PRESENTATION OUTLINE
The Senate At Work
Visitors going from the house to the senate are often startled by the difference. The senate chamber is smaller than the house chamber. Usually only a few senators attend sessions. The senate chamber has 100 desks , one for each senator , facing a raised platform where the president pro term and another senator preside over sessions.
Informal Atmosphere
In the Senate , the rules are more flexible than in the house. They are designed to make certain that all senators have maximum freedom to express their ides. For example , the Senate usually allows unlimited debate on proposed legislation .
Senate leaders
Leadership in the senate closely parallels leadership in the house but the senate has no speaker. The Vice President presides in the senate , but may not vote
The Vice President
The Constitution names the Vice President as president of the senate. The Vice President , however , does not have the same role and power as the speaker of the house. The Vice President may recognize members and put questions to a vote.
Majority & Minority Floor Leaders
The majority & minority leaders are the most important officers in the senate. Elected by the members of their political parties , the majority and minority leaders in the senate are party officials rather than Senate officers. The majority leader's main job is to steer the party's bill through the Senate.
How Senate Bills Are Scheduled
As in the House , any member of the senate may introduce a bill. Procedures for moving bills through the senate , however , are more informal than in the house. The senate has only two calendars. The Calendar of General Orders list all the bills the senate will consider , while the Executive Calendar schedules treaties & nominations.
The Filibuster
To filibuster means to stall legislative process and prevent a vote. Cloture is a procedure that allows each senator to speak only 1 hour on a bill under debate. The filibuster is not commonly utilized as a legislative tactic in the Senate today. Senate rules not allow other matters to continue during filibuster , weakening the filibuster's effectiveness.
Politics
As in the House , Senate producers are organized around the member's party affiliations. Republicans sit on the right side of the chamber , while Democrats sit on the left. More importantly , the majority party controls the flow of legislative work.
