A political party that holds more than 50% of the seats in the Senate has a majority and is therefore entitled to hold the position of Senate Majority Leader. The majority leader is elected by the members of his or her party and acts as a spokesperson for the party’s position on relevant issues, and is often considered the spokesperson for the Senate. The “right of first recognition” allows the majority leader to speak before any other senator on a piece of legislation. In addition, the majority leader is required to work with committee chairs and senior members to plan the daily agenda for the legislative session.
The minority party that holds less than 50% of the seats in the Senate also holds the position of minority leader. Similar to the majority leader, the minority leader represents his or her party in the Senate, but does not have the right of first recognition or the ability to set the agenda. The minority leader and majority leader must consult with each other to agree on the rules of public debate and to distribute debate time equally between the parties.
Other important positions for both majority and minority parties include:
Party whips, who are assistant leaders responsible for “gathering party members for voting and determining quorum” and for sometimes replacing their majority or minority leaders in the event of their absence.
The conference chairmen preside over closed sessions known as party conferences (or party caucuses), during which members of each party meet to elect chairmen, determine committee assignments, and set the legislative agenda. The leader of the Democratic Party is the chairman of his party, while the Republican Party elects a chairman who is not the party leader.
Political committee chairs are the heads of the political committees of their respective parties. The Senate Republican and Democratic Political Committees were established in 1947 “to achieve political integration and promote party unity by disseminating information on Senate politics and other matters.” Each serves as an “analytical arm of the respective party leadership” and provides analysis of policy issues, decisions, and alternatives, as well as a forum for political debate.
The role of committees
Like the House of Representatives, the Senate has committees that study issues in depth. Membership in a committee “enables members to develop specialized knowledge on matters within their jurisdiction.” The role of committees is to “monitor current government operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action” to the Senate as a whole.
Before the start of each new Congress, party conferences meet to determine committee assignments based on the allocated seats on the party’s committees. In the Senate, there are three types of committees: standing committees, which are permanent bodies with specific duties and jurisdiction; special/selective committees, which have a clearly defined purpose and often end when a final report is submitted; and joint committees with the House of Representatives, which “perform housekeeping functions or conduct research.” There are 16 standing committees, 4 special/ad hoc committees and 4 joint committees.
There are several restrictions on committee membership that are intended to ensure fair treatment of senators in the appointment process. First, when a state is represented by two senators from the same party, they cannot serve together on the same committee. In addition, each senator can serve on two “A” committees and one of the “B” committees. Service in “C” committees is unlimited.
The more prestigious committees (the “A” committees) tend to be more powerful (and therefore provide a lucrative platform for potential political fundraising). For example, a senator who is a member of the Appropriations Committee has more power to decide which programs receive what level of funding.