U.S. Senate
Arielle Johnston
Qualifications
Age
- 30 years
Residency
- must be a legal U.S. citizen for 9 years
- must live in state you are representing
Term of Office
Number Of Years
- 6 years
Staggered Elections:
- held in november, even-numbered years
Salary & Benefits
Salary
- Congress voted itself peropdoc salary increases
- money paid for speeches is prohibated
- 27th amendment prohibits sitting Congress from giving itself a pay raise
- Congressional salary increase takes effect after an intervening election(unless it is blocked)
- $174,000 a year
Benefits
- postal money is given for official business (called franking privilige)
- have their own medical clinic & gymnasium
- recieve large allowances to pay for:
*office staff & assistants
*trips home
*telephones
*newsletters
- entitled to income tax deduction (helps pay for two residencys, represented state home & D.C. home)
- eligible for pensions that average $41,000-$55,000 a year for life
some pensions can reach up to $90,000
Privilages
- free from arrest in all cases when attending, going to, or leaving Congress
(with the exceptions of treason, felony, & breach of peace.)
- cannot be sued for anything they say on the House or Senate floor
(does not extend to what members say outside of Congress)
Power of exclusion
- the Senate & House may judge qualifications of members and decide whether to seat them
- can refuse to seat member by majority vote
Expulsion & Punishments
*Also can punish and expel a legislator by 2/3 vote
*Only serious offences are grounds for expulsion; treason, accepting bribes.
*Members guilty of lesser offences may be censured
Censure - a vote of formal disapproval of a member's actions