Senate of the U.S.: Committees, Rules & Procedures

The Senate is one of the two houses of the Congress, created in Article I, Section 1 of the US Constitution. The Senate has 100 members, who serve for 6-year terms with one-third of the seats up for re-election every two years. Every state has two Senators. Senators were originally elected by state legislatures, but the Seventeenth Amendment to the US Constitution, adopted in 1913, changed the system so that Senators would be elected by the people. The vice-president serves as the presiding officer over the Senate, although he does not serve on any committees and is restricted to voting only in the event of a tie. The structure of the Senate, its longer term than the 2 years of Representatives and its history have resulted in a very powerful political structure. This book focuses on the Committees, Rules and Procedures established for managing this august body.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Supreme Court Nominations: Senate Floor Procedure and Practice, 1789-2006; The Amending Process in the Senate; Hearings in the U.S. Senate: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure; Senate Committee Rules in the 110th Congress: A Comparison of Key Provisions; Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure; Senate Organisation in the 107th Congress: Agreements Reached in a Closely Divided Senate; Senate Committee Expenditures Resolutions, 110th Congress, and Funding Authorisations, 104th - 110th Congresses; Comparison of Selected Senate Earmark Reform Proposals; Congressional Budget Resolutions: Reporting Deadline in the Senate; Calling Up Measures on the Senate Floor; The Legislative Process on the Senate Floor: An Introduction; Senate Policy on "Holds": Action in the 110th Congress; Voting and Quorum Procedures in the Senate; Senate Rules Affecting Committees; Incapacity of a Member of the Senate; The Rise of Senate Unanimous Consent Agreements; Routes to the Senate Floor: Rule XIV and Unanimous Consent; Temporarily Filling Presidentially Appointed, Senate-Confirmed Positions; The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor; The Senate Power-sharing Agreement of the 107th Congress (2001-2003): Key Features); Veto Override Procedure in the House and Senate; Spending Reconciliation Directives to the Senate Finance Committee in Congressional Budget Resolutions; Senate Unanimous Consent Agreements: Potential Effects on the Amendment Process; Ordering A Roll-call Vote in the Senate; House and Senate Chaplains; Senate Conferees: Their Selection and Authority; Voting in the Senate: Forms and Requirements; How Unanimous Consent Agreements Regulate Senate Floor Action; Instructing Senate Conferees; Senate Consideration of Treaties; The Senate's Calendar of Business; Super-Majority Votes in the Senate; Senate Confirmation Process: A Brief Overview; The Senate's Executive Calendar; Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate: Fact Sheet on Legislative and Administrative Duties; Senate Executive Business and the Executive Calendar; Senate Committee Hearings: Scheduling and Notification; Senate Legislative Procedures: Published Sources of Information; Senate Committee Hearings: The "Minority Witness Rule"; Office of Legislative Counsel: Senate; Unanimous Consent Agreements in the Senate; Senate Committee Hearings: Preparation; Senate Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments; Senate Manual: A Guide to Its Contents; Senate Leadership: Whip Organisation; Senate Leadership Structure: Overview of Party Organisation; Index.