Arabin Senate
Arabin Senate | |
|---|---|
| 92nd Arabin Congress | |
| Type | |
| Type | of the Arabin Congress |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | January 10, 1839 |
New session started | January 5, 2021 |
| Leadership | |
Melissa Hewitt (D) since January 10, 2019 | |
Vice President of the Senate | Poppy Smith (D) since January 8, 2015 |
Majority Leader | Mary Nichols (D) since January 8, 2017 |
Minority Leader | Lucien Orton (R) since January 8, 2015 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 32 17 (or 16 plus the Vice President for a majority) 19 for a 3/5 majority 21 for a 2/3 majority |
 | |
Political groups | Majority (17)
Minority (15) |
Length of term | 6 years |
| Elections | |
| Plurality | |
Last election | December 5, 2020 (11 seats) |
Next election | December 3, 2022 (11 seats) |
| Meeting place | |
| Arabin Capitol Building, District of Arabi | |
The Arabin Senate is the upper chamber of the Arabin Congress, which along with the Arabin House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the legislature of Arabi. The Senate chamber is located in the south wing of the Capitol Building, in the District.
The composition and powers of the Senate are established by Article One of the Arabin Constitution. The Senate is composed of senators, each of whom represents a single state in its entirety. Each state, regardless of its population size, is equally represented by two senators who serve staggered terms of six years. There being at present 16 states in the country, there are currently 32 senators. From 1838 to 1878, senators were appointed by legislatures of the states they represented; they are now elected by popular vote following the ratification of Tenth Amendment in 1878.
As the upper chamber of Congress, the Senate has several powers of 'advice and consent' which are unique to it. These include the approval of treaties, and the confirmation of Cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices, federal judges, flag officers, regulatory officials, ambassadors, other federal executive officials, and other federal uniformed officers. In addition to these, in cases wherein no candidate receives a majority of electors for vice president, the duty falls to the Senate to elect one of the top two recipients of electors for that office. Furthermore, the Senate has the responsibility of conducting the trials of those impeached by the House.