The US Senate
By Erin, Stephanie, and Sam
Members of the Senate
Every state has two senators, making 100 senators in the Senate.
Wisconsin's two senators are the Democratic Tammy Baldwin and the Republican Ron Johnson.
Senate Requirements
- At Least 30 years old
- U.S. citizen for at least nine years
- A resident of the state being elected to represent
Filibusters
A filibuster is a speech that is made longer to obstruct progress in a legislative assembly. Senators use filibusters to possibly hold the floor and prevent a bill from coming to a vote.
Leadership Positions
The current Majority Leader in the Senate is Harry Reid, and the current Minority Leader in the Senate is Mitch McConnell.
"Majority" refers to the party that is most prominent in the Senate. In our current Senate, the Majority is Democrats.
"Minority" refers to the party that is outnumbered by the Majority. By default this is the Republicans.
Current Bill Going Through Senate
An Immigration Bill that would allow the unauthorized immigrants of the US to become US Citizens within 13 years.