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33-754: Minority The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly , in the U.S. state of Georgia . The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives , comprise the bicameral legislature of the state. Together, the Senate and the House maintain authority under Article III. of the 1983 Constitution of Georgia to enact laws "necessary and proper for

66-609: A citizen of the United States , and a resident of Georgia for two years and their senatorial district for one year (preceding the election). The highest position in the Senate is the President of the Senate, a position currently held by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones . The second-highest position is president pro tempore, currently held by Senator Butch Miller . As of February 2023, the Georgia State Senate

99-824: 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,

132-640: A co-owner in 1997. Miller has been chairman of the Georgia Automobile Dealer's Association as well as the National Automobile Dealer's Association . Miller became a state senator in 2010. He was chosen as a Republican Senate floor leader in 2012, working to advance the agenda of Governor Nathan Deal , a close political ally. Miller was the Republican Senate Caucus chairman from 2013 to 2014 and

165-553: A floor leader again from 2015 to 2016. After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Georgia and Donald Trump refused to concede while falsely claiming fraud, Miller requested a performance review of the top election official in Fulton County , despite no legitimate questions about the accuracy of results. In March 2021, during the state legislative session, Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan refused to call to

198-469: 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

231-604: 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

264-516: A three-fifths vote of the members in each chamber. Special sessions in Georgia may span a maximum of 40 days. The Georgia State Senate consists of 56 members, each representing a single-member legislative district of equal size with the others. State senators serve a term length of two years, with elections being held in even-numbered years. Senators officially assume their positions on the second Monday in January following their election. To serve in

297-402: Is composed of 56 members: Upper house An upper house 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)

330-519: Is described as unicameral . An upper house is usually different from 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

363-554: 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

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396-517: 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

429-470: 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

462-582: 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

495-486: 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,

528-603: 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

561-749: 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

594-748: The Senate include the President pro tempore (who is elected by all members of the Senate), as well as the Majority Leader, Majority Whip, and Majority Caucus Chair (each of whom are elected by the majority of what is currently the Republican caucus). The minority party is headed by the Minority Leader, who is elected by the minority party caucus. The current salary for state senators is $ 17,342. The Majority Leader and Minority Leader earn an additional $ 400 per month. The presiding officer of

627-427: The Senate is the president of the Senate. A president pro tempore , usually a high-ranking member of the majority party, acts as president in case of the temporary disability of the president. In case of the death, resignation, or permanent disability of the President or in the event of the succession of the president to the executive power, the President pro tempore becomes President. The Senate also has as an officer,

660-575: The Senate, an individual must have attained the age of 25. The person must also be a qualified voter who has resided in the state of Georgia for at least two years. Unlike most states, senators are not required to have lived in their districts for a specific period of time before running. The formal President of the State Senate is the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia , who is elected statewide every four years. Other important figures in

693-859: The abolition, while the centrist Fianna Fáil was alone among major parties in supporting the retention of the Seanad. Butch Miller (politician) Miller was born in Macon, Georgia , on November 24, 1956. He was the son of Dr. Cecil L. Miller and Mac Miller. His father was a physician in Buford , where he grew up. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the North Georgia College & State University . In 1993, Miller started working at Milton Martin Honda in Gainesville, Georgia . He became

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726-582: 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

759-405: The floor Senate Bill 202 , an overhaul of Georgia election law introduced as part of Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election . Miller sponsored SB 202, which limited vote-by-mail , restricted access to ballot drop boxes, and reduced the timeline for runoff elections . When Duncan exited the floor and Miller became the presiding officer, he called SB 202 to

792-484: The floor for a vote which passed the Senate by a vote of 32–20. In December 2021, Miller introduced new legislation that would prohibit ballot drop boxes entirely. In an internal leadership election in 2020 among state Senate Republicans, Miller defeated Burt Jones . In 2022, Miller called for an amendment to the Georgia Constitution to ban non-citizens from voting, although voting by non-citizens

825-567: 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

858-534: 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

891-533: 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

924-479: The secretary of the Senate. As of January 2023, the majority and minority leadership is as follows: According to the state constitution of 1983, this body is to be composed of no more than 56 members elected for two-year terms. Current state law provides for 56 members. Elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. Senators must be at least 25 years old,

957-656: The state's most recent governors have served in the State Senate. The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly , with the lower house being the Georgia House of Representatives . Both bodies are constitutionally required to convene annually at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta . The General Assembly begins each yearly session on the second Monday in January. From that date of convention, sessions last for 40 legislative days. The General Assembly may call for special sessions by

990-399: 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

1023-572: The welfare of the state", although state law is subordinate to the state constitution, the United States Constitution , and federal law. Like most upper houses in the United States, the Senate has the exclusive power to confirm various appointments made by the Governor of Georgia , and to try cases of impeachment brought by the House. The Senate is often considered a springboard for those ultimately seeking higher office; all of

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1056-492: Was already illegal in Georgia. In May 2021, Miller announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor of Georgia in the 2022 election. The seat was an open seat , as incumbent Republican Geoff Duncan decided not to seek another term. Miller enjoyed strong support from business interests, receiving $ 2 million in campaign contributions in the first five weeks after he announced. While Miller raised more money from contributors than Burt Jones, his main primary rival, Jones' campaign

1089-515: Was better-funded, as Jones loaned his campaign $ 2 million of his own money. In the May 2022 Republican primary election , Jones defeated Miller, with Jones receiving 50.1% of the vote, Miller 31.1%, Mack McGregor 11.3%, and Jeanne Seaver 7.5%. Of Georgia's 159 counties , Jones received the most votes in 153 counties, and Miller received the most votes in six counties. Miller married Teresa Carey. They had three sons. Their eldest son died in 2001 from

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