Louisiana State Senate
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Louisiana State Senate | |
---|---|
Louisiana State Legislature | |
Type | |
Type | |
Term limits | 3 terms (12 years) |
History | |
New session started | January 8, 2024 |
Leadership | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 39 |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 4 years |
Authority | Article III, Section 3, Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
Website | |
Louisiana State Senate |
The Louisiana State Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees.
Composition
The Louisiana State Senate is composed of 39 senators elected from single-member districts from across the state of Louisiana by the electors thereof. Senators must be a qualified elector (registered voter), be at least eighteen years of age, be domiciled in their district for at least one year, and must have been a resident of the state for at least two years. The senate is the judge of its members' qualifications and elections. All candidates for a senate seat in a district run in a nonpartisan blanket primary and in a runoff if necessary. Elections to the Senate occur every four years and senators are limited to three four-year terms (12 years). If a seat is vacated early during a term then it will be filled in a special election. Senate sessions occur every year, along with the Louisiana House of Representatives. The Senate convenes for sixty legislative days in general session in even-numbered years, and for forty-five days in appropriations session in odd-numbered years. The Senate is the upper legislative chamber of the Louisiana State Legislature and, along with the Louisiana House of Representatives, is the legislative power of the state of Louisiana. In addition it tries officials impeached by the House of Representatives and confirms or rejects officials nominated by the governor of Louisiana.
Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican
|
Democratic | Vacant | ||
End of legislature 2011 | 22 | 17 | 39 | 0 |
Begin 2012 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 0 |
End of legislature 2015 | 13 | 37 | 2 | |
Begin 2016 | 25 | 14 | 39 | 0 |
End of legislature 2019 | ||||
Begin 2020 | 27 | 12 | 39 | 0 |
End of legislature 2023 | ||||
Begin 2024 | 28 | 11 | 39 | 0 |
Latest voting share | 71.8% | 28.2% |
Members
Committee assignments
The Louisiana State Senate currently has over fifteen different committees in which the senators sit. These committees address a wide range of issues such as environmental quality, education, labor relations and more . A full list of the committees can be found at the senate committees page.[1] Likewise, a full list of committee assignments (by member) can be found at the committee assignments page.[2]
Name | Chairman | Vice Chairman |
---|---|---|
Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, & Rural Development | Stewart Cathey Jr. | Bill Wheat |
Commerce, Consumer Protection, & International Affairs | Beth Mizell | Jean-Paul Coussan |
Education | Rick Edmonds | Valarie Hodges |
Environmental Quality | Eddie J. Lambert | Jeremy Stine |
Finance | Glen Womack | Heather Cloud |
Health & Welfare | Patrick McMath | Katrina Jackson-Andrews |
Insurance | Kirk Talbot | Adam Bass |
Judiciary A | Gregory Miller | Jay Luneau |
Judiciary B | Mike Reese | Jimmy Harris |
Judiciary C | John C. "Jay" Morris | Mark Abraham |
Labor & Industrial Relations | Alan Seabaugh | Thomas Pressly |
Local & Municipal Affairs | Joseph Bouie | Gerald Boudreaux |
Natural Resources | Bob Hensgens | Michael "Big Mike" Fesi |
Retirement | Edward J. Price | Caleb Kleinpeter |
Revenue & Fiscal Affairs | Franklin Foil | Sam Jenkins |
Senate & Governmental Affairs | Cleo Fields | Blake Miguez |
Transportation, Highways, & Public Works | Patrick Connick | Gary Carter |
President of the senate
The president of the Louisiana State Senate is the presiding officer of the Louisiana State Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The President is elected by the members of the state senate. Although not mandated by law or the
The president is fifth in the line of succession to the governorship after the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and state treasurer.
History
Early years
The Louisiana Constitution of 1812 did not provide for a lieutenant governor to succeed to the governorship in case of the governor's death, resignation or removal from office, neither would there be a lieutenant governor to preside over the state senate, instead it provided that the President would serve as the state senate's presiding officer and become acting governor until the seating of an elected governor. The first senate president to succeed to the governorship was
Lieutenant governor as president
In the Louisiana Constitution of 1846, the lieutenant governor of Louisiana assumed the functions of the senate presidency. This arrangement lasted until 1976. The first lieutenant governor to preside over the Senate was Trasimond Landry who served from 1846 until 1850. During the Civil War there were two lieutenant governors, one union, and one confederate, as there were two separate state governments. During the Reconstruction the post was held by Republicans, thereafter the chair was held by Democrats for over a hundred years.
Democratic domination (1877–1976)
From the end of the Reconstruction in 1877 until the appointment of
Two-party system (1976–present)
The reinstatement of the elected senate presidency and the installation of a new constitution brought with it something Louisiana had not seen since the 1850s: a
In 2000, although still in the minority, Republican
In 2020, Republican
Powers
The president of the Senate serves as the presiding officer and head of the senate. The president gives the senators their committee assignment although the assignments are already predetermined by the governor and his office. During legislative sessions the president can play a key role in the passage or rejection of legislation in the legislature, due to the office's prestige, power, and influence. If a senator supports the governor's agenda the president may promote them to more powerful committees, or even appoint them chairman or vice chairmanships. The president usually maintains a strong hold on the senate and legislation through his appointment of committee memberships and committee chairmen. The president has the power to rule on points of order recognize senators so they may speak and control the flow of legislation through the senate. The senate president is almost always an ally of the Governor, this allows the administration to pass their legislative agenda through easier and it allows them to kill opposition legislation easier too. The senate president is usually a powerful and influential senator before he is appointed senate president. If a senate seat falls vacant before the expiration f its term the senate president calls for an election, he sets the date, times, and places of voting. Upon the petition of a majority of the members of the legislature the President along with the Speakers calls a special session. The senate president is fifth in the gubernatorial line of succession. If the president is ever absent the senate president pro tempore, who is also appointed by the governor, presides. Should the senate chair ever fall permanently vacant the senate president pro tempore presides until the election of a new president.
Past composition of the senate
See also
- President of the Louisiana State Senate
- Louisiana Legislature
- Louisiana House of Representatives
References
- ^ "Louisiana State Senate - Committees". senate.legis.state.la.us.
- ^ "Louisiana State Senate - Senators". senate.legis.state.la.us.
- ^ "Longtime Northwest Louisiana Business and Community Leader, Virginia Shehee Dies at 91". Center Broadcasting Company. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
External links
- The Louisiana State Senate official government website
- State Senate of Louisiana at Project Vote Smart
- Louisiana State Senate at Ballotpedia