The Senate

The Senate, or “upper house” has 100 members: two Senators from each of the 50 states. Their term of office is six years, and one-third of the Senate body is up for election every two years. In that way they are a little more “stable” than the House, since the entire membership is not elected at the same time.

Senators must be 30 years old, a citizen for nine years, and reside in the state in which they are elected. One interesting difference between the House and Senate is that the Vice President is the President of the Senate though has no vote unless there is a tie.

Section 3 states that the Senate has “the sole power to try all impeachments” that must originate in the House of Representatives. It takes an agreement of two-thirds of the Senators to convict.

Section 7 states that, even though the House must originate bills for raising revenue, the Senate “may propose or concur with amendments as on other Bills.”

It is a vitally important responsibility for We the People to vote for men and women who will be true “public servants” and conduct the business of our government according to the Constitution. It is equally important for the elected officials to resist the temptation to misuse their power and become “lords” over the people they are supposed to be serving.

“Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which 'We the people' tell the government what it is allowed to do. 'We the people' are free.” --Ronald Reagan