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Wikipedia / Iowa Senate

The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 63,807 per constituency, . Each Senate district is composed of two House districts. The Senate meets at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.

Terms

Like members of the Iowa House of Representatives, Iowa state senators serve without term limits, and are elected in November for terms starting the following January. Unlike Iowa state representatives, who are elected to two year terms, senators are elected to four-year terms, which are staggered so that half the Senate is up for reelection every two years. In years divisible by 4 (United States presidential election years), elections are held in even-numbered state senate districts. Two years later, elections are held in odd-numbered state senate districts.

Redistricting

In election years following redistricting (years ending in digit 2, such as 2002), senate districts scheduled to hold elections two years earlier are called "holdover senatorial districts". Iowa Code Section 42.4 includes special rules for holdover senatorial districts. When there is one and only one incumbent senator residing in a holdover senatorial district, that incumbent senator continues in the senate, representing the district for the final two years of the term. When more than one incumbent senator resides in a holdover senatorial district and wishes to remain in the senate, there is an election in that district for the final two years of the term.

Leadership

The President of the Senate presides over the body, whose powers include referring bills to committees, recognizing members during debate, and making procedural rulings. Unlike the more powerful Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, the Senate President cannot appoint committee chairmanships or shuffle committee memberships. The lieutenant governor of Iowa was the presiding officer of the Senate until 1988, when an amendment to the Constitution of Iowa was passed in a referendum (effective from 1991). The other partisan Senate leadership positions, such as the Majority and Minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses to head their parties in the chamber.

The President of the Senate is Republican Amy Sinclair of the 12th District. The Majority Leader is Republican Mike Klimesh of the 32nd District. The Minority Leader is Democrat Janice Weiner of the 36th District.

Committee leadership

All chairs and vice chairs are Republicans. All ranking members are Democrats.

Current composition

Senators

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Past notable members

Federal offices

10 members became US Senators including: Samuel J. Kirkwood, George G. Wright, James F. Wilson, Albert B. Cummins (also served as President Pro Tempore of the Senate), Lafayette Young, George A. Wilson, Guy Gillette, Jack Miller, Roger Jepsen and Joni Ernst.

5 members became members of the US House of Representatives including: James F. Wilson, Madison Miner Walden, Steve King, Randy Feenstra and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

3 members became Federal Cabinet Members including: Samuel J. Kirkwood as Secretary of Interior, George W. McCrary, Secretary of War and Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture.

State offices

13 members became Governor including: Samuel J. Kirkwood, William Larrabee, Beryl F. Carroll, Albert B. Cummins, Warren Garst, John Hammill (served as Acting Governor in 1922, then Governor in 1925), Daniel Webster Turner, George A. Wilson, William S. Beardsley, Leo Elthon, Robert D. Fulton, Tom Vilsack and Kim Reynolds.

28 members became Lieutenant Governor including: Nicholas J. Rusch, John R. Needham, Enoch W. Eastman, Benjamin F. Gue, John Scott, Madison Miner Walden, Henry C. Bulis, Joseph Dysart, Frank T. Campbell, Alfred N. Poyneer, Samuel L. Bestow, Warren S. Dungan, Mathies Parrott, Warren Garst, John Hammill, Clem F. Kimball, Arch W. McFarlane, John K. Valentine, Kenneth A. Evans, Leo Elthon, Edward J. McManus, Robert D. Fulton, Roger Jepsen, Arthur Neu, Joy Corning, Patty Judge, Kim Reynolds and Chris Cournoyer.

1 member was twice the Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court and Associate Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court: George G. Wright

3 members held state level elected positions including: Beryl F. Carroll as Iowa State Auditor from 1903 to 1909, Richard C. Turner as Attorney General of Iowa from 1968 to 1979 and Patty Judge as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture from 1999 to 2007.

Past composition of the Senate

See also

References