Minority
37-700: The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature , the lower house being the California State Assembly . The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento . Due to a combination of the state's large population and a legislature that has not been expanded since the ratification of the 1879 constitution ,
74-824: A Legislative Council prior to joining Canada , as did Ontario when it was Upper Canada and Quebec from 1791 (as Lower Canada ) to 1968. Nebraska is the only state in the United States with a unicameral legislature, having abolished its lower house in 1934, while the Senate of Nebraska , the upper house prior to 1934, continues to assemble. The Australian state of Queensland also once had an appointed Legislative Council before abolishing it in 1922. All other Australian states continue to have bicameral systems, though all members are now directly elected (the two self-governing territories, along with Norfolk Island until 2016, have always been unicameral). Like Queensland,
111-469: A mixture of these. Many upper houses are not directly elected but appointed: either by the head of state, by the head of government or in some other way. This is usually intended to produce a house of experts or otherwise distinguished citizens, who would not necessarily be returned in an election. For example, members of the Senate of Canada are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of
148-656: A number of ways to block legislation and to reject it; however, the House of Commons can eventually use the Parliament Act to force something through. The Commons will often accept amendments passed by the Lords; however, the two houses have sometimes reached a constitutional standoff. For example, when the Labour Government of 1999 tried to expel all hereditary peers from the Lords, the Lords threatened to wreck
185-549: Is Republican Brian Jones of Santee . Each state senator represents a population roughly equivalent to the State of Delaware . As a result of Proposition 140 in 1990 and Proposition 28 in 2012, members elected to the legislature prior to 2012 are restricted by term limits to two four-year terms (eight years), while those elected in or after 2012 are allowed to serve 12 years in the legislature in any combination of four-year state senate or two-year state assembly terms. Members of
222-667: Is identical to the assembly chamber. Along the cornice appears a portrait of George Washington and the Latin quotation senatoris est civitatis libertatem tueri ("It is the duty of the senator to guard the civil liberties of the Commonwealth"). The secretary, the sergeant-at-arms, and the chaplain are not members of the legislature. Current committees, chairs and vice chairs include: 38°34′36″N 121°29′37″W / 38.57667°N 121.49361°W / 38.57667; -121.49361 Upper house An upper house
259-407: Is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature , the other chamber being the lower house . The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted power than the lower house. A legislature composed of only one house (and which therefore has neither an upper house nor a lower house) is described as unicameral . An upper house is usually different from
296-554: Is to scrutinise legislation that may have been drafted over-hastily in the lower house and to suggest amendments that the lower house may nevertheless reject if it wishes to. An example is the British House of Lords . Under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 , the House of Lords can no longer prevent the passage of most bills, but it must be given an opportunity to debate them and propose amendments, and can thereby delay
333-517: The German state of Bavaria had an appointed second chamber, the Senate of Bavaria , from 1946 to 1999. The Senate of the Philippines was abolished – and restored – twice: from 1935 to 1945 when a unicameral National Assembly convened, and from 1972 to 1987 when Congress was closed, and later a new constitution was approved instituting a unicameral Parliament. The Senate was re-instituted with
370-460: The House of Representatives the majority leader's presence and power often depends on the session. In some sessions, the majority leader takes precedence over the speaker as House leader and legislative party leader either by force (which usually occurs when the speaker of the House is unpopular) or because the speaker of the House voluntarily surrenders power to the majority leader. In most sessions,
407-470: The House of Representatives , and more than that of five entire U.S. states. In the current legislative session, the Democratic Party holds 31 out of the 40 seats, which constitutes a 78% majority—well over the two-thirds supermajority threshold of 27. The 1849 constitution of California provided that the "number of Senators shall not be less than one third, nor more than one half of that of
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#1732765489789444-470: The Italian Senate is a notable exception to these general rules, in that it has the same powers as its lower counterpart: any law can be initiated in either house and must be approved in the same form by both houses. Additionally, a Government must have the consent of both to remain in office, a position which is known as "perfect bicameralism" or "equal bicameralism." The role of a revising chamber
481-542: The Senate majority leader differ slightly. At the state level, the majority leader of a given state legislative chamber usually performs a similar role to that of their federal counterpart. In the Senate , the vice president of the United States is officially the president of the Senate and the president pro tempore serves as the president of the Senate in the absence of the vice president. However, in reality,
518-406: The "Little Federal Model" by which Assembly seats were drawn according to population and senate seats were drawn according to county lines. The guidelines were that no senate district would include more than three counties and none would include less than one complete county. This led to the situation of a populous county such as Los Angeles County (1960 population of 6 million) being accorded
555-531: The Government's entire legislative agenda and to block every bill which was sent to the chamber. This standoff led to negotiations between Viscount Cranborne, the then Shadow Leader of the House, and the Labour Government, resulting in the Weatherill Amendment to the House of Lords Act 1999 , which preserved 92 hereditary peers in the house. Compromise and negotiation between the two houses make
592-486: The Parliament Act a very rarely used backup plan. Even without a veto, an upper house may defeat legislation. Its opposition may give the lower chamber a chance to reconsider or even abandon a controversial measure. It can also delay a bill so that it does not fit within the legislative schedule, or until a general election produces a new lower house that no longer wishes to proceed with the bill. Nevertheless, some states have long retained powerful upper houses. For example,
629-660: The President of India. Similarly, at the state level, one-third of the members of the State Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) are nominated by local governments, one-third by sitting legislators, and the rest are elected by select members of the electorate. The United States Senate was chosen by state legislatures until the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. The upper house may be directly elected but in different proportions to
666-749: The Prime Minister. In the past, some upper houses had seats that were entirely hereditary, such as in the British House of Lords until 1999 and in the Japanese House of Peers until it was abolished in 1947. It is also common that the upper house consists of delegates chosen by state governments or local officials. Members of the Rajya Sabha in India are nominated by various states and union territories, while 12 of them are nominated by
703-726: The State Senate has the largest population per state senator ratio of any state legislative house. In the United States House of Representatives , California is apportioned 52 U.S. representatives, each representing approximately 750,564 people, while in the California State Senate, each of the 40 state senators represents approximately 931,349 people; almost exactly the population of the entire state of Delaware . This means that California state senators each represent more people than California's members of
740-472: The abolition, while the centrist Fianna Fáil was alone among major parties in supporting the retention of the Seanad. Majority leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system ), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body. In the federal Congress of the United States , the roles of the House majority leader and
777-461: The center, is used by the presiding officer (acting in place of the pro tem) and is rarely sat in as the president is expected to stand. There are four other chairs flanking the dais used by the highest non-member officials attending the senate, a foreign dignitary or state officer for example. Each of the 40 senators is provided a desk, microphone and two chairs, one for the senator, another for guests or legislative aides. Almost every decorating element
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#1732765489789814-582: The consent of the upper house to legislation may be necessary (though, as noted above, this seldom extends to budgetary measures). Constitutional arrangements of states with powerful upper houses usually include a means to resolve situations where the two houses are at odds with each other. In recent times, parliamentary systems have tended to weaken the powers of upper houses relative to their lower counterparts. Some upper houses have been fully abolished; others have had their powers reduced by constitutional or legislative amendments. Also, conventions often exist that
851-399: The enactment of the 1879 constitution. In 1962, voters were asked via initiative California Proposition 23 whether to expand the state senate by 10 seats, thereby increasing the size of the body to 50 seats, and to abandon the little federal model. This proposition was rejected by the voters 46.65% - 53.35% (2,181,758 - 2,495,440). The lieutenant governor is the ex officio president of
888-567: The lower house - for example, the senates of Australia, Brazil and the United States have a fixed number of elected members from each state, regardless of the population. Many jurisdictions once possessed upper houses but abolished them to adopt unicameral systems, including Croatia , Denmark , Estonia , Hungary , Iceland , Iran , Mauritania , New Zealand , Peru , Sweden , Turkey , Venezuela , many Indian states , Brazilian states , Canadian provinces , subnational entities such as Queensland , and some other jurisdictions. Newfoundland had
925-446: The lower house in at least one of the following respects (though they vary among jurisdictions): Powers: Status: In parliamentary systems the upper house is frequently seen as an advisory or a "house of review" chamber; for this reason, its powers of direct action are often reduced in some way. Some or all of the following restrictions are often placed on upper houses: In parliamentary democracies and among European upper houses
962-571: The majority leader priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate and they determine which bills get voted on. The majority leader is seen as the chief spokesperson for their party in the Senate. In the United States Senate , the current majority leader is Chuck Schumer (D-NY). John Thune (R-SD) is expected to become the Majority Leader when the 119th Congress is sworn in on January 3rd, 2025. In
999-736: The members of the Assembly..." The 1849 constitution also provided that senators served two-year terms and were to be elected bienally, with the total number of senators being divided into two classes so that one half of the senators would be elected annually. Following the ratification of the 1879 constitution of California, the constitution prescribed that the senate is composed of 40 senators and that all senators must have resided within California for three years and their district for one year. Such districts were to be "as nearly equal in population as may be, and composed of contiguous territory". There
1036-534: The passage of a bill with which it disagrees. Bills can only be delayed for up to one year before the Commons can use the Parliament Act, although economic bills can only be delayed for one month. The House of Lords is sometimes seen as having a special role of safeguarding the uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom and important civil liberties against ill-considered change. The House of Lords has
1073-533: The restoration of a bicameral Congress via a constitutional amendment in 1941, and via adoption of a new constitution in 1987. A previous government of Ireland (the 31st Dáil) promised a referendum on the abolition of its upper house , the Seanad Éireann , during the 24th Seanad session. By a narrow margin, the Irish public voted to retain it. Conservative-leaning Fine Gael and Left-leaning Sinn Féin both supported
1110-426: The rostrum. The lower tier dais runs across the entire chamber, there are several chairs and computers used by the senate officers, the most prominent seat is reserved for the secretary who calls the roll. The higher tier is smaller, with three chairs, the two largest and most ornate chairs are used by the president pro tempore (right chair) and the lieutenant governor (left chair). The third and smallest chair, placed in
1147-547: The same number of state senators (one) as less populous counties such as Alpine County (1960 pop. 397). The senate districts remained unaltered from 1933 to 1967, regardless of the changes in the population distribution. In Reynolds v. Sims , the United States Supreme Court compelled all states to draw up districts with equal population. As such, boundaries were changed to comply with the ruling. The California State Senate has never been expanded since
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1184-435: The senate, and may only cast a vote to break a tie. The president pro tempore is elected by the majority party caucus, followed by confirmation of the full senate. Other leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders , are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber. As of 2024, the president pro tempore is Democrat Mike McGuire of Geyserville . The minority leader
1221-429: The speaker of the House takes precedence as house leader and party leader, with the majority leader being irrelevant and largely powerless outside the fact they might be speaker of the House one day. Except, of course, for the fact that the majority leader (as well as the speaker and the minority leader) are the only members of the House that can speak on the floor for an unlimited amount of time and cannot be interrupted by
1258-516: The state senate serve four-year terms. Every two years, half of the senate's 40 seats are subject to election. This is in contrast to the state assembly, in which all 80 seats in the assembly are subject to election every two years. The red tones of the California State Senate chamber are based on the British House of Lords , which is outfitted in a similar color. The dais rests along a wall shaped like an "E", with its central projection housing
1295-399: The upper house ought not to obstruct the business of government for frivolous or merely partisan reasons. These conventions have tended to harden with a passage of time. In presidential systems, the upper house is frequently given other powers to compensate for its restrictions: There are a variety of ways an upper house's members are assembled: by direct or indirect election, appointment or
1332-405: The vice president seldom enters the Senate, let alone directly presides over the chamber, unless a tied vote is expected , and the president pro tempore has become a ceremonial role deprived of any leadership ability. Thus, the majority leader is seen as the de facto leader of the Senate, especially in modern times, and thus, in accordance with Senate rules, the presiding officer of the day gives
1369-505: Was to be one senate district for each senator. Such districts were also required to preserve political boundaries: "In the formation of such districts, no county, or city and county, shall be divided, unless it contain a sufficient population within itself to form two or more districts; nor shall a part of any county, or of any city and county, be united with any other county, or city and county, in forming any district." Between 1933 and 1967, state legislative districts were drawn according to
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