North Carolina Senate Totally Explained

Everything about The North Carolina Senate totally explained

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.
   Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The President of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, but the Lt. Governor has very limited powers and only votes to break a tie. Before the office of Lt. Governor was created in 1868, the Senate was presided over by a "Speaker." After the 1988 election of James Carson Gardner, the first Republican Lt. Governor since Reconstruction, Democrats in control of the Senate shifted most of the power held by the Lt. Governor to the senator who is elected President Pro Tempore (or Pro-Tem). The President Pro Tempore appoints members to standing committees of the Senate, and holds great sway over bills. Marc Basnight (D-Manteo) is the current President Pro Tempore and has held the office longer than anyone in history. Based on the results of the November 2006 election, the Senate has a 31-19 Democratic majority in the 2007-2008 session, up from a 29-21 Democratic majority in 2005-2006.
   The qualifications to be a senator are found in the state Constitution: "Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he's chosen for one year immediately preceding his election."
   According to the state constitution, the Senate is also the "Court for the Trial of Impeachments". The House of Representatives has the power to impeach state officials, after which the Senate holds a trial, as in the federal system. If the Governor or Lt. Governor is the official who has been impeached, the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court presides.

Senate Membership

Affiliation		Members
	Democratic Party	31
	Republican Party	19
Total		50
Democratic Majority		12

Senate Leadership(External Link)

Position	Name	Party
President	Beverly Perdue	Democratic
President Pro Tempore	Marc Basnight	Democratic
Deputy President Pro Tempore	Charlie Smith Dannelly	Democratic
Permanent Democratic Caucus Chairman	R. C. Soles, Jr.	Democratic
Majority Leader	Tony Rand	Democratic
Majority Whip	Katie G. Dorsett	Democratic
Majority Whip	Jean Farmer-Butterfield	Democratic
Majority Whip	Deborah K. Ross	Democratic
Democratic Caucus Secretary	Charles W. Albertson	Democratic
Minority Leader	Phil Berger	Republican
Deputy Minority Leader	Tom Apodaca	Republican
Minority Whip	Jerry W. Tillman	Republican
Chairman Republican Policy Committee	Jean Preston	Republican

Further Information

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