The United States Senate

The Senate of the United States is the partner of the House of Representatives. There are 100 Senators, 2 from each of the States. They are elected for a term of 6 years by a rotating system of elections every 2 years so that “one-third may be chosen every second year”. Sixteen times in its history, the Senate has proved to be a training ground for future Presidents of the United States.

The election of Senators by state legislatures, as originally provided in Article I of the Constitution, was abandoned in 1913 with the adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment, providing for direct vote by the people. The powers of the Senate overlap into the Judicial and Executive Branches. Thus, the Senate is required to confirm most of the President’s appointments. The Senate also ratifies or rejects treaties negotiated by the President with foreign powers. While the House has the power of impeachment, it is the Senate that tries officials who are impeached, and has the aura and authority of a high court.

Bills in the process of becoming law may come to the Senate from the House or go to the House from the Senate. They are thus subject to the advantage of a second look. This double-check affords each legislative body a certain appellate function over the other. A conference of committees of the two Houses generally works out a mutually acceptable compromise on a bill in controversy. Then, passed by both Houses in this final form, it is ready for submission to the President for his signature. Thereupon it becomes law. The Constitution requires that the Vice President is the President of the Senate. Since the Vice President is frequently not present in the Senate, except in the case of a close vote which may end in a tie, the Senate elects a President pro tempore, by custom, in recent decades, the most senior majority member of the Senate. The President pro tempore is a key member of his party’s policy-making body. He usually designates a more junior Senator to preside over daily sessions in his place.

Since the early days of the twentieth century, the Senate has, by custom, developed the position of Majority leader as a parallel in power to the Speaker of the House. The real leader of the Senate is the Majority Leader. He is the legislative strategist and exercises considerable influence on committee assignments. The Majority Leader is elected by the Senators who are members of the political party to which more than 50 percent of the Senators belong. The Senators of the party with the lesser number elect a Minority Leader. In co-operation with their party organization, each Leader is responsible for the achievement of the legislative program. They manage the order in which legislation moves to passage and expedite non controversial legislation. They keep members of their party informed regarding pending business. Each Leader is an ex-officio Member of his party’s policy-making and organizing body. Each is aided by an assistant Leader, called the Whip, as in the House, and by the Majority or Minority Secretary, who are professional staff administrators, but not members of the Senate.

1 Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following words and expressions.

To negotiate a treaty, officials, to be subject to, President pro tempore, to designate a Senator to preside over sessions, to exercise considerable influence.

2 Translate words and word combinations from Ukrainian into English and use them in your own sentences.

Законодавчі збори штату, перевага, рівна кількість голосів, збігатися, призначення, перевірка, взаємоприйнятне рішення, прискорювати прийняття законопроектів; законопроекти, що знаходяться на розгляді Конгресу.

3 Comprehension questions.

1. How often are Senators elected? What is the term of office in the Senate?

2. How are Senators elected? When were the rules of election changed?

3. In what way do the powers of the Senate overlap those of the executive and judicial branches?

4. What happens to a bill once it has passed the House and the Senate?

5. Who replaces the Vice-President in the Senate when he is not present at the session?

6. Who is the real leader in the Senate?