Kansas Senate | |
---|---|
Kansas Legislature | |
Type | |
Type | |
Term limits | None |
History | |
New session started | January 9, 2023 |
Leadership | |
President | |
Vice President | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 40 |
Political groups | Majority Minority |
Length of term | 4 years |
Authority | Article 2, Kansas Constitution |
Salary | $88.66/day + per diem |
Elections | |
Last election | November 3, 2020 (40 seats) |
Next election | November 5, 2024 (40 seats) |
Redistricting | Kansas Reapportionment Commission |
Meeting place | |
State Senate Chamber Kansas State Capitol Topeka, Kansas | |
Website | |
Kansas Senate | |
Rules | |
Rules of the Kansas Senate |
The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of about 73,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four-year term. There is no limit to the number of terms that a senator may serve. The Kansas Senate meets at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka.
Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Senate is reserved with special functions such as confirming or rejecting gubernatorial appointments to executive departments, the state cabinet, commissions and boards.
The Kansas Senate was created by the Kansas Constitution when Kansas became the 34th state of United States on January 29, 1861. Six days after its admission into the Union, the Confederate States of America formed between seven Southern states that had seceded from the United States in the previous months, leading to the American Civil War.
War bonds became a central political issue in Kansas shortly when the Kansas Senate held impeachment trials in 1862, brought about in part by United States Republican Party infighting. [2] The Kansas Senate voted narrowly to convict Kansas secretary of state J. W. Robinson, and State Auditor George S. Hillyer over what they believed to be the unlawful sale of state bonds. [2] With little evidence of a conspiracy and the smaller role of Governor Charles L. Robinson, his impeachment trial ended with only three state senators voting to convict him. [2]
The state legislature met in a building known as the Old Constitutional Hall until their offices were moved to the east wing of the Kansas State Capitol in 1869, which was still undergoing construction. [3] The Kansas Senate first met there in 1870, though the east wing was not completed until 1873. [3] Work would continue on the building until March 24, 1903. [3]
Prohibitionist, Progressive and Populist movements rose in Kansas in the late 19th century. On February 19, 1881, Kansas became the first state to amend its constitution to prohibit alcoholic beverages. [4] After 1890, prohibition was joined with progressivism to create a reform movement. [4] The Populist Party won the governor's office and control of the Kansas Senate in 1892. [5] Although they did not gain control of the Kansas House of Representatives, the Populists went ahead and claimed it, alleging election fraud. [5] This led to a legislative war between the two parties and eventually ended with a Kansas Supreme Court decision against the Populist faction of the Kansas House. [5]
The Kansas Senate helped enact a law in 1905 to restrict children under 14 from working in factories, meatpacking houses, or mines. [6]
With the help of progressive state senators, women gained the right to vote through a constitutional amendment approved by Kansans on November 5, 1912.
Democrats only gained control of the Kansas Senate briefly in the early 1900s and haven't held it since 1917. [7]
Since 1966, the Kansas Legislature holds annual general sessions. A constitutional amendment adopted at the 1974 general election extended the duration of the session held in the even-numbered years from 60 to 90 calendar days, subject to extension by a vote of two-thirds of the elected membership of each house. [8]
In the 2000s the Kansas Democratic Party was able to win statewide offices and make gains in the Kansas Senate by benefiting from tension in the Kansas Republican Party between its conservative and moderate wings. [9] [10] [11] These gains, however, were erased in the 2010 Kansas elections.
Terms begin and the legislature commences on the second Monday in January following the general election. [12] [8] Senators introduce a proposed law in the Senate in the form of a bill, which must be approved by a standing committee, the Committee of the Whole and the entire membership of the chamber. [8] Bills are subject to amendment by other senators in committee or on the floor of the chamber. [8]
A bill must be approved by both houses of the Kansas Legislature in order to be submitted to the governor, who can sign it into law or veto the bill. [8] Legislators can override a veto with the support of two-thirds majority of both houses. [8]
The president of the Senate presides over the body, is a member of the Organization, Calendar and Rules Committee that appoints members to the remaining Kansas Senate committees and joint committees and has the power to create other committees and subcommittees. Unlike many other states, the lieutenant governor of Kansas does not preside over the state senate. Since a 1972 amendment to the Kansas Constitution, the lieutenant governor's duties have been severed from the legislative branch, and is active in other areas of the Kansas state government such as commissions on military affairs and health insurance. In the senate president's absence, the senate vice-president presides. The president of the Kansas Senate assigns proposed bills to committees and the majority leader determines the calendar and order of bills to be debated on the floor of the Kansas Senate. The Organization, Rules and Calendar Committee is made up of the president, vice-president, majority leader, assistant majority leader, minority leader and four senators elected by the majority caucus.
The current president of the Senate is Republican Ty Masterson of District 16 (Wichita). The Senate Majority Leader is Larry Alley of District 32 (Winfield). The Senate Minority Leader is Democrat Dinah Sykes of District 21 (Lenexa). [13]
Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ind | Democratic | Vacant | ||
End 2008 | 30 | 0 | 10 | 40 | 0 |
Begin (January 2009) | 31 | 0 | 9 | 40 | 0 |
End 2012 [lower-alpha 1] | 32 | 8 | |||
2013-2016 | 32 | 0 | 8 | 40 | 0 |
Begin (2017) | 31 | 0 | 9 | 40 | 0 |
End (2020) | 29 | 11 | |||
Begin 2021 | 28 | 1 | 11 | 40 | 0 |
January 8, 2023 [15] | 27 | 39 | 1 | ||
January 10, 2023 [16] | 10 | 38 | 2 | ||
January 11, 2023 [17] | 11 | 39 | 1 | ||
January 24, 2023 [18] | 28 | 40 | 0 | ||
Latest voting share | 70% | 30% |
Position | Name | Party |
---|---|---|
President of the Senate | Ty Masterson | Republican |
Vice President of the Senate | Rick Wilborn | Republican |
Majority Leader | Larry Alley | Republican |
Assistant Majority Leader | Renee Erickson | Republican |
Minority Leader | Dinah Sykes | Democratic |
Assistant Minority Leader | Oletha Faust-Goudeau | Democratic |
Minority Whip | Pat Pettey | Democratic |
Agenda Chair | Marci Francisco | Democratic |
Caucus Chair | Jeff Pittman | Democratic |
The Alaska State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a bicameral institution consisting of the 40-member Alaska House of Representatives and the 20-member Alaska Senate. There are 40 House Districts (1–40) and 20 Senate Districts (A–T). With a total of 60 lawmakers, the Alaska State Legislature is the smallest bicameral state legislature in the United States and the second-smallest of all state legislatures. There are no term limits for either chamber. The Alaska State Legislature meets in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. The current meeting since 2023 is the 33rd Alaska State Legislature. The previous meeting, the 32nd Alaska State Legislature, met from 2021 to 2023.
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.
The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson.
The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or rejecting gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.
The Alaska State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people per 2010 census figures. Members serve two-year terms without term limits. With 40 representatives, the Alaska House is the smallest state legislative lower chamber in the United States. The House convenes at the State Capitol in Juneau.
The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single-member districts, the Senate is responsible, along with the Maryland House of Delegates, for passage of laws in Maryland, and for confirming executive appointments made by the Governor of Maryland.
The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Kansas Republican Party was organized in May 1859.
The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serve four-year terms and in which all are elected in the same cycle. The most recent election was on November 8, 2022. The new legislature assumes office immediately following the certification of the election results by the Alabama Secretary of State which occurs within a few days following the election.
The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing at least 42,380 citizens. There are no term limits in the House. The House is also one of the five lower houses of state legislatures in the United States that is elected every four years. Other lower houses, including the United States House of Representatives, are elected for a two-year term.
The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district containing at least 127,140 citizens. Similar to the lower house, the Alabama House of Representatives, the senate serves both without term limits and with a four-year term.
The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state senators. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, senators for four-year terms.
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 state representatives, each serving a two-year term, and 48 state senators, who serve four-year terms that are staggered so only half of the Oklahoma Senate districts are eligible in each election cycle. Legislators are elected directly by the people from single member districts of equal population. The Oklahoma Legislature meets annually in the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City.
The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term limits for either chamber.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's budget. The upper house of the Oklahoma Legislature is the Oklahoma Senate.
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on legislation, helping to create a state budget, and legislative oversight over state agencies. Representatives are elected to two-year terms. The Kansas House of Representatives does not have term limits. The legislative session convenes at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka annually.
The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, as of the 2010 United States census. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts. The Senate meets at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Montana:
The 1858–59 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1858 and 1859, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 2.
The Nebraska Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the smallest U.S. state legislature. A total of 25 members is required for a majority; however, in order to overcome a filibuster, a two-thirds vote of all members is required, which takes 33 votes.