The Job of the Senate

Answer 1

The U.S. Senate is one-half of Congress and therefore one-half of the United States' government's legislative branch. The overall purpose of Congress is to serve as a representative voice of the people in its official legislative or law-making capacity. Its scope and powers are laid out in the Constitution, specifically in Article One.

The job of the senate works in concert with its legislative counterpart, The House of Representatives, as neither one can pass a law without the other. When a piece of legislation is generally proposed, either by a member of the Senate or one of the House, it is either a bill, or one of three types of resolutions: joint, single or concurrent. Senators or Representatives who propose a piece of legislation will often acquire sponsors to aid in garnering support for the bill. Generally, a member of Congress will support a bill in keeping with the interests of their district or State. After a formal introduction of the bill while Congress is in session, the legislation is forwarded to the appropriate committee for further review. The Senate is home to 16 such committees upon which a piece of legislation may be referred. Senators comprising the appropriate committee will review the suggested legislation, debate it and propose changes where appropriate. The committee then votes on the bill and upon their decision, may send it to a subcommittee for further scrutiny. Eventually, the legislation can be brought to the floor for a vote. Should it garner a majority, the legislation is sent to the other house for approval.

Despite the Senate and House appearing to have identical roles, there are some differences. The Senate is the final say on presidential appointments, either confirming or declining a particular individual for a position. It also ratifies treaties and votes on impeachment cases. In general, the Senate's 6-year terms, position as one of only two representatives of a given state, smaller overall size and affirmation as the more deliberative of the two bodies, makes it the more prestigious of the two facets of Congress.