1. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

2.  Why are there 100 members in the Senate?  Have the members of the Senate always been elected directly by voters?  Why do Senators serve 6-year terms?  SIZE  Constitution says 2 senators from each state  22 members(11 states) in March 1789 (2 states had not ratified the Constitution yet)

3.  The Framers hoped that the smaller Senate would be a more enlightened and responsible body than the House  People thought the House would be swayed by the immediate impact of events  Senators receive a longer term and more difficult qualifications to get in to counter-act the impulsiveness of the House

4.  James Madison saw those provisions as “a necessary fence” against the “fickleness and passion” of the House.  Senators represent entire states  Nearly all Senators represent more diverse populations and a broader range of interests the House

5.  ELECTION  Originally the Constitution provided that Senators would be elected by state legislatures  XVIIth Amendment (1913) directed that Senators be chosen directly by the voters  Only 1 senator is elected from a state during a given election (exception: death, resignation, expulsion)

6.  Senate twice defeated House-passed amendments to create popular election of Senators  The Senate finally bowed to public pressure in 1912  TERM  6-year term  No term limits

7.  Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) was first elected in 1958 and served until his death in 2010.  Senator’s terms are staggered  1/3 (33 or 34) are up for re-election every 2 years  The Senate is a CONTINUOUS BODY. Not all members are up for re-election at the same time.

8.  CONSTITUENCIES—people and interests the senators represent  Senators are supposed to be less concerned about small specific locations and more concerned about the “big picture”.  Senators normally receive more national press coverage than House members  Most presidential candidates come from the Senate

9.  1) must be at least 30 years old  2) must be a citizen of the USA for 9 years  3) must be an inhabitant of the state from which he/she is elected  Senators judge the qualifications of its members  Members may be excluded by majority vote  Members may be punished by majority vote “for disorderly behavior”  Members may be expelled by a 2/3 vote

10.  15 members have been expelled  1 in 1797—Senator William Blount (TN) supported Native Americans against the USA  14 during the Civil War—Senators from confederate states that supported secession  A few senators have resigned because they would have been expelled

11. TThe Senate Ethics Committee recommended that Sen. Bob Packwood (R-OR) by expelled for several instances of sexual misconduct. PPackwood fought the charges for years TThe Ethics Committee chairman Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (currently Senate minority leader) noted a habitual pattern of misconduct. PPackwood resigned October 1, 1995 TThe End