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Name: FORMTEXT ?????Date: FORMTEXT ?????School: FORMTEXT ?????Facilitator: FORMTEXT ?????4.03 Notes Guide“The Senate”Complete?4.03 Notes Guide as you review the lesson. Submit your completed file to the?4.03 Notes Guide Dropbox.Introduction: Analyze the cartoon. Choose three characters or objects in the cartoon that stand out to you and describe the significance of each. What point is the cartoonist trying to make concerning the Senate? FORMTEXT ?????The SenateIn the last lesson you learned the House of Representatives is considered the chamber of Congress that is closer to the people. Yet, it is the Senate that is often referred to as the “ FORMTEXT ?????” in Congress. What does that suggest to you about the power and prestige of Senators compared to Representatives in the House? In this lesson you will learn the rules of operations, the roles of the leaders, and the structure of committees within the Senate and compare them to those of the House of Representatives.The Upper HouseEach member of Congress, whether he or she is a Senator or a member of the House, is elected to represent the interests of their constituents. However, senators represent entire states as opposed to representatives who represent an apportioned congressional district of a state. Senators have six-year terms while representatives have only two-year terms. Two Senators are elected from each state for a total of FORMTEXT ????? members in the Senate compared to the 435 members in the House of Representatives. Senators are often more nationally known due to their smaller number. These differences are among some of the reasons the Senate has the reputation of being the more powerful chamber or the upper house in Congress.Qualifications of SenatorsBecause the framers intended for Senators to be knowledgeable politicians, the qualifications to be a Senator are tougher than those of House members. Senators must be at least FORMTEXT ????? (25 years old in the House), a citizen of the United States for at least FORMTEXT ????? years (7 years in the House), and a resident of the state from which they are elected.In addition, Senators are older and wealthier than House members. The Senate has been called the “millionaires club” because senators are wealthier than typical voters.Senate ElectionsMembers of the House of Representatives are directly elected by the popular vote of their constituents. However, the Constitution originally called for Senate members to be elected by state legislatures to prevent senators from facing too much pressure from public elections. In 1913 the FORMTEXT ????? was added to the Constitution which called for the direct election of senators by the voters.Senators face elections every six years in order to focus on serving the interest of the nation as a whole rather than constantly worrying about pleasing constituents in re-election campaigns every two years like their colleagues in the House.Leadership in the SenateThough the Senate itself seems to be more powerful than the House, the Speaker and other leaders in the House of Representatives are generally more powerful than the leaders in the Senate.The Vice-President of the United States serves as the FORMTEXT ?????. The president of the Senate is a formal position with very little power except when there is a tie vote in which case it is his or her job to break the tie. Otherwise, the president of the Senate, or Vice-President of the U.S., does not engage in debate or voting in the Senate. If the Vice-President is absent as president of the Senate, the FORMTEXT ?????presides over the Senate. Traditionally the role goes to the majority party senator who has served the longest in the Senate. The president pro tempore is third in line to succeed the President.Senate Majority LeaderThe Senate has leaders, like the House of Representatives, to direct the agenda and work of the majority and minority parties.The FORMTEXT ?????is the most powerful position in the Senate. Like the majority leader in the House, the Senate majority leader is elected by members of the majority party during the party caucus at the beginning of each term. Also like the House, the Senate majority leader is the party spokesperson and sets the agenda for the majority party.Similar to the Speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader is well-known nationally as a major political figure. He or she works with party members to secure committee assignments in return for their cooperation. Other Leaders in the HouseSimilar to the House, the Senate has several other leaders from both parties. In addition to the majority leader, there is a FORMTEXT ?????who is the main spokesperson for the minority party. Both parties elect a FORMTEXT ????? to “encourage” members of their party to support the party’s position and to vote with the party leaders. Like the majority and minority whips in the House, it is the job of the whips in the Senate to gather information about the votes of all members of the party and keep them from FORMTEXT ?????. Senate CommitteesSimilar to the House of Representatives, the real work in the Senate of reviewing and refining bills to become laws takes place in committees. There are several types of committees in the Senate that are similar to those in the House. In 2014, Senate committees included – twenty committees (16 permanent standing committees and 4 temporary select or special committees), sixty-eight subcommittees, and four joint committees with the mittees are headed by a FORMTEXT ????? who primarily controls the business of the committee. The majority party chooses the chair based on FORMTEXT ?????. Committee assignments are done by each party according to requests that are usually based on each senator’s interests and constituent needs. Each party distributes its members among the subcommittees within the committees. There is a limit placed on the number and types of committees that senators may serve on and chair. Committee Power Unique to the SenateThe Senate has some powers that are unique to the Senate chamber only. The Senate provides FORMTEXT ????? on certain presidential nominees. For example, the full Senate typically follows the recommendation of the FORMTEXT ????? whose job it is to examine candidates nominated to be federal judges.In addition, the Constitution required a two-thirds majority vote by the Senate for a treaty to become law. If the chair of the FORMTEXT ????? does not support a treaty, it has very little chance of passing the full Senate. Senate RulesThe Senate FORMTEXT ?????, like its House counterpart, is one of the oldest committees and is responsible for preparing a system of rules for conducting business in the Senate. Unlike the House, the Senate has few limits placed on debate. The Senate allows members to filibuster because there are few limits on debate. A FORMTEXT ????? is a unique practice used by the minority party designed to prevent a vote on a measure that is likely to pass. It is basically a stall tactic in which the opponents of a measure take the floor and refuse to stop talking until the majority party is forced to move on to other business.Because there have been some historic filibusters in the Senate, the Senate passed a cloture rule in 1917 that allows for a two-thirds vote to enforce FORMTEXT ????? or an end to debate. The rule was changed to 60 votes to achieve cloture in 1975.The image is of Senator Rand Paul as he engaged in a thirteen hour filibuster in March 2013. Review and CompareThroughout this unit you have been introduced to the constitutional provisions of the legislative branch of the government of the United States. We have discovered similarities and differences in the rules of operations and the hierarchies of leadership within the House of Representatives and the Senate. We have identified several different types of committees in both chambers of Congress and just how important the work is in each.Submit your completed file to the?4.03 Notes Guide Dropbox. ................
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