US Government and Politics
