Washington State Senate

"Washington Senate" redirects here. For the Senate in Washington, D.C., see United States Senate.

Washington State Senate
Washington State Legislature
Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 14, 2013
Leadership
President of the Senate	Brad Owen, (D) Since January 15, 1997
President pro Tempore	Tim Sheldon, (Majority Coalition Caucus) Since December 10, 2012
Majority Leader	Rodney Tom, (Majority Coalition Caucus) Since December 10, 2012
Minority Leader	Ed Murray, (D) Since December 10, 2012
Structure
Seats	49
Political groups	Democratic Party (24)      Majority Coalition Caucus (25)*
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article II, Washington State Constitution
Salary	$42,106/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 6, 2012 (25 seats)
Next election	November 4, 2014 (24 seats)
Redistricting	Washington State Redistricting Commission
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber Washington State Capitol Olympia, Washington
Website
Washington State Senate

The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 senators, each representing a district with a population of nearly 140,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympia.

As with the lower House of Representatives, state senators serve without term limits, though senators serve four-year terms. Senators are elected from the same legislative districts as House members, with each district electing two representatives but only one senator.

Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the state senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.

Leadership

The Lieutenant Governor of Washington serves as the President of the Senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. In his or her absence, the President Pro Tempore presides over the Senate. The President Pro Tempore is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the entire Senate through a Senate Resolution. The President Pro Tempore is the chief leadership position in the Senate. The other Senate leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses.

The current President of the Senate is Brad Owen. The current President Pro Tempore is Tim Sheldon and the Majority Leader is Rodney Tom. While both Sheldon and Tom are Democrats, they have sided with the Senate Republicans to form the Majority Coalition Caucus. The Minority Leader is Democrat Ed Murray. Republicans have quickly gained more and more influence in the Senate and the House, unlike the gubernational, congressional, and federal elections in the state.

Composition

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total
	Coalition		Non-coalition
	Republican	Democratic			Vacant
Beginning of current legislature	23	0	26	49	0
Majority Coalition Caucus formed	23	2	24	49	0
Latest voting share	51%		49%

Members (2013–2014, 63rd Legislature)

District	Senator	Party	Residence	First elected
1	Rosemary McAuliffe	Democratic	Bothell	1992
2	Randi Becker	Republican	Eatonville	2008
3	Andy Billig	Democratic	Spokane	2012
4	Mike Padden	Republican	Spokane Valley	2010
5	Mark Mullet	Democratic	Issaquah	2012
6	Michael Baumgartner	Republican	Spokane	2010
7	John Smith	Republican	Colville	2013*
8	Sharon Brown	Republican	Kennewick	2013*
9	Mark Schoesler	Republican	Ritzville	2004
10	Barbara Bailey	Republican	Oak Harbor	2012
11	Bob Hasegawa	Democratic	Seattle	2012
12	Linda Evans Parlette	Republican	Wenatchee	2000
13	Janéa Holmquist Newbry	Republican	Moses Lake	2010
14	Curtis King	Republican	Yakima	2007*
15	Jim Honeyford	Republican	Sunnyside	1998
16	Mike Hewitt	Republican	Walla Walla	2000
17	Don Benton	Republican	Vancouver	1996
18	Ann Rivers	Republican	La Center	2012*
19	Brian Hatfield	Democratic	Raymond	2006*
20	John Braun	Republican	Centralia	2012
21	Paull Shin	Democratic	Edmonds	1998
22	Karen Fraser	Democratic	Olympia	1992
23	Christine Rolfes	Democratic	Bainbridge Island	2010
24	James Hargrove	Democratic	Hoquiam	1992
25	Bruce Dammeier	Republican	Puyallup	2012
26	Nathan Schlicher	Democratic	Gig Harbor	2013*
27	Jeannie Darneille	Democratic	Tacoma	2012
28	Mike Carrell	Republican	Lakewood	2004*
29	Steve Conway	Democratic	Tacoma	2010
30	Tracey Eide	Democratic	Federal Way	1998
31	Pam Roach	Republican	Auburn	1990
32	Maralyn Chase	Democratic	Shoreline	2010
33	Karen Keiser	Democratic	Kent	2000
34	Sharon Nelson	Democratic	Vashon	2010
35	Tim Sheldon	Democratic (MCC)	Potlatch	1996
36	Jeanne Kohl-Welles	Democratic	Seattle	1994
37	Adam Kline	Democratic	Seattle	1996
38	Nick Harper	Democratic	Everett	2010
39	Kirk Pearson	Republican	Monroe	2012
40	Kevin Ranker	Democratic	Orcas Island	2008
41	Steve Litzow	Republican	Mercer Island	2010
42	Doug Ericksen	Republican	Ferndale	2010
43	Ed Murray	Democratic	Seattle	2006
44	Steve Hobbs	Democratic	Lake Stevens	2006
45	Andy Hill	Republican	Redmond	2010
46	David Frockt	Democratic	Seattle	2010
47	Joe Fain	Republican	Auburn	2010
48	Rodney Tom	Democratic (MCC)	Medina	2006
49	Annette Cleveland	Democratic	Vancouver	2012

See also

• Washington State Capitol
• Washington State Legislature
• Washington House of Representatives

External links

• Washington State Senate
• Map of Legislative Districts