Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate | |
---|---|
Pennsylvania General Assembly | |
Type | |
Type | |
Term limits | None |
History | |
New session started | January 5, 2021 |
Leadership | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 50 |
Political groups | Majority caucus
Minority caucus
|
Length of term | 4 years |
Authority | Article II, Pennsylvania Constitution |
Salary | $88,610/year[1] |
Elections | |
Last election | November 6, 2018 (25 seats) |
Next election | November 3, 2020 (25 seats) |
Redistricting | Legislative Control |
Meeting place | |
State Senate Chamber Pennsylvania State Capitol Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | |
Website | |
Pennsylvania State Senate |
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the seats are contested at each election.[2] Even numbered seats and odd numbered seats are contested in separate election years. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate becomes the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in the event of the sitting Lieutenant Governor's removal, resignation or death. In this case the President Pro Tempore and Lieutenant Governor would be the same person.[3] The Pennsylvania Senate has been meeting since 1791.
The President of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor, who has no vote except in the event of an otherwise tie vote.
Senate leadership
President of the Senate: John Fetterman (D)
President Pro Tem of the Senate: Jake Corman (R)
Majority party (R) | Leadership position | Minority party (D) |
Kim Ward | Floor Leader | Jay Costa |
John Gordner | Whip | Anthony H. Williams |
Bob Mensch | Caucus Chairman | Wayne D. Fontana |
Ryan Aument | Caucus Secretary | Maria Collett |
Pat Browne | Appropriations Committee Chairman | Vincent Hughes |
Dave Argall | Policy Committee Chairman | Katie Muth |
TBD | Caucus Administrator | John Blake |
Composition
Historical sessions
Affiliation | Party (shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/color" | | style="background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/color" | | |||
Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
1995–1996 session | 29 | 21 | 50 | 0 |
1997–1998 session | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
1999–2000 session | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
2001–2002 session | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
2003–2004 session | 29 | 21 | 50 | 0 |
2005–2006 session | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
2007–2008 session | 29 | 21 | 50 | 0 |
2009–2010 session | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
2011–2012 session | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
2013–2014 session | 27 | 23 | 50 | 0 |
2015–2016 session | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 |
2016–2017 session | 31 | 19 | 50 | 0 |
2017–2018 session | 34 | 16 | 50 | 0 |
2018–2019 session | 28 | 22 | 50 | 0 |
2019–2020 session | 29 | 21 | 50 | 0 |
Current session
As of January 17, 2021[update]:
style="background:Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color; width:42%" | 21 | style="background:Template:Vacant/meta/color; width:2%" | 1 | style="background:Template:Independent Party (United States)/meta/color; width:2%" | 1 | style="background:Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color; width:58%" | 27 |
style="color:Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | Democratic | style="color:Template:Independent Party (United States)/meta/color" | | style="color:Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | Republican |
Affiliation | Party (shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/color" | | style="background-color:Template:Independent (US)/meta/color" | | style="background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/color" | | |||
Republican | Ind | Democratic | Vacant | ||
End of previous legislature | 28 | 1 | 21 | 50 | 0 |
January 5, 2021[4] | 28 | 1 | 20 | 49 | 1 |
January 13, 2021[5] | 28 | 1 | 21 | 50 | 0 |
January 17, 2021[6] | 27 | 1 | 21 | 49 | 1 |
Latest voting share | 57.1% | 42.9% |
Membership
The Senate is made up of 50 members who are elected by district. In 2012, a State Senate district had an average population of 254,047 residents.
List of current members
Committee assignments
Standing committee | Majority membership | Minority membership |
---|---|---|
Aging & Youth | ||
Agriculture & Rural Affairs | ||
Appropriations | ||
Banking & Insurance | ||
Communications & Technology | ||
Community, Economic & Recreational Development | ||
Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure | ||
Education | ||
Environmental Resources & Energy | ||
Finance | ||
Game & Fisheries | ||
Health & Human Services | ||
Intergovernmental Operations | ||
Judiciary | ||
Labor & Industry | ||
Law & Justice | ||
Local Government | ||
Rules & Executive Nominations | ||
State Government | ||
Transportation | ||
Urban Affairs & Housing | ||
Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparednesss |
Past composition of the Senate
See also
- Project Vote Smart (Pennsylvania State Senate information and voting records is the link that leads to information about elected officials and candidates in Pennsylvania.)
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- President of the Pennsylvania Senate
- President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate
- List of Pennsylvania state legislatures
References
- ^ The Pennsylvania Manual, pp. 3–7.
- ^ Article II, section 3, Pennsylvania Constitution.
- ^ Article IV, section 14, Pennsylvania Constitution.
- ^ Senator Brewster not seated.[2]
- ^ Hughes, Sarah Anne (2021-01-12). "Federal judge rules in favor of Democratic Pa. Senate candidate GOP refused to seat". Spotlight PA. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Murphy, Jan (January 17, 2021). "Pa. state senator dies from brain cancer at age 49". PennLive. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
Sources
- Trostle, Sharon, ed. (2009). The Pennsylvania Manual. Vol. 119. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of General Services. ISBN 0-8182-0334-X.